Black Boy Joy is a marvelous collection of short stories (and some poetry/graphic novel) written by Black authors about the joys of Black childhood from the mostly male perspective--though there are characters representing the queer perspective, and I love that they are included.

Starting with Kwame Mbalia's "The Griot of Grover Street" (which comes back for Part II in the middle and Part III at the end), Black Boy Joy takes us on a journey both within and outside of our known world. Mbalia's character Fort learns throughout that joy is something worth collecting, worth savoring, because life will bring us moments of sadness and loss, but the joy is what makes us who we are. This theme remains throughout the book, with all of our protagonists finding joy in everything from the simple ("First Day Fly" by Jason Reynolds, on how that first-day-of-school look sets the tone for the whole year) to the fantastic (Don P. Hooper's "Got Me a Jet Pack" where Rodney Halfway Tree Clarke learns his parents are a famous space racer and a brilliant scientist).

There are also stories that explore burgeoning feelings of love ("Our Dill" by Justin A. Reynolds), the insecurities of being in a new place ("Five Thousand Light-Years To Home" by Suyi Davies Okungbowa), and the terrifying prospect of being ones true self ("The Gender Reveal" by George M. Johnson).

This collection is a must-have for any classroom--not just for the Black boys who need more stories about them and for them, but for all children, to see that current media portrayals of Black men and boys very rarely get the whole story. For more reluctant readers, each story is just long enough to engage, but short enough to keep the book manageable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

I admit, I do not generally read short stories, much preferring longer novels. I felt this was an important book to be in the world, and I have read and loved a few of the contributors before. The cover really drew me in, as our whole family has loved Kadir Nelson's artwork for years. And I was really excited to get to read some authors I have heard about but never had the opportunity to read before. I LOVED most of the stories in this collection, and I am much more interested now in checking out more by some of these authors.

Contributors include: B. B. Alston, Dean Atta, P. Djèlí Clark, Jay Coles, Jerry Craft, Lamar Giles, Don P. Hooper, George M. Johnson, Varian Johnson, Kwame Mbalia, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Tochi Onyebuchi, Julian Randall, Jason Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, DaVaun Sanders, and Julian Winters.

How do I review a short story collection? I soooo want to talk about each of the works of the 17 authors represented in Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood, which was edited by Kwame Mbalia. There is such a diverse collection of realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, graphic short fiction, and LGBTQ stories (which I know is not a separate genre, but deserves to be highlighted) written by some of the hottest names in Young Adult and Middle Grades literature today. I did a “fangirl” squeal when I looked at the table of contents and saw the authors whose voices were represented.

I can’t review each story, but I can say that I am very impressed by the stories themselves, the myriad of backgrounds represented by the characters, and the issues, problems, obstacles that the characters face. I will be purchasing multiple copies for my classroom because I can name 10-15 current students and dozens of former students that this book would appeal to. I love using short story collections, especially, with striving readers because they are smaller bites of complete narratives. I also can imagine giving the students a choice of stories to use for dramatic reading or for the students to practice adapting prose into scenes. (I teach drama.)

*This is an honest, voluntary review written in exchange for and E-ARC. Thank you Random House Children’s and NetGalley.

I knew the line up of authors, I went in prepared to love this collection of short stories, and it still was beyond my expectations. An absolute powerhouse collective of today’s master storytellers, giving us 17 different, diverse, and distinguished tales of Black Boy Joy. I can’t pick a favorite, because they all bring their own unique flavor, but I was thrilled to see the inclusion of a graphic short story (Jerry Craft fan girl here) - such validation of that format for ALL readers. I won’t be hesitating to purchase for school collections, and will be joyfully recommending to educators, parents, and readers of all ages.

This is a wonderful book full of joyful stories for Black boys and about Black boys, and I loved them all. Each is different and absolutely lovely - especially Lamar Giles piece "In the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman" where Cornell learns about superheroes, his family, and himself all in one afternoon. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Black Boy Joy is an awesome, much needed anthology. While I had my favorite stories/works, I love that there is a variety of styles and genres—there truly is something for everyone in this collection. It is wonderful to see stories centered on the joy of black boys rather than pain. I cannot wait to get this in the hands of the kids in my community.

Black Boy Joy is an instant classic. It should (and I'm sure will) be on the shelves of every library across the United States. It is an incredible collection of short stories by many of the biggest names in middle grades and young adult literature. We see stories by Jason Reynolds, Kwame Mbalia, and Jerry Craft among others.

While the individual stories are captivating, and include something for every type of reader, from a graphic short story to poetry, to realistic fiction, to historical fiction, to fantasy, what I love most about the collection is the overarching theme of "joy." There is so much to celebrate and to be proud of within the rich history of African American culture and I am so happy to see a book that so thoroughly rejoices in that pride and that joy.

I loved this collection of short stories highlighting Black boyhood. There is a great mix of authors and styles, ranging from science fiction to contemporary to graphic novel. Kwame Mbalia did an incredible job compiling the group of authors.

There were definitely stories that I personally enjoyed more than others, but I think there is a little bit of something for everyone and each person will be able to find the story that resonates with them. I think this is a great introduction to a whole host of amazing authors and kids will be able to look up the rest of their work once they've finished this book!

I loved Black Boy Joy because it allows you to have a sampling of a variety of author styles. Some of these authors I had read before, some were new to me. Some of the stories I loved and a very few of them were just not for me. I think this will be great for reluctant readers because if they liked the story then maybe they will check out the books that author has written - I know I have put a couple of new authors into my to-read list. I hope that some boys will see themselves more in books and start to read more. I read the book and it filled me with so much joy and happiness, even though I'm not of the targeted audience. It was wonderful and I look forward to reading more by these authors!

To the Publishers: I actually messaged Kwame Mbalia because I really feel like the publishing company should do something similar for the Black Girls!

Each story inside the story is full of love, heartache, growth, swag and joy.

That joy might be something as small as having the perfect outfit or as big sharing who you really are and being accepted.

The families and friends in each story have so much love.

This book was a delight to read.

Black Boy Joy is an amazing collection of works all celebrating different aspects of the joy of black boyhood. It starts with a stunning cover by Kadir Nelson. I was not a fan of the introduction, midpoint, and wrap up by Kwame Mbalia because his style is a little unusual for my taste. However, he has assembled some amazing authors whose works span a wide variety of genres and topics so there is something that will appeal to everyone.

Black Boy Joy is a story collection featuring 17 different popular authors. Each story is about a black middle school aged boy and the day to day experiences of being a tween. The collection includes realistic fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, and sports.

These stories are great for middle grades and I will definitely be having my middle schooler read them. Short stories are accessible for reluctant readers and these will be a great addition to English classes as well as libraries.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
A collection of short stories, poems and a short graphic novella by 17 different Black authors. As in any anthology, I liked some better than others, but each celebrates the lives of young Black boys and men. The diverse writing styles and topics will appeal to a broad spectrum of middle grade readers. From sci-fi to realistic fiction, readers can explore and get a taste of different genres. They are introduced to these authors and can seek out their other works.

All the FEELS!! What an incredible collection of stories! These stories made me laugh, made me cry, made me hug my Black boys just a little tighter. I love how it shows that all Black boys are not same; they have different interests, experiences and a wide range of emotions. Kwame Mbalia does a great job tying them all together with "The Griot of Grover Street" collecting joy. The blend of poetry, sci-fi, realistic fiction and more displayed so much love and joy it was an AMAZING read!
Thanks NetGalley!

This is close to perfect. The variety of stories included a graphic short story by Craft and verse by Atta which adds to the beauty of the collection (and I was secretly hoping the authors would share using their best talents).

The stories are also very different from one another while the theme remains the same: Black boy joy. And that it accomplishes from every pore of the book. I can't wait to see it in print when it's finally published since this is an advanced copy from Netgalley. I'll have copies on order as soon as I'm done writing here.

Of course I have my favorites: Giles' "There's Going to be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman" that celebrates superhero geekdom, "The Gender Reveal" which is quintessentially George M. Johnson if you read All Boys Aren't Blue, "First Day Fly" by Jason Reynolds, "The MCoy Game" by Alston which was mysterious and puzzling, the sweetness of a kid who loves to cook and bake with Winters' "The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler", and the heartwarming sibling relationship (and generational conversation) about "The Definition of Cool" by Varian Johnson.

This is an excellent collection of short stories, which all fit under the category of the title -- Black Boy Joy. There is a wide mix under that umbrella -- fantasy, science fiction, realistic fiction, and even a graphic novel selection! The stories definitely include something for everyone and the authors are amazing! Readers will be introduced to some new authors and will hopefully be inspired to seek out more of their work. This belongs in every school library and classroom libraries in upper elementary and middle school. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

I love this book of short stories. I have to say my favorite was written by Kwame Mbalia but they were all great! I like that so many authors joined together to create this anthology written by African Americans. Voice is so important and it’s equally as important for children to see themselves in their books. Children have multiple chances to find themselves in this great compilation.

Black Boy Joy should be read by everyone, each story has wonderful characters and there is nothing better than a book of happy endings.

Black Boy Joy is the BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR! This collection of short stories is edited by one of my favorite authors, Kwame Mbalia, and includes stories from a lot of your favorite authors (Jason Reynolds, Lamar Giles, Jerry Craft, etc.). It also introduced me to a few new authors I haven't read yet. Each story left me with a giant smile on my face. I laughed, I cried tears of joy, and I SMILED throughout the entire book. Every story about a black boy just living and enjoying life. Stories of fantasy worlds, birthday parties, first days of school, first dances, and lots and lots of family time.

Every single person should read this collection, and every single teacher of young black boys or mommas of black boys need to BUY THIS! I already have grand plans to buy a copy for each of my boys to give them when they start middle school. In a world that tries (at an early age) to steal the joy of every black boy, this book is a shining light of hope. It is SO needed, and I'm SO grateful these authors came together to give something to the young black boys of the world! (But honestly, EVERYONE should read it...I'm just really excited to share this with my own boys!)

Just as Jerry Craft's poem says, "We need to write our own books." This is the type of book that is missing and needs to be read by all Black children - especially Black boys. Then everyone needs to read it! Break all the norms! Show the joy! The anthology created by this amazing group of authors is astounding. I enjoyed the creativity and variety of settings, characters, and plotlines created for the book. It is a true joy to read. Thank you to @netgalley for the e-arc. #blackboyjoy @KSekouM @jasonReynolds83 @JerryCraft @varianjohnson @LRGiles @andthisjustin @julianw_writes @davaunsanders @TochiTrueStory @DelacortePress #DiscruptTexts