Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel

Experience Jewell Parker Rhodes’s award-winning storytelling in this tender yet visceral graphic novel adaptation of her New York Times bestselling novel, with poignant illustrations by Setor Fiadzigbey. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that is unleashed on his family and community in the wake of this unjust and brutal killing.

Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey toward recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer who shot him, as she grapples with her father’s actions. Now gorgeously a graphic novel with gripping artwork from Black Panther illustrator Setor Fiadzigbey, Ghost Boys once again deftly explores the historical and sociopolitical layers involved in how children and families face the complexities of today’s world—and how one boy, in particular, comes to understand American Blackness in the aftermath of his own death.

Author Biography

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for youth, including Ghost Boys; Black Brother, Black Brother; Paradise on Fire; and Treasure Island: Runaway Gold. She is the recipient of many distinguished awards and honors, including the Coretta Scott King Author Honor, the Green Earth Book Award, an NAACP Image Award nomination, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Octavia E. Butler Award. Rhodes is the Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University. She invites you to connect with her at jewellparkerrhodes.com. Setor Fiadzigbey was born and raised in Accra, Ghana. As a child, he had an active imagination— often playing out stories visually in his mind. He is blessed to do this even more as an adult, helping to craft memorable stories as an artist and illustrator. He has had the privilege of working on some notable titles such as Marvel’s Black Panther Legends comic series, and the New York Times bestselling children’s book Bunheads by Misty Copeland. He has also done work in visual development for animation. He lives in Ghana with his family.