My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich

“It’s star date 06.23.1984 and I’m now E-Grace Starfleet, space cadet, on a mission to rescue the great and wise Captain Fleet!”

With diction, Ebony-Grace demonstrates her infatuation with outer space. Words like “space cadet,” “mission,” and “rescue” indicate that she’s on an intergalactic adventure. She also reveals her need to control reality by turning the day (June 23, 1984) into the “star date.” This sentence introduces the theme of Imagination Versus Reality.

“There are almost a dozen of them—all different shapes and sizes. They talk at the same time—No Joke City gibberish.”

The children become a part of Ebony-Grace’s outer space narrative, and she sees them as aliens speaking another language—“No Joke City gibberish.” The irony is that they see her as a creature from another world.

“To boldly go where no muchacha has gone before.”

Through diction, Zoboi reveals Bianca’s identity. She uses the Spanish word “muchacha” (girl), implying she is Latina. The phrase alludes to Star Trek, as the TV show featured the saying, “To boldly go where no man has gone before!”