Reading the bluebonnets
Hello! Now that I have a break between my classes, I can post about books again! The next series of books I'm going to post about are on the Texas Bluebonnet list. I decided I'm going to read all of this year's list and do my part and vote on my favorites. So without further ado, here is my first review of one of the bluebonnet books!
Rhodes, J. (2018) Ghost Boys. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company
Jerome is a good boy. He usually listens to his parents, tries not to stand out in school, and does his part to help at home. Then one day, after a new friend gives him a toy gun, he is shot by a policeman. As a ghost, he wanders around, wondering why he's still around. At home, he has to deal with his families grief, and he doesn't have the ability to comfort anyone. In fact, the only one who can see him is the daughter of the policeman who shot him. Jerome has to learn to deal with his own death, and how he can help others dealing with it as well.
Man, I sure started my list with a depressing one. Not a particularly fun read, which isn't surprising considering the subject. This book goes right along with the new trend of literature of this sort. I have to say, personally, not a fan. A couple things in particular bothered me. One thing that kept irritating me was the portrayal of Hispanics. For a book about racial problems, I felt it rather insulting how the friend, Carlos, was written. For example, when he is first introduced he states that he is Dominican, but later his family is celebrating Day of the Dead, which Carlos talks about being a Mexican holiday. I also wasn't a fan of the choppy sentences. That may be attributed to the fact that the book is from the viewpoint of a 12 year old boy though.
If you're into depressing books, or want to start a conversation on the Black Lives Matter movement, then this may be the book for you. Considering the latter, there are actually discussion questions in the back of the book to help start dialogue on it.
Wow. That was a bit of a downer... Well next up I'm reading Captain Superlative! Can't wait to see how that one turns out!
Rhodes, J. (2018) Ghost Boys. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company
Jerome is a good boy. He usually listens to his parents, tries not to stand out in school, and does his part to help at home. Then one day, after a new friend gives him a toy gun, he is shot by a policeman. As a ghost, he wanders around, wondering why he's still around. At home, he has to deal with his families grief, and he doesn't have the ability to comfort anyone. In fact, the only one who can see him is the daughter of the policeman who shot him. Jerome has to learn to deal with his own death, and how he can help others dealing with it as well.
Man, I sure started my list with a depressing one. Not a particularly fun read, which isn't surprising considering the subject. This book goes right along with the new trend of literature of this sort. I have to say, personally, not a fan. A couple things in particular bothered me. One thing that kept irritating me was the portrayal of Hispanics. For a book about racial problems, I felt it rather insulting how the friend, Carlos, was written. For example, when he is first introduced he states that he is Dominican, but later his family is celebrating Day of the Dead, which Carlos talks about being a Mexican holiday. I also wasn't a fan of the choppy sentences. That may be attributed to the fact that the book is from the viewpoint of a 12 year old boy though.
If you're into depressing books, or want to start a conversation on the Black Lives Matter movement, then this may be the book for you. Considering the latter, there are actually discussion questions in the back of the book to help start dialogue on it.
Wow. That was a bit of a downer... Well next up I'm reading Captain Superlative! Can't wait to see how that one turns out!
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