New Kid
Books | Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Prejudice & Racism
4.3
(1.2K)
Jerry Craft
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature! Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft. Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?This middle grade graphic novel is an excellent choice for tween readers, including for summer reading.New Kid is a selection of the Schomburg Center's Black Liberation Reading List.Plus don't miss Jerry Craft's Class Act!
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Author
Jerry Craft
Pages
256
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2019-02-05
ISBN
006269121X 9780062691217
Ratings
Google: 3.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"An incredible graphic novel that won the Newbury award! Truly engrossing insight into the world of a young man of color. Not to be missed!"
Anita Skop
"Really well done! I read it in one day! I picked it up from a thrift store for $0.75, but it’s worth way more than that! It tackles racism and bullying extremely well! Well made, really cool art style that I haven’t really seen before, great story, and a very engaging read!"
M M
Misty Mountain Arts
"so good!!"
A S
Ava Scahill
"Unlike it's sequel, Class Act, this one took a little longer to hit its stride, but definitely an excellent read about fitting in and finding yourself."
Ricki Marking-Camuto
"3.5*"
S K
Siya K.
"good book for teenagers"
Annaleigh Massey
"Such a good read. I read this in a day it was so good. Would recommend."
Dominic
"New Kid is the story of 7th grader Jordan Banks. Jordan has just been enrolled at a fancy private school in an upscale neighborhood, several towns over from where he lives. When Jordan arrives for his first day, he soon realizes he doesn’t fit the mold of the other students. He’s one of only a few black kids at the entire school. He’s on financial aid, and he isn’t rich. Jordan is blown away by the private chauffeurs, designer clothes, and lavish vacations that all the students have. <br/>His classmates, while some well-meaning, tend to make racial jokes and assume racial stereotypes about Jordan and the other black kids. Even his teacher assumes all the black kids are on financial aid, calls them the wrong names, and takes the side of the white kids over the black kids.<br/>Back in his neighborhood he gets teased for being in a private school. Jordan begins to feel too white to fit in is his neighborhood, but too black to fit in at school. <br/>Jordan copes with these feelings by drawing and writing comics. Seeing Jordan's inner monologue through his drawings was great. We got a view of how he feels.<br/>Throughout the graphic novel Jordan begins to make new friends, but also learns how his old friends fit into his new life. He learns to stand up and talk when things aren’t fair. He also learns that most of his new classmates are well-meaning.<br/>The way this story was told was really smart. It took such a hard topic- racism, and broke it down into bite size pieces, easily digestible for young readers. Using cute drawings and comedy kept the story light and fun, but still meaningful. I would recommend this book to any parent/teacher who is looking to introduce kids to the topic of racism.<br/>"
Katie Hensley
"Love love love this book!!"
Tay<3 💜🦋
