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. Wallace are inside of it. Suddenly, they are transported into space, where Rodney’s parents both work. Rodney’s mother designs equipment, while his father is a “Sundasher,” someone who races through space to resolve conflicts between planets and galaxies. Rodney’s father is missing, so Rodney has to take his place.

Rodney’s hoodie responds to his thoughts, and he receives a jetpack that looks like a book bag. Rodney also meets several species of aliens. Having never done this before, Rodney is not sure how to operate either and ends up in last place for a while. He wishes that he could go faster, and the hoodie and jetpack respond to his thoughts. Before long, Rodney is zipping through space. His mother comes over the radio to tell Rodney that she found his father, and this news is enough to propel Rodney to win the race. He wants nothing more than to live up to his parents’ name and make them and himself proud.

“Extinct” contains four poems written in free verse by nine-year-old Dylan. The first, “Today,” is about what Dylan learned on his visit to the Natural History Museum with his big sister, Tabitha, who goes by “T,” and her girlfriend, Laila. Dylan discovered a dinosaur called the Nodosaurus, which had armored plates on its back. This reminds Dylan of T, whose makeup is like her armor. Dylan cannot wait to get to school and tell his best friend and teacher everything he learned about extinct animals. He has a postcard of a dodo bird on which he wrote all sorts of facts that he plans to share. The most important fact is that the dodo bird is completely extinct. Dylan and his sister ride to school, with Dylan following close behind as they pedal down the road.

“Yesterday” is about Dylan’s visit to the museum. He notices that people stare at T and Laila, but they seem unaffected by it. It makes Dylan wish that his mother were there to lecture those strangers for being rude. Dylan wanders off on his own at the museum and becomes transfixed by a replica of a dodo bird inside a glass cage. He thinks about how “there are no more dodos” (104), and when Laila finds him, he starts to cry. T catches up and starts to lecture Dylan about disappearing, but then she sees that he is upset. The dodo bird’s extinction reminded Dylan of his mother’s death and the knowledge that there will never be another her.

“Today” sees Dylan and his sister riding to school again, but this time, Dylan’s backpack is open, and his postcard falls out. He becomes upset and insists on going back to find it, but they are already late and do not have time. Dylan tells T that he hates her, but T knows he does not mean it. She hugs her younger brother and suggests visiting their mother’s grave on the weekend. Dylan thinks of something that his Abuela used to say in Spanish, which was a metaphor for comparing one’s loved ones to the shelter provided by a tree. Dylan knows that he has many “good trees” in his life (111).

In “Tonight,” Dylan decides that his mother should be remembered and makes a list of things he remembers about her, like the way she smelled and how accepting and protective she was. He ends with a note of gratitude for being like his mother.

Wes’s favorite thing to do is go to his grandparents’ house. There, he can listen to his grandfather’s stories and eat his grandmother’s delicious food. Wes’s grandfather was a military pilot in World War II, and Wes sees him as a real-life superhero. He loves hearing about his grandfather flying the plane, keeping his friends safe, and acting with bravery. When Grandpa invites him on his final flight in the little plane he owns, Wes eagerly agrees.

The next morning, Wes and his grandfather set out on the plane that Grandpa keeps in his garage. It is old and well used, but Wes trusts his grandfather. Flying in the plane is a new experience for Wes, and it takes time to get used to all the stomach flips and other sensations as the plane glides through the air. Wes’s grandfather flies them around and through the mountains and back, all while telling Wes about his experiences in the war. Wes starts to imagine what it would be like to be there, and it starts to feel real. On the way home, Wes’s grandfather teaches him how to fly the plane. He asks Wes what his dream is, and Wes answers that he hopes to be just like Grandpa. Grandpa is flattered but answers that he feels the same about Wes. Wes is a skilled illustrator, and his grandfather sees a bright future for him. The plane lands, and Wes sees his mother and grandmother waiting for him. They all embrace, and Wes feels surrounded by love.

Des is getting dressed for a concert by his favorite group, Juice Box Squad. He dresses just like the lead singer, DJ Amplified, complete with a Hawaiian shirt and socks with sandals. Des is going to the concert with his older brother, Roosevelt, and they plan to meet up with Roosevelt’s friend Brandy and her brother, Kordell. Roosevelt sees Des’s outfit and insists that he change, but their parents tell Des that he looks cool. Their father offers to come to the concert, but the thought is mortifying to both Des and Roosevelt, and they leave.

Almost as soon as Des arrives at the concert, he notices people laughing at his outfit. Brandy calls it “adorable,” which is equally disappointing, and Kordell just laughs. When the music starts, Des starts to feel better and hopes that he will get a chance to be shown on the Jumbotron. He dances the way his father showed him, popping and locking and doing the King Cobra. When Des hears kids behind him making fun of him, he starts to cry, and Roosevelt takes him out of the arena.

Des goes into the bathroom and sees two elderly men, dressed in skinny jeans and sporting cool haircuts. Des is surprised to see men their age at a Juice Box Squad concert, and when he hears that they are with their great-grandchildren, Des feels bad for those kids. Des and Roosevelt go back to the concert, and Des thinks about the men he just met, as well as his father. He decides that he is going to dance, even if he is the only one who sees himself as cool. Des gets fully into the music, and Roosevelt starts dancing with him. Before long, the boys appear on the Jumbotron, just as Des had hoped. After the concert, Kordell even asks Des to teach him the dance moves he was using. On the way home, Roosevelt mentions another concert coming up, and Des thinks that it would be a great idea to bring their father along.