My son and I both loved this book, and I will be using it with my middle school teachers in the Fall. It's excellent!

This is a collection of Middle Grade Short Stories and Poems. I have to say I really loved most of these stories and poems, and I am not someone that reads a lot of short stories and poems. There was about 4 of them out of the 19 that I did not love. I think these stories cover so much important types. This is a great book. I really loved reading this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that. This book is schedule to be release on August 3-2021.

If anyone, ANYONE, needs a feel good book, there is no need to look any more. This heartfelt anthology offers up all the feels that express acceptance, love, family relationships and most of all joy. I'm so happy to see black boy joy finally represented in a positive light and added to the shelves.

I always find it difficult to review short story collections, but this one is excellent. It's somewhat similar to Jon Scieskca's Guys Read books, in that there is a tantalizing array of authors. Some of these are favorites, and I immediately recognized and liked their stories (Giles' fantastic spin on super hero fandom, and Johnson's Definition of Cool, with its spot on depiction of hanging out and dressing the part). Others are new to me, like the YA author Julian Winters and his Jevon, who is trying to win a baking competition. The problem with short stories is that once I read them, I want an entire BOOK about the character! I really appreciated that there were several speculative fiction stories, since it has been so hard to find middle grade ones with Black characters, and I am definitely going to investigate a lot of these authors. It is helpful that there are biographies with some works listed at the back of the book, and the inclusion of photographs (something I'm not sure I've ever seen in similar compilations) is another good way for my readers to see themselves represented in books. The Kadir Nelson cover is great, and I can see this being a great present for middle school boys, who can use this as a starting place for a lot more reading.

Wow. I heard about this because I followed Justin A. Reynolds on Instagram and saw he was in it. I was really intrigued about the concept of black boy joy, stories that don’t just focus on “being black” but how we can honor the culture and watch how they experience joy.

And that is the only word I can think to embody the experience I had reading this: joy.

This book isn’t just necessary; it’s heartwarming.

This collection is everything middle grade libraries and the world needs right now. A must add to any youth collection.

This compilation includes 16 short stories and 1 graphic novel short by 17 phenomenal African American male authors. Their stories highlight the joy and happiness of family, friendship, gender identity, culture, and acceptance in boyhood. The characters portray an array of emotions while representing various family make-ups and socioeconomic backgrounds. At the heart of every story each boy is able to find joy, which is displayed eloquently on the cover by @kadirnelson. This book is timely given the unrest around the world and black boys having to grow up all to quickly. Every family should read this book, especially those raising black boys!

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhousekids for this ARC.

A wonderful book of short stories of coming of age, family bonding a teen acknowledge is sexuality and some fantasy universe. Stories written by black authors of children/ya fiction. A book devoted to young black man in a positive light is groundbreaking and encouraging in today's time.

Black Boy Joy is a compilation of short stories, written by acclaimed black authors and edited by Kwame Mbalia. While, not every story spoke to me, a white middle-aged female, I expect that many will resonate with my students. My favorite stories are There's Going to Be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman by Lamar Giles, Extinct by Dean Atta, and The Definition of Cool by Varian Johnson. But all are worth at least one read.

What a delightful collection of stories! Featuring Back boys as protagonists, each story finds joy from a different angle. These stories are relatable; they are about ordinary boys trying to find joy amidst everyday life. Some stories are realistic fiction, while others have elements of science fiction and fantasy. I hope this book will be gifted, shared, displayed, widely read. We need more books like this!! Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

With a veritable HIT list of African American male authors, this book is pure lyrical magical joy. I absolutely love Kwame Mbalia's work, and his short story in 3 parts does not disappoint. Jerry Craft includes a graphic novel short, and I enjoyed P. Djeli Clark's Percival and the Jab. Great addition to any middle school library! #BlackBoyJoy #NetGalley

While I don’t read a lot of middle-grade or YA books, I always make it a point to read a couple every month so that I make recommendations to my nephew or to my friends who have kids. This has to be the number one book I will be recommending to everyone—kids and adults—for a long time.

Black Boy Joy is a compilation of stories from seventeen phenomenal Black authors celebrating and embracing the many different sources and types of joy throughout Black boyhood. Each story addresses a different type or source of joy, in a magnificently intersectional and inclusive way—for example, there are stories based on LGBTQ characters, characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds, characters with different familial units, etc. Furthermore, the stories are so multi-dimensional. Rather than just presenting happy stories, many of the authors address the fact that joy often accompanies or follows other less pleasant emotions, like anger, or sadness; that joy can be fleeting but it can always be found again, and that often times those experiencing joy have to seek it out and embrace it for themselves. Lastly, the stories represent an array of different genres—sci fi, fantasy, romance, contemporary, etc.

I don’t want to quote anything in case anything changes by the time it is published, but there is a short comic by Jerry Craft near the end of the book that summarizes so well why this book is so important. The comic centers around a young boy discussing why he embraces joy despite the fact that most media portrayals focus on Black anger or pain. Abia Noumbissi wrote a phenomenal piece on The Shadow about why books like this are so important: “We need more instances of black joy, love, and unambiguously black families. We need more instances of black main characters and happy black children who aren’t forced to grow up faster than they have to. Not only does this reaffirm that being black is something you should be proud of, but it gives black people something to relate to that does not end with pain. Black joy is resistance.” Mbalia’s book fits that need in an incredibly impactful and monumental way.

Super huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC!

(Noumbissi’s full article, which I highly recommend reading, can be found here: https://medium.com/the-shadow/racial-trauma-in-media-f6b2471aa856)

Enjoyed this compilation of stories, poems, and comics showing the sheer joy of being a black boy. We see what’s it’s like in the hood; we see girl superheroes and a key drood.. There’s baking with grandma, jet packs and the first day of school. Dancing, skateboarding, and helping others all show the goodness and fun of being black.

This book is amazing! Each story withing the book is different but yet connected. The all showcase the joy and individuality of growing up a black boy. They focus on every day events and moments instead of trauma. It is a must read for middle grade students. I love that it tackles real world topics but remains appropriate for every middle grades classroom.

This was so sweet and endearing to read to my son. I have been hearing that reading black authors isn’t always about reading about black struggles. It was uplifting to read some of the stories. I feel that I can only teach my son so much as a white woman, so I turn to books that I can find him represented in to guide us. I love the idea behind Black boy joy, behind loving yourself, behind being silly and serious and everything in between.