A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer drawing connections through history from awardwinning author Jewell Parker Rhodes. An instant New York Times bestseller An instant IndieBound bestseller The 1 Kids Indie Next Pick A Walter Award winner Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelveyearold Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost he observes the devastation thats been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an 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 towards 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 grapples with her fathers actions. Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and sociopolitical layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of todays world and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death. show more