Black Boy Joy

An unnamed boy gets ready for his first day of school. School has never been fun because it seems like every day, one of the boy’s classmates steps on his shoes and leaves them dirty. The boy’s distraction by the task of cleaning his shoes then leads to him being sent to the principal’s office. The first day of school is important to the boy because it is about making an impression, and he wants to look as cool as possible. He irons his new jeans (passed down from his brother) and steams his new shirt. He looks forward to the first day of school, knowing that he will be “fly.”

Rodney Halfway Tree Clarke lives in a majority-Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn, and his family is close with the neighbors. One day, Rodney is playing soccer with his friends, and the ball goes into Ms. Wallace’s yard, destroying some of her tulips. Rodney hops over the fence to get it, hoping not to be seen, but Ms. Wallace calls his name and prompts him to follow her inside. Ms. Wallace says that there is not much time and hands Rodney a strange hoodie. She picks up a crystal, which expands until Rodney and Ms.