New Kid by Jerry Craft

 

New Kid 

Written & Illustrated by: Jerry Craft 

Originally Published in: 2019 

New Kid is a graphic novel that follows Jordan Banks as he tries to juggle his new life at a private school called Riverdale Academy Day School. Jordan would much rather go to an art school, but his parents instead enroll him in the primarily-white private school. He quickly realizes that white students make tons of assumptions and believe many stereotypes about Jordan and the few other students of color at the school. He continues to draw through his seventh grade year and continues to see minority students treated as less than. Jordan eventually does become more comfortable at his school and the book ends on a much better note than it begun on. 

This book is targeted towards upper elementary and middle school, as any students younger would probably have issues with the difficulty level of the words in the graphic novel. As this is a graphic novel, it may be especially appealing for students who don't enjoy reading traditional chapter books. This graphic novel also tackles racism head-on, something that is not always completely appropriate for younger students. I think this book would be interesting to any of-age student. As white students may be able to see the actions of white students through a minority student's eyes, and minority students could most definitely relate. This graphic novel is engaging and its illustrations by Jerry Craft show the reader the story so well. 

Other information: 

New Kid is a Fiction, Humor, & Graphic novel.

Craft, J. (2019). New Kid. Quill Tree Books. 

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/new-kid-jerry-craft?variant=32130066808866