Singing With Joi: There Are Lots of Different Ways to be a Family

The school talent show becomes another opportunity for Joi to tell her truth when Joi signs up her and her dad to be a music act. Joi is sick of being the only family who looks different, so she vows to be the best music act there. But things start to go wrong when a mean comment makes Joi question her worth. Fun turns to fear, and Joi’s desire to win to prove everyone wrong has bad consequences when Joi’s dad is injured. Can Joi overcome her struggle, embrace the value in being different, and teach the other kids about what family can mean?

Your dad? Ha, he’s so old, Michael said. No one will know he’s your parent.

Joi never expected her class speech on adoption to lead to so many questions! It soon becomes frustrating as it seems no one can understand that every family is unique. After an argument with mean boy Michael, Joi signs her and her dad up for the school talent show. Fueled by anger and determination, Joi sets out to prove Michael wrong and win the show. After lots of practice, Joi is sure that her and Dad are going to rock it. But at the auditions, Joi begins to feel anxious when every other kid looks like their family member, apart from her and her dad! Joi’s confidence is further knocked when an ignorant teenager makes an insensitive comment. Rattled, Joi slips, injuring her dad in the process. All looks lost, and Joi is upset that she failed to prove Michael wrong. Her confidence and perception of what being a family means are shaken.