Black Boy Joy
edited by Kwame Mbalia
Intermediate, Middle School    Delacorte    320 pp.    g
8/21    978-0-593-37993-6    $16.99
Library ed.  978-0-593-37994-3    $19.99
e-book ed.  978-0-593-37995-0    $9.99

This short story collection, edited by 2020 CSK honoree Mbalia (for Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, rev. 7/20), makes it clear that Black boyhood is something to celebrate, starting with Kadir Nelson’s beautiful cover portrait depicting a smiling Black boy, with the book’s title in glittering gold letters above him. The volume opens with a story by Mbalia, in which Fortitude (Fort) Jones is attending his aunt Netta’s funeral. Overwhelmed, Fort leaves the church and ­accidentally runs into the eccentric Gary the Griot (Mr. G). In the crash, Mr. G’s mysterious “joy jar” is broken. Fort agrees to help refill the jar—and finds himself on an intergalactic journey to find joy. The seventeen stories represent that joy as the authors and illustrators—all Black men, including Jason Reynolds, Jerry Craft, and Varian Johnson—present readers with a diverse representation of Black boyhood. The boys are from the United States, Nigeria, and the Caribbean. Their use of language is representative of where they are from. They are straight and gay. Some are cisgender, while others are gender nonconforming. They like to bake, rap, sew, and play football. The engaging stories are told through prose, verse, and the graphic novel format. No matter who the boys are, they are satisfyingly surrounded by loving extended family members who encourage them to be themselves. Short biographies of the contributors are appended.

From the September/October 2021 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.