Ghost Boys Character Analysis

Jerome Rogers

Twelve-year-old Jerome Rogers is the protagonist and narrator of Ghost Boys. He resides in an impoverished Chicago neighborhood with his Ma, Pop, Grandma, and little sister Kim. A polite, well-meaning… read analysis of Jerome Rogers

Emmett Till

Emmett Till in Ghost Boys is a representation of the historical 14-year-old African-American lynching victim from Chicago, who was murdered while visiting relatives in Mississippi by two white men after he spoke to one man’s… read analysis of Emmett Till

Sarah Moore

A freckly white girl with blue eyes and brown hair, Sarah Moore is the middle-school-aged daughter of Officer Moore, who shoots Jerome Rogers to death after mistaking the toy gun in his hand for… read analysis of Sarah Moore

Officer Moore

Sarah Moore’s father, Officer Moore is a white police officer in Chicago. He has saved lives and been decorated for bravery—but one December, he responds to a 911 call and fatally shoots Jerome Rogers… read analysis of Officer Moore

Carlos Rodríquez

Carlos is a thin, tired-looking Mexican-American boy who often wears a hoodie. He transfers to Jerome’s middle school from San Antonio because his mother is pregnant and his father took a higher-paying job in… read analysis of Carlos Rodríquez

Grandma

Grandmother to Jerome and Kim Rogers, Grandma cooks, cleans, and babysits her grandchildren to keep the Rogers household running smoothly while Jerome and Kim’s parents, Ma and Pop, work long hours. As a… read analysis of Grandma

Kim Rogers

Kim Rogers, Jerome’s little sister, is an intelligent, curious, opinionated grade-schooler. Though Jerome sometimes finds his sister’s constant, curious questions annoying, he appreciates her belief in his potential and her decision not to tell their… read analysis of Kim Rogers

Ma Rogers

Jerome and Kim’s mother, Ma is ambitious for her children’s education but also fearful for their safety in the dangerous, impoverished Chicago neighborhood where their family’s apartment is located. She works long hours as… read analysis of Ma Rogers

Pop Rogers

Jerome and Kim’s father, Pa is a sanitation officer who works long hours to help support his family. Though not as vocally anxious about Jerome and Kim as his wife Ma or Grandma… read analysis of Pop Rogers

Eddie

Eddie, a Dominican-American middle-schooler, is the ringleader of the bullies who target Jerome Rogers. Along with his friends Mike and Snap, he often insults Jerome verbally as well as beating him up. Though… read analysis of Eddie

The Judge

The judge at the preliminary hearing to determine whether Officer Moore will face criminal charges for shooting 12-year-old Jerome Rogers to death is a small woman who wears pink nail polish. She is very focused… read analysis of The Judge

Ms. Penny

Ms. Penny is the librarian at Sarah Moore’s well-resourced middle school. Though she initially tries to dissuade Sarah from researching the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till on the grounds that it would be too disturbing… read analysis of Ms. Penny

Minor Characters

Maurice

Based on a real historical figure, Maurice is Emmett Till’s favorite cousin in Mississippi. He repeatedly warns Emmett Till to defer to or avoid white people in the Jim Crow South.

Mike

Mike is one of the middle-school bullies, along with Snap and ringleader Eddie, who target Jerome and Carlos. After Jerome is shot, Mike and Snap follow Eddie’s lead in reconciling with Carlos.

Snap

Snap is one of the middle-school bullies, along with Mike and ringleader Eddie, who target Jerome and Carlos. After Jerome is shot, Mike and Snap follow Eddie’s lead in reconciling with Carlos.

Mr. Myers

Mr. Myers is a kind and well-meaning but obtuse teacher at Jerome and Carlos’s middle school. On Carlos’s first day of school, Mr. Myers introduces him at the front of class, singling him out and making him a target for bullies such as Eddie, Mike, and Snap.

Reverend Thornton

Reverend Thornton is the Rogers’ family pastor. He attends Jerome’s wake and the preliminary hearing determining whether the police officer who shot Jerome, Officer Moore, will face criminal charges. He is vocally dismissive of Grandma’s Southern “superstitions,” such as a belief in ghosts.

Ghost Boys

Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys Characters