This article explores parallels in afterlife narratives in children's literature, highlighting societal themes and allyship.
Jewell Parker Rhodes's middle-grade novel Ghost Boys (2018) depicts the afterlife of Jerome, a young black boy who was murdered by a White police officer. Charles Kingsley's Victorian fantasy novel The Water-Babies: A Tale for a Land Baby (1863) follows the afterlife of a young chimney sweep, Tom, who drowns after being falsely accused of stealing from the estate of a wealthy landowner. In this article, I parallel the two works, bridging the societal concerns of two eras and two nations within two important works of fiction for children. I pay special attention to the beautiful young White girl each author places at the center of the boys' labyrinthine afterlife journey.
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Melissa Jenkins (2024) studied this question.
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