Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this DRC.
Great short stories. Anyone can find one that they can relate to.

#BlackBoyJoy #NetGalley

What an absolute delight! One of those books that I knew I was going to like - stories by so many of my favorite authors, but it still managed to be better than I expected. It would be so great if these folks would think about another similiar book now that it has been a couple of years.

An entire collection of short stories celebrating Black culture, boys’ everyday lives, and lessons of family, friendship, love, and life? Pure joy. Among my favorites are "The Griot of Grover Street," “There’s Going to Be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman,” “The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler,” and “First-Day Fly” (I just LOVE Jason Reynolds’ narratives). This celebration of Black boyhood is every bit triumphant, nourishing, and essential for diverse readers.

The cover just speaks to everything about the joyfulness that is present in this book. A solid anthology in a mood that is much needed.

Middle-grade readers need more short stories and this book hits the spot big time! These short stories for ages 8 to 12 celebrate Black main characters in space, at school, hanging out, and more in 17 different stories from 17 different authors. I loved the writing, the variety of genres, and the focus of Black boys living their best lives — it’s a must-read, must-own collection.

I loved this anthology of Black Boy Joy! The different types of stories will appeal to a multitude of readers and can lead to some really awesome discussions. This book was just what it says-joyful.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A perfect book that needs to be in every library. Each story is unique and well-written. I will definitely add this one to my library.

I often struggle with reading short stories because I never feel as though I get to know the characters, the worlds, the relationships, or the plot well enough before the story ends. So I went into this collection expecting that I might have a bit of a tough time connecting to the stories. This book surprised me in the best way. I truly loved the stories in this collection. The characters actually felt fully fleshed out and I was invested in each and every story. There were pieces by several authors that I have read before, and I was happy to see their new stories here. There were also stories by authors that are new to me, and I am excited to read their other works because of this collection. There's a little bit of everything: realistic fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, social themes, family stories, school stories, LGBTQ+ themes. I think every type of reader will find at least one story to enjoy or connect with. Highly recommend to all readers.

This was an amazing collection of short stories celebrating black boyhood by black male and non-binary authors.

I appreciated each individual point of view. I would highly recommend this collection to anyone wanting to learn more and do better.

This was great! Such a wonderful depiction of the vast variety of personalities and traits that black boys have, that are so often overlooked and overshadowed in larger american culture. This should be in every school and every library.

Lovely short stories about black boys who do not end up in negative situations. We need more of these in our lives. Each author brings their own spin and voice to their characters and experiences. Wonderful book I will be recommending to my students.

I love how it’s y just one type of Black boy we get to know in this book. It’s nerdy boys, queer boys, sporty boys, feisty boys, and sweet boys that grace these pages. The short stories also make it perfect for using as mentor texts in classroom instruction. Well done!

I can see why everyone that reads this book loves it! It is full of 17 wonderful stories from 17 different authors which share us the joys of Black boyhood.

Wow, what a book. Seventeen stories are tied together through Mbalia's magical realism title in excerpts throughout, "The Griot of Grover Street". Aside from that, the titles stand independently and can be read individually or as an entire book. I loved that these stories showed that joy can stand alongside sadness, fear, and anger, and while some stories weren't favorites of mine, I saw the kid appeal in all of them. I will note that one story does take place during the COVID-19 pandemic. I liked being introduced to some new-to-me authors as well as visiting stories from favorites of mine.

My favorite titles were:

"There's Going to Be a Fight In the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman" by Lamar Giles
"The McCoy Game" by B.B. Alston
"The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler" by Julian Winters
"Extinct" by Dean Atta
"The Gender Reveal" by George M. Johnson
"But Also, Jazz" by Julian Randal
"Our Dill" by Justin A. Reynolds
"Percival and the Jab" By P. Djèlí Clark
"Embracing My Black Boy Joy" by Jerry Craft

This was such a good anthology and a 5 star read for me for sure.

This was such a beautiful collection of short stories that give young black boys permission to experience joy in all different ways. Kwame Mbalia did a wonderful job bringing together an amazing group of collaborators for this project. Get this in kids' hands now!

This was a lovely book of short stories. I found myself selfishly wanting more of each one, but each story stands alone beautifully. This would be great in a middle school classroom, and the individual stories could definitely be used in a short story unit.

Short stories from ALL your favorite authors featuring space adventures, baking contests, skateboarding, concerts, and some of the COOLEST grandparents in all of literature. Winging through this collection with the biggest smile on my face. What an assemblage of talent!

Black Boy Joy is necessary. For Black Boys. For those of us who know Black boys. For those who don't know Black boys. We all deserve to be represented - and stories from amazing authors tell the joy of being a Black boy.

Being a Black boy can be scary in this society. But being a Black boy is not all fear. They are beautiful. They are smart. They are our future. Thank you Kwame Mbalia for getting these guys together to collaborate on this amazing piece of work.

Black Boy Joy is definitely one of my best reads for 2022. Read it in one day and now it’s on my TBR again pile and I’m satisfied.