Black Boy Joy

Ages 9 to 12, Grades 4 to 7

Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors—including Jason Reynolds (the Track series), Jerry Craft (New Kid), and edited by Kwame Mbalia (Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky)!

Today’s top and rising-star Black male and nonbinary authors contribute genre-spanning stories to this fresh and vital middle-grade anthology about the joys and complexities of Black boyhood. Stories include: A skateboarder who uses his skills to make deliveries for a local food bank. A baker-in-training who enlists the help of his dad and grandma to master the perfect peach cobbler—and win the heart of his crush, Noah. Two cousins who bond while searching for treasure in their grandad’s house, which reveals some supernatural secrets. And more!

Joy is powerful, and this anthology triumphantly centers and reflects that sense of love, wonder, and inclusivity—making it a must-read for kids everywhere!

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

About the Author

Kwame Mbalia is a husband, father, New York Times bestselling author, and former pharmaceutical metrologist, in that order. His debut middle-grade novel, TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY, and the sequel, TRISTAN STRONG DESTROYS THE WORLD (October 6, 2020), are published by Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion. A Howard University graduate and a Midwesterner now in North Carolina, he survives on dad jokes and Cheez-Its.

Author Residence: North Carolina