When Jerome tells Kim that Carlos has offered him the toy gun, she begs him not to take it. He offers it to Jerome to help him feel safe on his dangerous walk through Chicago's gang and drug infested streets. The other boys back off and flee the bathroom, and Carlos reveals to Jerome that the gun is just a toy painted to look real. When the bullies begin beating up Carlos and Jerome, Carlos pulls out what appears to be a gun. They hide in the bathroom together to eat their lunch before the bullies find them.
That day, a new boy in school named Carlos befriends Jerome. He is worried, as always, about the school bullies who torment him and make fun of his appearance. On the day of the shooting, December 8, Jerome walks his younger sister, Kim, to school. The novel flashes back and forth between the moments before Jerome's death to his existence as a ghost, his struggle to understand the factors that led to his death, and his family's fight to get justice for him. His spirit floats up above his body and he transitions to the ghost world. Jerome Rogers, a Black 12-year-old boy, has been shot and killed by a police officer in his Chicago neighborhood. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Parker Rhodes, Jewell.
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