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New Kid #1
New Kid: A Newbery Award Winner
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Middle Grade & Children's (2019)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!
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!
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2019
About the author
Jerry Craft
34 books869 followersJERRY CRAFT is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid and Class Act. New Kid is the only book in history to win the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature (2020); the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature (2019), and the Coretta Scott King Author Award for the most outstanding work by an African American writer (2020). Jerry was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City.
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April 17, 2019
Gaps. Sometimes they’re all that I can see.
Imagine you have a brain that allows you to retain information in compartmentalized slots. You have chosen the field of “librarian” so this trait is useful in your day-to-day work. As you read children’s books over the course of a year, you categorize each one. You note similarities, differences, and books that don’t strike you as like anything else out there. And you continue to keep track year after year, building up your knowledge, tracking what you’ve seen.
Now I’ve been in the children’s librarianship business for quite a while. Along the way, I’ve identified the areas that I really prefer to read. Comics, for example, are great. I’m a big time fan. Better still, comics are seeing a real Renaissance lately. Publishers of every stripe are stepping up to the challenge, providing graphic literature for the hungry young masses. It’s an amazing time to be a comic reader or creator.
So tell me this. All those comics out there. All that time. All that energy. Why is it, then, that I cannot come up with a single comic out there for kids that stars a contemporary black boy who doesn’t have super powers? Oh, I can think of the superpowered comics of Miles Morales or the highly charming Sci-Fu. I can think of comics where the black kid is paired with someone else (Lost in NYC) or is part of a large group (“Cardboard Kingdom”). Honestly only one book comes to mind and that’s Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri and, let me tell you, even though he’s the title character, practically the first thing you learn about Yummy is that he’s dead. Do you see, then, why New Kid is such a rarity? Into this gaping void comes a book with a simple fish out of water premise. What sets it apart, though, is how it chooses to realistically deal with all the crap a kid like Jordan Banks has to contend with in his day-to-day life. Blisteringly honest with a respect for young readers that is sadly uncommon, Jerry Craft has created something revolutionary: An everyday black boy in a comic for kids.
Middle school is hard. Switching schools is hard. Now imagine switching to a private middle school where you’re one of the few black kids there. Jordan Banks is a seventh grader with a dream. He wants to go to art school where he can let his drawings soar. Instead, he finds himself at hoity-toity Riverdale Academy Day School. It’s okay and the kids are generally pretty nice (with some notable exceptions) but Jordan can’t help noticing things. Teachers who get the black kids' names mixed up. Classmates that get away with murder. Privilege privilege privilege. The longer he stays, the more he sees. The more he sees, the more he understands. And the more he understands, the better prepared he’s going to be for the real world out there.
It was only a few years ago that I learned the term “microaggression”. Basically it means, “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.” With that definition in hand, New Kid can feel like a crash course in how to make someone feel bad. Like a composer of a symphony, Craft gathers together every possible microaggression in his arsenal and weaves them into a comprehensive story. To do this, Craft assembles a crack team of awful people. You have the well-meaning teacher who’s threatened by any student of color raising issues with her (she calls Jordan’s comics a polemic, “against everything this school stands for. And me!”). You have the white kid that makes everyone’s life a misery but never gets called out on it. There are teachers that call the other black teachers “coach” even though they’ve known them for years. A librarian who only hands the black kids books about struggle and hardship (starring other black kids, naturally). With great care, Craft filters these people and moments throughout the book, managing to balance the heavy moments with lighter ones. Even when the story is serious, though, it manages to lighten the tension with ease. The end result is that a kid doesn’t feel like they’re getting info on the state of the world today, but they are. Oh boy howdy, they are.
Truth be told, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a plot forward comic. There’s no overarching goal that Jordan’s reaching for the whole time. Basically, he’s trying to survive middle school in the day-to-day, and we’re just surviving there alongside him. I was a little surprised, since I assumed Craft was going to make this center on Jordan’s struggle with his desire to go to art school. Instead, that dream just sorta peters out, though he retains his love of drawing. The end result is a book with form but no drive. Looking back on it, the climax comes when Jordan stands up to some of those people that have made him feel awful. He confronts what’s wrong with the system and, if he doesn’t dismantle it, he at least takes it down a peg. In light of that, I didn’t mind so much the book’s easygoing plotting. Sometimes, though, I did yearn for more clarification. For example, there’s an odd plot point where one of the kids at school is kicked out because he’s on financial aid, but the school found out he accompanied another student to Hawaii over break. It’s a throwaway moment, and maybe things like that happen with real private schools, but I found it a bit confusing and it was never really visited again after the initial discovery.
And then I started thinking about what I could possibly compare this book to. For a lot of kids, comics used to be pure escapism and nothing else. What changed? On the adult side of the equation you had Maus talking about the Holocaust (albeit with mice). On the kids’ side? I think of some of the most popular authors of graphic novels for middle grade readers these days. Cece Bell, Raina Telgemeier, Jeff Kinney (if you count Wimpy Kid), Vera Brosgol, Victoria Jamieson, Shannon Hale, etc. What all these folks have in common is their willingness to tell stories about real kids (often themselves) dealing with real problems. What else do they have in common? They’re all white. We know from the We Need Diverse Books movement that a lack of diverse points of view has always been a problem in children’s literature, but it seems to have been taken to an extreme case in comics. What do I compare this book to? Itself. And let me tell you, it would be noteworthy, interesting, fun, and thought provoking even if there were hundreds of books out there starring historically marginalized kids. More than just the sum of its parts, Craft has created a book with guts, that kids will want to read multiple times. Funny, whip smart stuff.
For ages 9 and up.
Imagine you have a brain that allows you to retain information in compartmentalized slots. You have chosen the field of “librarian” so this trait is useful in your day-to-day work. As you read children’s books over the course of a year, you categorize each one. You note similarities, differences, and books that don’t strike you as like anything else out there. And you continue to keep track year after year, building up your knowledge, tracking what you’ve seen.
Now I’ve been in the children’s librarianship business for quite a while. Along the way, I’ve identified the areas that I really prefer to read. Comics, for example, are great. I’m a big time fan. Better still, comics are seeing a real Renaissance lately. Publishers of every stripe are stepping up to the challenge, providing graphic literature for the hungry young masses. It’s an amazing time to be a comic reader or creator.
So tell me this. All those comics out there. All that time. All that energy. Why is it, then, that I cannot come up with a single comic out there for kids that stars a contemporary black boy who doesn’t have super powers? Oh, I can think of the superpowered comics of Miles Morales or the highly charming Sci-Fu. I can think of comics where the black kid is paired with someone else (Lost in NYC) or is part of a large group (“Cardboard Kingdom”). Honestly only one book comes to mind and that’s Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri and, let me tell you, even though he’s the title character, practically the first thing you learn about Yummy is that he’s dead. Do you see, then, why New Kid is such a rarity? Into this gaping void comes a book with a simple fish out of water premise. What sets it apart, though, is how it chooses to realistically deal with all the crap a kid like Jordan Banks has to contend with in his day-to-day life. Blisteringly honest with a respect for young readers that is sadly uncommon, Jerry Craft has created something revolutionary: An everyday black boy in a comic for kids.
Middle school is hard. Switching schools is hard. Now imagine switching to a private middle school where you’re one of the few black kids there. Jordan Banks is a seventh grader with a dream. He wants to go to art school where he can let his drawings soar. Instead, he finds himself at hoity-toity Riverdale Academy Day School. It’s okay and the kids are generally pretty nice (with some notable exceptions) but Jordan can’t help noticing things. Teachers who get the black kids' names mixed up. Classmates that get away with murder. Privilege privilege privilege. The longer he stays, the more he sees. The more he sees, the more he understands. And the more he understands, the better prepared he’s going to be for the real world out there.
It was only a few years ago that I learned the term “microaggression”. Basically it means, “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.” With that definition in hand, New Kid can feel like a crash course in how to make someone feel bad. Like a composer of a symphony, Craft gathers together every possible microaggression in his arsenal and weaves them into a comprehensive story. To do this, Craft assembles a crack team of awful people. You have the well-meaning teacher who’s threatened by any student of color raising issues with her (she calls Jordan’s comics a polemic, “against everything this school stands for. And me!”). You have the white kid that makes everyone’s life a misery but never gets called out on it. There are teachers that call the other black teachers “coach” even though they’ve known them for years. A librarian who only hands the black kids books about struggle and hardship (starring other black kids, naturally). With great care, Craft filters these people and moments throughout the book, managing to balance the heavy moments with lighter ones. Even when the story is serious, though, it manages to lighten the tension with ease. The end result is that a kid doesn’t feel like they’re getting info on the state of the world today, but they are. Oh boy howdy, they are.
Truth be told, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a plot forward comic. There’s no overarching goal that Jordan’s reaching for the whole time. Basically, he’s trying to survive middle school in the day-to-day, and we’re just surviving there alongside him. I was a little surprised, since I assumed Craft was going to make this center on Jordan’s struggle with his desire to go to art school. Instead, that dream just sorta peters out, though he retains his love of drawing. The end result is a book with form but no drive. Looking back on it, the climax comes when Jordan stands up to some of those people that have made him feel awful. He confronts what’s wrong with the system and, if he doesn’t dismantle it, he at least takes it down a peg. In light of that, I didn’t mind so much the book’s easygoing plotting. Sometimes, though, I did yearn for more clarification. For example, there’s an odd plot point where one of the kids at school is kicked out because he’s on financial aid, but the school found out he accompanied another student to Hawaii over break. It’s a throwaway moment, and maybe things like that happen with real private schools, but I found it a bit confusing and it was never really visited again after the initial discovery.
And then I started thinking about what I could possibly compare this book to. For a lot of kids, comics used to be pure escapism and nothing else. What changed? On the adult side of the equation you had Maus talking about the Holocaust (albeit with mice). On the kids’ side? I think of some of the most popular authors of graphic novels for middle grade readers these days. Cece Bell, Raina Telgemeier, Jeff Kinney (if you count Wimpy Kid), Vera Brosgol, Victoria Jamieson, Shannon Hale, etc. What all these folks have in common is their willingness to tell stories about real kids (often themselves) dealing with real problems. What else do they have in common? They’re all white. We know from the We Need Diverse Books movement that a lack of diverse points of view has always been a problem in children’s literature, but it seems to have been taken to an extreme case in comics. What do I compare this book to? Itself. And let me tell you, it would be noteworthy, interesting, fun, and thought provoking even if there were hundreds of books out there starring historically marginalized kids. More than just the sum of its parts, Craft has created a book with guts, that kids will want to read multiple times. Funny, whip smart stuff.
For ages 9 and up.
March 8, 2019
This is a must have in all upper elementary and above classrooms. This book is packed with bias and micro aggressions that are important for kids to read and understand -especially kids that live in areas with little to no racial diversity. I cannot wait to hand this off to my students and see what they think.
June 9, 2020
A middle grades graphic novel, just awarded the Newbery Medal of 2020, the first comics story to ever win that award, one school year in the life of would-be artist Jordan Banks, who lives in Washington Heights on the upper west side of Manhattan, but whose parents enroll him in a posh private school in Riverdale, in the Bronx. Culturally, financially, these are two very different places, and Jordan and some other new students of color encounter some challenges, mainly on racial lines, in their new school. It doesn't seem to be really nasty, and it's not black vs. white kids, or black kids vs. white teachers, but he and his friends navigate some complicated racial territory as "new kids." One rich white kid becomes his good friend, but a favorite page is one illustrating how Jordan becomes a very different person each neighborhood along the way from Washington Heights to Riverdale.
I am reminded of another and more complex and layered (for an older, YA audience) book on the subject of racial issues, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, but really, there are now many, many books to help students explore these issues with friends and adults. This one is likable, with realistic dialogue.
I am reminded of another and more complex and layered (for an older, YA audience) book on the subject of racial issues, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, but really, there are now many, many books to help students explore these issues with friends and adults. This one is likable, with realistic dialogue.
August 3, 2019
"I wish I was Batman. Not just for the cool reasons. I could fit in anywhere! One minute he's at a board meeting [as Bruce Wayne]. And the next, he's in the most dangerous part of town. Completely fearless! Unlike me, Batman is always in control of EVERYTHING!" -- Jordan Banks, on page 166
Witty and plausible graphic novel starring protagonist Jordan Banks, a thirteen year-old who is just starting 7th grade as a transfer student (hence the title) at a private school nicknamed 'RADS' in New York City. Banks initially struggles to adapt and fit-in, as he is among the small number of minorities on the roster. He experience prejudices and stereotyping from both kids and faculty, as well the kind low-key bullying (more verbal than violent) that can be common during adolescence.
Yet this is not a Stephen King nightmare or a dry Afterschool Special-type of story. Banks is often able to hash out his various thoughts and frustrations in his drawings and sketches (shades of Diary of a Wimpy Kid) that periodically appear in the narrative. The humor was sharp and effective, but there is a decent amount of sincerity, too. Possibly my favorite moment was when Jordan and his friend Drew invite their classmate - a girl named Alexandra, who is first depicted as an oddball and a loner (partially by choice, for reasons that soon become clear) - to accompany them on a walk around campus. Alexandra, happily surprised at being included in something at last, is subtly depicted by author / illustrator Craft as joyfully floating inches above the pavement for the next three pages.
Jordan and his companions were likable bunch, and further adventures would be most welcome.
Witty and plausible graphic novel starring protagonist Jordan Banks, a thirteen year-old who is just starting 7th grade as a transfer student (hence the title) at a private school nicknamed 'RADS' in New York City. Banks initially struggles to adapt and fit-in, as he is among the small number of minorities on the roster. He experience prejudices and stereotyping from both kids and faculty, as well the kind low-key bullying (more verbal than violent) that can be common during adolescence.
Yet this is not a Stephen King nightmare or a dry Afterschool Special-type of story. Banks is often able to hash out his various thoughts and frustrations in his drawings and sketches (shades of Diary of a Wimpy Kid) that periodically appear in the narrative. The humor was sharp and effective, but there is a decent amount of sincerity, too. Possibly my favorite moment was when Jordan and his friend Drew invite their classmate - a girl named Alexandra, who is first depicted as an oddball and a loner (partially by choice, for reasons that soon become clear) - to accompany them on a walk around campus. Alexandra, happily surprised at being included in something at last, is subtly depicted by author / illustrator Craft as joyfully floating inches above the pavement for the next three pages.
Jordan and his companions were likable bunch, and further adventures would be most welcome.
March 28, 2020
This book was a joy to read. I looked forward to it.
A kid from an inner city school longs to go to art school, but his parents want him to have opportunities and they send him to a prep school that's private where he is a minority among wealthy kids. It's the classic fish out of water, having to find your way in school story. It's well done and he makes friends and eventually he likes his new school. He has to figure out how to fit in to all the different parts of his life.
This might be part one and we might get the 2nd year soon. I look forward to it. The art style is full of energy and a dichotomy of the two worlds. Jordan is an artist and his little cartoons are blended in with the story.
This won the Newbery and I don't know if the Newbery should give out awards to graphic novels, it does deserve awards. I am going to see if the Niece will read this one too. I think she would enjoy it.
A kid from an inner city school longs to go to art school, but his parents want him to have opportunities and they send him to a prep school that's private where he is a minority among wealthy kids. It's the classic fish out of water, having to find your way in school story. It's well done and he makes friends and eventually he likes his new school. He has to figure out how to fit in to all the different parts of his life.
This might be part one and we might get the 2nd year soon. I look forward to it. The art style is full of energy and a dichotomy of the two worlds. Jordan is an artist and his little cartoons are blended in with the story.
This won the Newbery and I don't know if the Newbery should give out awards to graphic novels, it does deserve awards. I am going to see if the Niece will read this one too. I think she would enjoy it.
February 12, 2020
Stunning! The first of (I hope!) many graphic novels to be recognized with a Newbery Award, and it's absolutely deserving of the honor! Well written, well drawn, poignant and funny, I couldn't put it down, reading into the wee hours. My 11yo has also read it and loved it, and next it will go to the 15yo!
September 20, 2020
I really enjoyed this and I will most definitely be recommending this to middle graders for a long time. I think this is a story that many kids will be able to see themselves in, or recognize someone in their life going through the same things the characters went through.
July 23, 2020
What an AMAZING comic!
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March 27, 2019
Jordan is the new kid in seventh grade. And he's not going to art school like he wanted—he's going to a fancy new private school where he's one of a handful of students of color. He's not sure if he's going to fit in...but he's going to try.
This was such fun to read. Jordan's world-view and how he frames things are hilarious and introspective, and his drawings are just the cutest things on the planet. I loved that he was able to expand his mind, and even though he still wanted to go to art school and pursue his passion at the end of the novel, he realized that he really was able to enjoy all three of his favorite Chinese foods (it's a metaphor, I promise!) and not just have to stick to only one. He could enjoy private school and his private school friends, and he could stay true to his Washington Heights roots.
It was also uncomfortable, because it highlights how problematic good intentions can be. Jordan faces a thousand and one micro-aggressions from his white liberal-minded teachers who get so caught up on race that they fail to see the person behind the color—and get upset when they are called out on their prejudice.
And then there's the massive shout-out against kidlit geared towards children of color, particularly black children. White kids get fantasy stories of Riordian proportions. Black kids? Get issue books, filled with gritty urban kids doing gritty things in their gritty lifestyle.
How depressing.
And how utterly frustrating.
In addition to racism (both overt and covert) there is colorism, as Jordan has light skin—and he gets to deal with his richer white classmates teasing him for their darker tans when they return from fancy trips abroad during the various school breaks. With that, there's a good deal of classism involved, with the rich students flaunting their wealth and the poor students (who are often from marginalized communities—save Maury, who gets lumped in with the "poor" kids because he is black even though his dad runs a Fortune 500 company) being targeted for having financial aid (and getting penalized for getting too uppity, like going on a vacation that they shouldn't be able to afford if they couldn't pay for the full costs of the school).
But like everything else in this graphic novel, there is nuance to the classism. Liam, for example, just wants to be an ordinary student. Not a legacy. Not a rich kid. Not pretentious. He wants to be judged for himself and not his family's extravagant wealth.
Jordan is on financial aid, and able to attend the prestigious school because he's smart—and he's forced to go to the school because his mother wants to ensure that he has every advantage he can possibility have to get a leg up in life.
And there is Drew, labeled the aggressive black student because he stood up to a racist teacher, even though he made the honor roll each semester and was the starting quarterback.
And finally, there is Alexandra, who proves that first impressions (and third, and fourth, and fifth) really don't tell you everything about a person.
If you enjoy Raina Telgemeier or Svetlana Chmakova, this is a definite win.
This was such fun to read. Jordan's world-view and how he frames things are hilarious and introspective, and his drawings are just the cutest things on the planet. I loved that he was able to expand his mind, and even though he still wanted to go to art school and pursue his passion at the end of the novel, he realized that he really was able to enjoy all three of his favorite Chinese foods (it's a metaphor, I promise!) and not just have to stick to only one. He could enjoy private school and his private school friends, and he could stay true to his Washington Heights roots.
It was also uncomfortable, because it highlights how problematic good intentions can be. Jordan faces a thousand and one micro-aggressions from his white liberal-minded teachers who get so caught up on race that they fail to see the person behind the color—and get upset when they are called out on their prejudice.
And then there's the massive shout-out against kidlit geared towards children of color, particularly black children. White kids get fantasy stories of Riordian proportions. Black kids? Get issue books, filled with gritty urban kids doing gritty things in their gritty lifestyle.
How depressing.
And how utterly frustrating.
In addition to racism (both overt and covert) there is colorism, as Jordan has light skin—and he gets to deal with his richer white classmates teasing him for their darker tans when they return from fancy trips abroad during the various school breaks. With that, there's a good deal of classism involved, with the rich students flaunting their wealth and the poor students (who are often from marginalized communities—save Maury, who gets lumped in with the "poor" kids because he is black even though his dad runs a Fortune 500 company) being targeted for having financial aid (and getting penalized for getting too uppity, like going on a vacation that they shouldn't be able to afford if they couldn't pay for the full costs of the school).
But like everything else in this graphic novel, there is nuance to the classism. Liam, for example, just wants to be an ordinary student. Not a legacy. Not a rich kid. Not pretentious. He wants to be judged for himself and not his family's extravagant wealth.
Jordan is on financial aid, and able to attend the prestigious school because he's smart—and he's forced to go to the school because his mother wants to ensure that he has every advantage he can possibility have to get a leg up in life.
And there is Drew, labeled the aggressive black student because he stood up to a racist teacher, even though he made the honor roll each semester and was the starting quarterback.
And finally, there is Alexandra, who proves that first impressions (and third, and fourth, and fifth) really don't tell you everything about a person.
If you enjoy Raina Telgemeier or Svetlana Chmakova, this is a definite win.
September 29, 2020
Cute. A relatable story about how it feels to be the only black kid somewhere and the spark of joy you get when you see someone else who looks like you and microaggressions.
Also, amen to the segment about how MG/YA books are marketed to black kids. You have got drugs, poverty, rap, and basketball for black books vs. lily-white adventurer books. Thank God, it's slowly changing.
Also, amen to the segment about how MG/YA books are marketed to black kids. You have got drugs, poverty, rap, and basketball for black books vs. lily-white adventurer books. Thank God, it's slowly changing.
February 28, 2019
I wasn't really planning on picking this up, but I found it as an ebook and graphic novels never take too long to read. I really liked that it tackled so many aspects of racism (especially getting into specifics given that the protagonist, Jordan, is light-skinned - you can tell Craft really knows how to write about race and convey more than the minimum), mostly for black communities but there were students from other backgrounds.
I wasn't a fan of the art - it really reminded me of 00s webcomics and looked sloppy at points. Also, while this is aimed at a younger audience, the storyline was pretty basic. I think it's a good introduction for a more complex conversation about racism, but there's a lot out there that does it better.
Overall, this was fine, but it didn't blow my mind.
I wasn't a fan of the art - it really reminded me of 00s webcomics and looked sloppy at points. Also, while this is aimed at a younger audience, the storyline was pretty basic. I think it's a good introduction for a more complex conversation about racism, but there's a lot out there that does it better.
Overall, this was fine, but it didn't blow my mind.
July 2, 2021
I haven't read a graphic novel in ages but I LOVED this one. So endearing and smart.
April 25, 2023
This 2019 graphic novel certainly earned a place in my heart as I followed the main protagonist, seventh-grader Jordan Banks as he travels from Washington Heights to his new school- an upscale academy for academics. But while the school excels in offering a variety of exciting academic programs, it lacks diversity and through one year of learning both teachers and students have a lot to learn. I would certainly recommend this book to readers who enjoy Raina Telgemeier as it is both poignant and funny.
Goodreads review published 21/01/20
Goodreads review published 21/01/20
November 21, 2018
This is going to be THE most talked about graphic novel in the new year. This is a story that needs to be read and then talked about. Every single chapter had me shaking my head yes. Swipe right to see just two pages of serious truth that readers and teachers alike need to be reading. Out February 2019
January 24, 2024
I read a review of this book that said this was an unrealistic representation of middle school, and I’m just 🧐🤔 at that statement.
I taught in middle school for 8 years and this is literally all of the issues that I have seen in the halls, cafeteria, restrooms, locker rooms, and even in my classroom. This book is perfect to me because it encapsulates so many important elements of adolescence while also tackling racial and social justice issues.
It is humorous but not laugh-out-loud funny. It’s poignant and true and beautifully illustrated. I loved how Craft inserted Jordan’s own drawings into the narrative.
Can’t wait to read the sequel...in like 10 minutes 😆❤️
I taught in middle school for 8 years and this is literally all of the issues that I have seen in the halls, cafeteria, restrooms, locker rooms, and even in my classroom. This book is perfect to me because it encapsulates so many important elements of adolescence while also tackling racial and social justice issues.
It is humorous but not laugh-out-loud funny. It’s poignant and true and beautifully illustrated. I loved how Craft inserted Jordan’s own drawings into the narrative.
Can’t wait to read the sequel...in like 10 minutes 😆❤️
May 9, 2021
And I'm rereading it. Because. It's Friday. No reasons.
April 20, 2021
One million stars.
July 21, 2020
The first graphic novel to win a Newberry Medal. Jordan Banks is a 12-year old from Washington Heights in upper Manhattan. He'd like to go to art school but when he gets into a private school in the Bronx, his parents force him to go. This took me a little while to get into. It's very NYC school-centric at the beginning, which is its own beast I've not seen anywhere else. But once it gets going, it's a charming book. Jordan sketches out what bothers him in his sketch book, giving us insight on what it's like to be a normal kid in a very rich school, what it's like to be African American in a school that's not very diverse. Jordan is a sweet kid that you absolutely root for as he adjusts to life at his new school. The art is a little cartoony but fine given that this is a graphic novel for children. This was a delight. I'll be buying a copy for my niece soon.
January 27, 2020
2020 Newbery winner, my committee year!
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September 1, 2022The 2020 Newbery Medal winner, New Kid, is a marvelous graphic novel about being the new kid at school and not knowing how to fit in.
Jordan is the new kid in 7th grade but instead of attending the art school of his dreams, he is attending the prestigious private school in which he is one of the only kids of color.
This book does a wonderful job of touching on topics of race and identity and is a definite must-read for all ages. -Jenny L.
Find a copy at Scottsdale Public Library
Jordan is the new kid in 7th grade but instead of attending the art school of his dreams, he is attending the prestigious private school in which he is one of the only kids of color.
This book does a wonderful job of touching on topics of race and identity and is a definite must-read for all ages. -Jenny L.
Find a copy at Scottsdale Public Library
January 18, 2020
This is definitely targeted at younger readers, but I still bet I learned more from this story of minority kids at a predominately white NYC private school about implicit bias, microaggressions, and racism than I will from the official training I have to take at my job next week. It's a bit slow as the story is paced to last the entire school year, and I'm not sure the chapter titles punning on movie titles really added much, but the scathing points hidden in the gentle humor make it all worthwhile.
February 11, 2020
This entertaining and enlightening graphic novel tells the story of African American middle-schooler Jordan Banks, who loves to draw and wanted to go to art school, but is sent by his parents to a prestigious private school that emphasizes academics. Will he be able to fit in among the mostly white students, and keep his neighborhood friends too? The story is well told with excellent, full-color artwork and plenty of humor. This is the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, and it is well deserved.
January 30, 2020
Know what I love even more about this book than the fact it won the Newbery? The fact that my middle school son (who magically decided that since his mom is a librarian, books are DUMB) asked me to buy it for him right when it came out last winter and read it right away and begrudgingly admitted it was “fine okay whatever I guess”. YOU GUYS! The Newbery committee picked a book that THIS KID LIKED 😍 That says SO MUCH!
Oh and I just read it in an hour and thought it was simply amazing ❤️
Oh and I just read it in an hour and thought it was simply amazing ❤️
February 2, 2020
These kids! I love when I walk away from book and feel I know the people that have filled its pages - not because the author told me, but showed me. Craft is often subtle in his character building and this book is all the stronger for it. One of few books that showcases race and micro-aggressions without the heavy drumbeat of righteousness.
March 14, 2022
Jugs & Capes picked this one up because we heard a This American Life episode about it being banned as "critical race theory." This is, of course, straight-up nonsense in basically all cases, and it was fully appalling here — here we have a book about a Black kid navigating his new prep school, making friends, experiencing microaggressions, code-switching, and generally figuring out how to fit in. Go ahead and listen to the podcast episode if you want to be enraged; the mother leading the charge against this book is interviewed, and it's one of those wild cases where she is so clearly the villain while entirely believing in herself as the hero. She flat out insists that the things that happen in this book are unrealistic — juxtaposed, of course, against the author himself talking about those very interactions having happened to him personally. This whole movement of not allowing white kids to encounter anything that might make them "feel bad" while wholesale ignoring how pretty much the whole history of education in this country has been explicitly designed to allow all other kids to feel bad is just.... whew. What a fucking embarrassment this country can be.
Anyway. This is a marvelous book: it's incredibly relatable (even though this story is extremely far from my own experiences) and really beautifully nuanced, refusing to align with stereotypes and constantly challenging the prevailing wisdom about who a person is based on their skin color or demographics or lived experiences. There's a really lovely interaction between our main character and one of the other Black boys in his class early on, where they try to befriend one another only to find their lives have been so different it's basically impossible ("Are you gonna try out for a team?" "I'd rather play cello, but I do kinda like squash; do you?" "No, I'm more of a broccoli guy"), with the two characters depicted as standing on separate planets orbiting farther and farther from one another.
In another extended plot arc, a white girl is Secret Santa to a different Black boy, and she buys him a KFC coupon and a basketball poster. When the boy complains to his Black friend about how predictable this all his, the friend says well, you do like fried chicken and basketball! The boy eventually asks the girl about it and she says she's seen him at KFC and noticed the basketball poster he has in his locker. In book club we talked through whether or not this could be considered a minorly racist act or merely a lazy one, whether the girl (after all, these are just children!) was maybe just given the idea by her white parents, what kinds of experiences like that each of us had had growing up, etc.
In another illuminating moment, which is really just a quick intro scene for something else, our main character describes his subway ride to school and the way he visually and verbally code-switches multiple times, on his way from Washington Heights to Riverdale, shifting his posture, pulling the hood on his hoodie up or down, being acutely aware of who else is or isn't on the train, having to pay so much attention and expending so much energy fitting in, station by station by station.
The whole book is like this: precise, incisive, and warm, challenging and challenging prevailing wisdom, stereotypical shortcuts, the easy ways into and out of racism, classism, and intersectionality — all through the eyes of a kid just trying to make his way through the day. Just excellent.
Anyway. This is a marvelous book: it's incredibly relatable (even though this story is extremely far from my own experiences) and really beautifully nuanced, refusing to align with stereotypes and constantly challenging the prevailing wisdom about who a person is based on their skin color or demographics or lived experiences. There's a really lovely interaction between our main character and one of the other Black boys in his class early on, where they try to befriend one another only to find their lives have been so different it's basically impossible ("Are you gonna try out for a team?" "I'd rather play cello, but I do kinda like squash; do you?" "No, I'm more of a broccoli guy"), with the two characters depicted as standing on separate planets orbiting farther and farther from one another.
In another extended plot arc, a white girl is Secret Santa to a different Black boy, and she buys him a KFC coupon and a basketball poster. When the boy complains to his Black friend about how predictable this all his, the friend says well, you do like fried chicken and basketball! The boy eventually asks the girl about it and she says she's seen him at KFC and noticed the basketball poster he has in his locker. In book club we talked through whether or not this could be considered a minorly racist act or merely a lazy one, whether the girl (after all, these are just children!) was maybe just given the idea by her white parents, what kinds of experiences like that each of us had had growing up, etc.
In another illuminating moment, which is really just a quick intro scene for something else, our main character describes his subway ride to school and the way he visually and verbally code-switches multiple times, on his way from Washington Heights to Riverdale, shifting his posture, pulling the hood on his hoodie up or down, being acutely aware of who else is or isn't on the train, having to pay so much attention and expending so much energy fitting in, station by station by station.
The whole book is like this: precise, incisive, and warm, challenging and challenging prevailing wisdom, stereotypical shortcuts, the easy ways into and out of racism, classism, and intersectionality — all through the eyes of a kid just trying to make his way through the day. Just excellent.
January 24, 2019
A FANTASTIC middle grade graphic novel. A necessary addition for any school/classroom library. Approaches subtle & overt racism in an accessible & understandable way for the audience, while not holding back, through the lens of the new kid at school.
January 25, 2024
'New Kid', a graphic comic for young teens, maybe for kids in the 6th to 8th grades, by Jerry Craft, is an excellent read! Any child who is new to a school will be familiar with the both the insecurities and joys that seventh grader Jordan Banks has.
The best experiences for Jordan are with the new friends who become close. He did not expect to make friends, particularly at a private school in a White upper-class neighborhood. The kids are mostly rich White kids with very few of color. He meets the arty and the science-oriented, as well as others like him who are attending on a scholarship or grant - the dreaded stigma of financial aid! He also meets children who are odd, so odd the other kids either ignore them or despise them. Some teachers are snowflakes, others have stereotyped images of different races seemingly burned into their retinas so much that they can't really 'see' a student for who s/he is. Jordan learns that he himself has some prejudices, strengths and blind spots of his own of which he was unaware. By the end of the school year, he has grown as a person, become more flexible, and forgiving, in his world views.
I copied the book blurb below as it is accurate:
"A graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real.
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?"
Jordan's parents also have issues - they disagree on the educational direction Jordan should be on. Jordan's dad doesn't want him to forget the neighborhood or Black culture, and Jordan's mom wants him to fit in White culture as easily as he does in Black culture. The neighborhood kids are somewhat disconcerted by Jordan's new activities and friends, too.
Jordan is "light", and his peers at the school are mostly White, but the book is about many of the difficulties all new kids have when starting classes at a new school. Kids who are in the minority, whether of class and/or skin color or because of physical abilities or talents, in any school endure a few more social problems. Others have problems because they are of a very different culture. All of these issues are examined in a somewhat airbrushed, but clearly age-appropriate, manner, but the feelings involved are spot on. Code switching is explored, too.
Jordan has a lot to navigate! Since I have no kids and it has been a long time since I was a kid, I found 'New Kid' VERY interesting! It also is an award-winning comic, and I highly recommend it!
Note: this is a book currently being banned from many schools and libraries in the American South and Midwest because the Republican Party thinks the comic unjustly represents White characters as being guilty of racial prejudices. I thought ‘New Kid’ represents the real world, where indeed racial prejudices exist.
The best experiences for Jordan are with the new friends who become close. He did not expect to make friends, particularly at a private school in a White upper-class neighborhood. The kids are mostly rich White kids with very few of color. He meets the arty and the science-oriented, as well as others like him who are attending on a scholarship or grant - the dreaded stigma of financial aid! He also meets children who are odd, so odd the other kids either ignore them or despise them. Some teachers are snowflakes, others have stereotyped images of different races seemingly burned into their retinas so much that they can't really 'see' a student for who s/he is. Jordan learns that he himself has some prejudices, strengths and blind spots of his own of which he was unaware. By the end of the school year, he has grown as a person, become more flexible, and forgiving, in his world views.
I copied the book blurb below as it is accurate:
"A graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real.
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?"
Jordan's parents also have issues - they disagree on the educational direction Jordan should be on. Jordan's dad doesn't want him to forget the neighborhood or Black culture, and Jordan's mom wants him to fit in White culture as easily as he does in Black culture. The neighborhood kids are somewhat disconcerted by Jordan's new activities and friends, too.
Jordan is "light", and his peers at the school are mostly White, but the book is about many of the difficulties all new kids have when starting classes at a new school. Kids who are in the minority, whether of class and/or skin color or because of physical abilities or talents, in any school endure a few more social problems. Others have problems because they are of a very different culture. All of these issues are examined in a somewhat airbrushed, but clearly age-appropriate, manner, but the feelings involved are spot on. Code switching is explored, too.
Jordan has a lot to navigate! Since I have no kids and it has been a long time since I was a kid, I found 'New Kid' VERY interesting! It also is an award-winning comic, and I highly recommend it!
Note: this is a book currently being banned from many schools and libraries in the American South and Midwest because the Republican Party thinks the comic unjustly represents White characters as being guilty of racial prejudices. I thought ‘New Kid’ represents the real world, where indeed racial prejudices exist.
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January 10, 2019An outstanding middle grade graphic novel about not only being the new kid in a new school, but about the ways privilege, bias, and racism -- both overt and subtle -- play out. Jordan attends a wealthy school on financial aid and is one of the few kids of color there; he experiences incredible micro and macro aggressions, and as a light skinned black boy, he sees racism play out in a variety of horrifying ways.
The art in this is fantastic, and Craft imbues so much pop culture in this book in fun and funny ways. Each chapter references a movie in some capacity and puts Jordan into it (The Hunger Games and West Side Story and Fight Club, etc). Interspersed throughout the narrative are panels from Jordan's own art, which showcase more of his internal experience than we're privy to otherwise; he's an artist and we get to see that play out.
One of the most moving moments in the story is when Jordan is forced to sit with "the weird puppet girl" and finally learns why it is she's always wearing a weird puppet and doing weird things. He has a reckoning about his own judgements and biases, and he uses this as an opportunity to destigmatize her experiences. He also learns to stand up and be a leader, calling out injustices where he sees them, even when it makes him sick to do so.
A smart book for the middle grade set and one that'll resonate deeply with kids of color who see themselves in Jordan and for white kids who'll see themselves in those positions of privilege. There's also a lot of spot-on commentary here about financial privilege, on gifting, and on judgement of those who are in the haves and those who are in the have nots.
Hand to fans of Raina Telgemeier or Gene Luen Yang.
The art in this is fantastic, and Craft imbues so much pop culture in this book in fun and funny ways. Each chapter references a movie in some capacity and puts Jordan into it (The Hunger Games and West Side Story and Fight Club, etc). Interspersed throughout the narrative are panels from Jordan's own art, which showcase more of his internal experience than we're privy to otherwise; he's an artist and we get to see that play out.
One of the most moving moments in the story is when Jordan is forced to sit with "the weird puppet girl" and finally learns why it is she's always wearing a weird puppet and doing weird things. He has a reckoning about his own judgements and biases, and he uses this as an opportunity to destigmatize her experiences. He also learns to stand up and be a leader, calling out injustices where he sees them, even when it makes him sick to do so.
A smart book for the middle grade set and one that'll resonate deeply with kids of color who see themselves in Jordan and for white kids who'll see themselves in those positions of privilege. There's also a lot of spot-on commentary here about financial privilege, on gifting, and on judgement of those who are in the haves and those who are in the have nots.
Hand to fans of Raina Telgemeier or Gene Luen Yang.
November 7, 2019
Jordan is starting middle school at an exclusive private school and all around him are reminders that he does not belong here. He returns to his Washington Heights neighborhood and realizes he does not completely feel like he belongs there either. Can he even last through his 7th grade year? What about sticking it out through high school? Could he be a catalyst for change in others? Himself? Jordan's voice rings true and reminds us to think before we speak. Some of my favorite panels were the ones from his sketchbook as they were like a diary and gave us a look inside his head. Readers who enjoy books by Jason Reynolds and Kwame Alexander will also want to pick up this one.
July 9, 2021
Read for this video: https://youtu.be/IHg8zvKyM9k
Fantastic graphic novel! New Kid is a middle grade story about a boy moving to a new, elite school and dealing with micro-agressions and code-switching. It's really thoughtful in the way it handles issues of race, class and privilege. Difficult topics, but written about in a way that makes sense for a middle grade audience. Check out the video above for a few more thoughts.
Fantastic graphic novel! New Kid is a middle grade story about a boy moving to a new, elite school and dealing with micro-agressions and code-switching. It's really thoughtful in the way it handles issues of race, class and privilege. Difficult topics, but written about in a way that makes sense for a middle grade audience. Check out the video above for a few more thoughts.
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