Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood
- Downloads：3945
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-06 01:21:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kwame Mbalia
- ISBN：B08W8JH6K5
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Hasini | bibliosini
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Many thanks to Colored Pages Bookish Tours， Delacorte Press and the author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Full review on my blog。When I picked up Black Boy Joy， what I found was an astonishing， beautiful， diverse collection of stories that brought me joy， laughter and so many memories。 It would be a relatable， joyful read to any child and a nostalgic but wonderful read to any older audience。 I cannot recommend this book enough for its wonderful message， its beautif Many thanks to Colored Pages Bookish Tours， Delacorte Press and the author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。Full review on my blog。When I picked up Black Boy Joy， what I found was an astonishing， beautiful， diverse collection of stories that brought me joy， laughter and so many memories。 It would be a relatable， joyful read to any child and a nostalgic but wonderful read to any older audience。 I cannot recommend this book enough for its wonderful message， its beautiful writing and the love it contains within its words！ 。。。more
Glenda Nelms
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Amazing short story collection celebrating Black Boyhood by a great group of Black male and non-binary authors。 These are stories celebrate Black Joy。 “The world is harsh。 Find your joy， Fortitude， and it’ll be your night-light when everything is dark。”
LaTrice McNeil-Smith
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Very much needed and it was lovely！
Never Without a Book
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Every story will either make you smile of cry。 I absolutely love this collection。
Serene
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This book is the equivalent of a warm， crushing hug and reminder that middle grade REALLY gets the best books！So many of these stories reminded me of growing up with my brother and just the day to day things of going to school， having crushes， dealing with （and loving） family， and it almost brings tears to my eyes when I realize the reason I love this book is because the only time I see Black bodies is when torture or trauma is being pushed。 I've never gotten to read such a collection of stories This book is the equivalent of a warm， crushing hug and reminder that middle grade REALLY gets the best books！So many of these stories reminded me of growing up with my brother and just the day to day things of going to school， having crushes， dealing with （and loving） family， and it almost brings tears to my eyes when I realize the reason I love this book is because the only time I see Black bodies is when torture or trauma is being pushed。 I've never gotten to read such a collection of stories where it's just Black boys living their lives and getting to be children。 。。。more
Libriar
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3。5 stars。 I was excited to read this collection of short stories about Black boys but ultimately there were only a few stories that I really liked。 Some of them were just too short so there wasn't enough of a story to grab me。 I was also expecting mostly realistic fiction stories but there were several fantasy/science fiction/magical realism stories。 What I did appreciate about it is that every time I thought something bad was going to happen in a story I reminded myself that these were stories 3。5 stars。 I was excited to read this collection of short stories about Black boys but ultimately there were only a few stories that I really liked。 Some of them were just too short so there wasn't enough of a story to grab me。 I was also expecting mostly realistic fiction stories but there were several fantasy/science fiction/magical realism stories。 What I did appreciate about it is that every time I thought something bad was going to happen in a story I reminded myself that these were stories of joy and could relax a bit - that's not something a reader is allowed to do very often （in a lot of genres but definitely when reading books with Black boys in them。） I applaud the concept of this book and I'm sure everyone will find at least one worthy story in the book but I had hoped for something different。 Appropriate for 5th-8th grade。 ARC provided by NetGalley。 。。。more
Kaytee Cobb
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This collection is a layered connection， where each essay builds upon the last and adds dimension and flavor， all while expanding the definition of joy。 I loved it。
Rachel
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I loved this collection of stories， specifically aimed at black male kids， all written by black male authors。 As a school librarian， black male children are the most difficult to find books for， because there is not a ton out there that they can relate to。 However， with this book， and others like it （many written by the authors featured in this collection）， that is changing。 I loved that， even though all of these stories were written by different authors， there were several common threads among I loved this collection of stories， specifically aimed at black male kids， all written by black male authors。 As a school librarian， black male children are the most difficult to find books for， because there is not a ton out there that they can relate to。 However， with this book， and others like it （many written by the authors featured in this collection）， that is changing。 I loved that， even though all of these stories were written by different authors， there were several common threads among them。 For example， I had never heard the term "homegoing" as meaning a person going to Heaven after they'd died， but it appeared in more than one of the stories in the book。 I also found it interesting how many of the stories involved superheroes in some way。 I think that， with the variety of authors and genres represented in the book， there is something here in which nearly every reader can see himself。 My favorite story was "First Day Fly" by Jason Reynolds。 Of course， there is very little， if anything， Jason Reynolds does wrong， in my opinion， but I felt his story would resonate the most with the black youth I encounter at my school。 However， as I said， there is something here for everyone， and I will be ordering it for my library。 。。。more
Kim
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This was a true book of joy。 I will be proud to carry it in my library。 The title says a lot， but the stories are all about the joys of life as seen from the eyes of young black boys。 Rather than focus on the negative aspects of the world， this book is a collection of stories written by black authors that focus on the joys of life。 It begins with a young man who helps a wizard collect joys in a giant glass jar; his story guides the action of the entire collection of stories。 There is joy to be f This was a true book of joy。 I will be proud to carry it in my library。 The title says a lot， but the stories are all about the joys of life as seen from the eyes of young black boys。 Rather than focus on the negative aspects of the world， this book is a collection of stories written by black authors that focus on the joys of life。 It begins with a young man who helps a wizard collect joys in a giant glass jar; his story guides the action of the entire collection of stories。 There is joy to be found in family， in cousins， in first love， first crush - in outer space， in the future， in other cultures。 It is recognized in simple small things - a fresh shirt， favored jeans inherited from an older sibling; in food， in parties and gatherings。 This celebration of joy is a true asset to any library collection。 Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it。 。。。more
La La
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I was extremely excited for this book， but sadly except for a couple of stories this book was disappointing。 RTC
Courtney
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I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 This is a delightful anthology highlighting Black boyhood and the voices of Black male authors， especially as there aren’t many mainstream successes that center the stories of Black boys。 Helmed by Kwame Mbalia and with an episodic story in three parts from him appearing throughout， the anthology allows for each contributor to hone their own talents， making this a unique collection。 J I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 This is a delightful anthology highlighting Black boyhood and the voices of Black male authors， especially as there aren’t many mainstream successes that center the stories of Black boys。 Helmed by Kwame Mbalia and with an episodic story in three parts from him appearing throughout， the anthology allows for each contributor to hone their own talents， making this a unique collection。 Jerry Craft’s comic is a standout， as is Dean Atta’s work in verse。 But each author finds a way to capture a little moment in time that encompasses that broad theme of Black Boy Joy， with all the pieces culminating in this wonderful collection。 。。。more
Michelle Adamo #EmptyNestReader
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Black Boy Joy is a collection of diverse short stories by some of today’s most revered black male and non-binary authors of young adult books including: Justin A Reynolds， Don P Hooper， BB Alston， Dean Atta and many more。 Edited by Kwame Mbalia， these stories and poems vary from science fiction to realistic fiction to fantasy。 The term Black Boy Joy was "coined back in 2016 by Danielle Young and has grown to encompass the revelry， the excitement， the sheer fun of growing up as boys in and out of Black Boy Joy is a collection of diverse short stories by some of today’s most revered black male and non-binary authors of young adult books including: Justin A Reynolds， Don P Hooper， BB Alston， Dean Atta and many more。 Edited by Kwame Mbalia， these stories and poems vary from science fiction to realistic fiction to fantasy。 The term Black Boy Joy was "coined back in 2016 by Danielle Young and has grown to encompass the revelry， the excitement， the sheer fun of growing up as boys in and out of the hood。” In response the continuous tragic stories told night after night on the news， often about young black boys， Mbalia says that the positive aspects of being a black boy- should be told。 "Their stories - our stories - deserve to be highlighted on the afternoon news。 Explored。 Seen and celebrated。”"Black boy joy is…Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit。Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race。Finding your voice—and your rhymes—during tough times。Flying on your skateboard like nobody’s watching。"A delightful collection of 17 uplifting stories and poems that celebrate diversity in its characters， their backgrounds and their challenges。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This copy of Black Boy Joy was provided to me by #NetGalley and #RandomHouseChildrensBooks in exchange for an honest and fair review。 Release date: August 3， 2021 #EmptyNestReader #instagram #BlackBoyJoy #youngadult #shortstories #poetry #KwameMbalia #rhkids #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #JulyReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #arc #advancedreaderscopy #netgalley #kidlit #childrensbooksofinstagram #readingmoms #kidlitpicks #penguinrandomhouse #delacortepress #rhcbeducators #middlegrade 。。。more
Megan
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[ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]A middle grade anthology focusing entirely on stories about Black boy joy？ What an important collection。 This anthology covers a wide spread of genres including contemporary， sci-fi， fantasy， verse， and more。 This is a great way to introduce middle grade readers to genres that they may not have been interested in reading originally。 The authors all do a wonderful job in telling a strong story quickly。 Speaking of， this lineup of authors is incredib [ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]A middle grade anthology focusing entirely on stories about Black boy joy？ What an important collection。 This anthology covers a wide spread of genres including contemporary， sci-fi， fantasy， verse， and more。 This is a great way to introduce middle grade readers to genres that they may not have been interested in reading originally。 The authors all do a wonderful job in telling a strong story quickly。 Speaking of， this lineup of authors is incredible。 Seeing so many write middle grade scratched an itch I didn’t know I had。 I would love to see a few of these short stories developed into novels someday。 I found some stories stronger than others， as is usually the case in anthologies， but that does not take away from what this is doing overall。 A must-read for kids， parents， teachers and a must-have for bookshelves。 。。。more
Katelynne
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Favorite stories were:• There’s Going to Be a Fight In the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman• The McCoy Game• The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler• Extinct• The Gender Reveal• But Also， Jazz• Our Dill• Percival and the Jab• Embracing My Black Boy Joy
Nashae Jones
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This collection is probably one of my favorite middle-grade collections I’ve read thus far。 The collection， edited by Kwame Mbalia， is a celebration of Blackness in all of its beauty。 Black Boyhood explores not only social issues， but the simplicity of existing and being。 I will be purchasing this for my house and for our middle school。 The different genres were interesting and accessible to all readers。
BiblioBrandie
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This collection of middle grade short stories， poems， and one short graphic novel features some of the best middle grade writers （Jason Reynolds！ Kwame Mbalia！ Jerry Craft！） and has the most amazing cover art by Kadir Nelson。 I am not a huge fan of short stories because they always leaving me wanting more but there are some real stand-outs in this collection （they honestly still left me wanting more but I was satisfied in the end）。 I know this is going to appeal to a lot of middle grade students This collection of middle grade short stories， poems， and one short graphic novel features some of the best middle grade writers （Jason Reynolds！ Kwame Mbalia！ Jerry Craft！） and has the most amazing cover art by Kadir Nelson。 I am not a huge fan of short stories because they always leaving me wanting more but there are some real stand-outs in this collection （they honestly still left me wanting more but I was satisfied in the end）。 I know this is going to appeal to a lot of middle grade students and hopefully spread more black boy joy。 （view spoiler）[The last story （part III） where Fortitude has to carry and spread Joy。。。so good and just the perfect ending。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Megan
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I read this via NetGalley。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 I read this via NetGalley。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。 。。。more
Melissa
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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 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。 。。。more
Debb Adams
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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 “f 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。 。。。more
Stephanie
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Yes！
Sarah
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I've said it before and I'll say it again: representation matters。 This anthology features 17 Black authors who share their idea of Black Boy Joy。 So many middle grade and young adult novels address racism， bias， and prejudice。 While those topics need to be addressed， young people also need to read stories filled with joy where someone's race is not the central issue of the story。 I loved reading each of the authors' perspective of joy。This is a reminder that you don't have to conform to anyone' I've said it before and I'll say it again: representation matters。 This anthology features 17 Black authors who share their idea of Black Boy Joy。 So many middle grade and young adult novels address racism， bias， and prejudice。 While those topics need to be addressed， young people also need to read stories filled with joy where someone's race is not the central issue of the story。 I loved reading each of the authors' perspective of joy。This is a reminder that you don't have to conform to anyone's expectation of your identity。 Be who you are。 Do what you love。 Embrace what makes you unique。 Be unapologetically you。 。。。more
Meagan
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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 fict 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。 。。。more
Amanda Novak
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I am so grateful for NetGalley for an advance reader copy of 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 t I am so grateful for NetGalley for an advance reader copy of 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！ 。。。more
Crystal Palmisano-dillard
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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。#netgalley
Librarylady
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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。
Tara
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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 read an ARC from Net 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 read an ARC from NetGalley。 。。。more
Pam
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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 introduce 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。 。。。more
Yapha
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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 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。eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley 。。。more
Antoinette
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