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Officer Moore
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 Chicago to support the growing family. On his first day at Jerome’s school, their obtuse teacher Mr. Myers introduces him at the front of class, singling him out and making him a target for bullying. After Jerome takes pity on Carlos and greets him, Carlos asks to eat lunch with him and the boys decide to become friends. Shortly after, bullies Eddie, Mike, and Snap find the boys and begin beating them up—until Carlos pulls out a toy gun, scaring away the bullies by convincing them the gun is real. Overjoyed to have a friend, Carlos finds Jerome after school and insists that he borrow the toy gun for the day. When Jerome is shot by a white police officer, Officer Moore, who mistakes the toy for a real firearm, Carlos is wracked with guilt. He takes over walking Jerome’s little sister Kim to and from school along with Jerome’s Grandma and sets up a memory altar to Jerome in his bedroom. With encouragement from Kim and Jerome’s forgiving ghost—which Carlos can sense, though not see—Carlos admits to his father and Jerome’s Grandma that he gave Jerome the toy gun. At the novel’s end, he has become like an older brother to Kim and a second grandson to Grandma, and his family is celebrating the Day of the Dead with Jerome’s family at Jerome’s grave.
Carlos Rodríquez Quotes in Ghost Boys
The Ghost Boys quotes below are all either spoken by Carlos Rodríquez or refer to Carlos Rodríquez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Alive (p. 35–44) Quotes
“In San Antonio, school’s always trouble. Everyone fights. Everyone’s afraid. I hope it’s better here.”
The tuna’s dirt dry. I almost choke. “We fight here, too,” I say, honest. “That’s why we have security guards. Metal detectors.”
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“You’re nothing in Chicago. Say it.” Snap twists Carlos’s arm. “Say it, ‘I’m nothing.’”
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Alive (p. 75–80) Quotes
I’m always good. (Teasing Kim doesn’t count.) I say what Grandma wants to hear. Calm her and Ma. Watch out for Kim. Play Minecraft for just an hour. (Okay, sometimes two.) Do my homework. Even act nice when Mr. Myers isn’t asking me (he’s asking the whole class!) to welcome the new kid. Sucker. That’s me. Why can’t I have some fun? Pretend I’m a rebel in Rogue One?
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Dead (p. 85–191) Quotes
Strangely, courtroom benches remind me of church pews. Long, hard, polished wood.
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“I was ashamed.”
“Never be. You’re a good son. Everyone gets scared sometimes. It’s how you handle it that matters.”
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“Can’t undo wrong. Can only do our best to make things right.”
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Carlos Rodríquez Character Timeline in Ghost Boys
The timeline below shows where the character Carlos Rodríquez appears in Ghost Boys. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Dead (p. 21–31)
Jerome’s friend Carlos tries to get Pop’s attention on the church steps. Pop, tending to a miserable Kim,...
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...he is Jerome; then he vanishes. Jerome stays outside on the church steps, wondering what Carlos gave Grandma that gave her brief joy at her grandson’s funeral.
(full context)
Alive (p. 35–44)
December 8. School. Jerome’s oblivious middle-school teacher Mr. Myers is introducing a new student, Carlos from San Antonio, at the front of the class—singling Carlos out. Judging from Carlos’s unhappy...
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At lunch, Carlos approaches Jerome and suggests they eat together. Jerome initially tries to dodge Carlos, but he...
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Hiding in the stall next to Carlos, Jerome tells him that the middle school, Bearden, isn’t “that bad.” Carlos says he hopes...
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Carlos laughs and says that while perhaps all schools are bad, he’s never eaten lunch on...
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...door, but he can’t see up to where Jerome is perched. Then the bullies hit Carlos’s door. It opens—Carlos didn’t lock it. The bullies pull Carlos out. Jerome rushes from his...
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Infuriated, Carlos gets free and strikes at the bullies. Mike knocks Carlos down. While Eddie holds Jerome,...
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Alive (p. 57–59)
December 8. Gun. Carlos aims the gun at the bullies, demanding that they go away. Mike claims that what...
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...will be if they find out he was close to a gun—moves for the door. Carlos, stopping him, tells him the gun isn’t real. A lightbulb goes off in Jerome’s head,...
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Alive (p. 75–80)
December 8. School. Because Carlos sits next to Jerome in every class, Jerome notices that Carlos is very thin and...
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When the bell rings, Jerome says goodbye to Carlos and runs outside to meet Kim. Carlos follows him and asks to hang out. Pulling...
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Kim shows up. Carlos introduces himself as Jerome’s friend, which makes Kim smile happily. Then he offers Jerome the...
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...trying to be a good kid: comforting Ma and Grandma, taking care of Kim, helping Carlos out. He wonders why he can’t cut loose and pretend to be a Rogue One...
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Carlos tells Jerome and Kim that it’s fine and puts the toy gun back in his...
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Dead (p. 85–191)
Carlos. Grandma has been walking Kim to and from school every day. As of January, Carlos...
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One day, Grandma tells Carlos that he’s a “good boy” and asks whether he’ll walk Kim home by himself. He...
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School & After. One day in May, six weeks before the end of school, Carlos is walking Kim and Grandma to school and helping Kim carry her backpack—when Jerome sees...
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Carlos tells Eddie, Mike, and Snap, “Kim es mi familia.” When Eddie steps toward them, Jerome...
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Walking Kim home, Carlos makes drumsticks out of a tree branch and plays percussion on random objects for her....
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...stories seem to make the neighborhood a brighter place. He thinks that Kim is correct: Carlos has to tell his own story about the toy gun to Grandma, in the same...
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...though some change is coming, something that he is going to make happen. Reminiscing about Carlos, he recognizes that Carlos wanted to make him happy—and briefly succeeded. He liked having a...
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Carlos. Jerome hasn’t seen Carlos since the day Kim told Carlos he needed to tell Grandma....
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Jerome remembers that he touched Sarah’s book and wonders whether he could do that with Carlos’s papers—but he recalls that he was furious then, which he isn’t anymore. Looking at Carlos’s...
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A man walks into Carlos’s room and asks whether he’s okay. Carlos reassures the man, whom he calls “Papi,” that...
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Carlos’s father suggests that Carlos should have come to him with his fears. When Carlos admits...
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Carlos says that he has to admit what happened to Jerome’s family. Carlos’s father asks whether...
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Carlos & Grandma. Kim spots Carlos approaching through one of the apartment’s windows and runs outside...
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When Carlos and Kim find Grandma in the kitchen, she insists—over Carlos’s objections—that he take a cookie....
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...“much fun,” Grandma guesses that Kim knew about the toy gun. When Kim looks ashamed, Carlos jumps in to say that she tried to stop him from giving it to Jerome....
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Grandma asks Carlos to share “three good things.” Kim, laughing and crying, explains that Grandma thinks the number...
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...Moore made to the terrible bullying that Eddie, Mike, and Snap inflicted on him and Carlos on a whim. He tells Sarah that while random bullying is bad, targeted bullying motivated...
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On November 1—which Grandma celebrates as All Saints’ Day and Carlos’s family celebrates as the Day of the Dead—Jerome’s and Carlos’s families have a picnic on...
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Grandma, gesturing with a piece of paper, tells Carlos it’s very meaningful to her. Jerome looks at the paper and sees a drawing of...
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Jerome tells Emmett Till that Sarah will “do good”; internally, he adds that Carlos and Kim will also do good. Emmett tells Jerome that they have to leave. When...
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Alive (p. 195–198)
...like a less depressing place. But then, suddenly, Jerome gets tired out. He starts wishing Carlos were there to play with him and worries that, since he’s alone, passersby might mistake...
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...boots standing nearby. He tries to say “toy,” worried that he’s lost the toy gun Carlos lent him. He’s not sure what’s happened to him, but he wishes someone would call...
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