Kelly's Reviews > New Kid

An 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.