New Kid (Newbery Medal Winner)

by Jerry Craft

Overview

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062691194
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/05/2019
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,993
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	GN320L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jerry Craft is the author-illustrator of #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novels New Kid, and its companion book, Class Act. New Kid was the first book in history to win the Newbery Medal, The Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. In his latest book, School Trip, Jerry hopes to share his love of travel in order to inspire kids and their families to see the world and embrace new cultures. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and now lives in Florida. 

Jerry Craft is the author-illustrator of #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novels New Kid, and its companion book, Class Act. New Kid was the first book in history to win the Newbery Medal, The Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. In his latest book, School Trip, Jerry hopes to share his love of travel in order to inspire kids and their families to see the world and embrace new cultures. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and now lives in Florida. 

Editorial Reviews

…Jerry Craft's new graphic novel, is a gift to readers who love the genre…As a realistic graphic novel starring a kid of color, New Kid is a desperately needed addition to middle-grade library collections everywhere. This funny, heartwarming and sometimes cringe-inducing take on middle school is sure to resonate deeply with its young audience…New Kid is at once tender and tough, funny and heartbreaking. Hand this to the middle-grade reader in your life right away.

The New York Times Book Review - Victoria Jamieson

★ 11/26/2018
Riverdale Academy Day School is every parent’s dream for their child: it has a beautiful sprawling campus, a rigorous academic curriculum, and ample extracurricular activities. It’s also distinctly lacking in diversity. African-American new kid Jordan Banks would rather go to art school, but his parents have enrolled him, so he dutifully commutes to the Bronx from his home in Washington Heights, Manhattan. When he’s not being confused with the few other students of color, he is being spoken to in slang, is receiving looks when financial aid is mentioned, or is forced to navigate many more micro-aggressions. Artwork by Craft interweaves the story with Jordan’s sketchbook drawings, which convey the tension of existing in two markedly different places. The sketches show him being called “angry” for his observations, feeling minuscule in a cafeteria, and traveling by public transportation across different socioeconomic and racially segregated neighborhoods, changing his outfit and demeanor to fit in. This engaging story offers an authentic secondary cast and captures the high jinks of middle schoolers and the tensions that come with being a person of color in a traditionally white space. Ages 8–12. Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Funny, sharp, and totally real! Jordan Banks is the kid everyone will be talking about!” — Jeff Kinney, Author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

★“Possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.” — Booklist (starred review)

★“An engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★“This is more than a story about being the new kid—it’s a complex examination of the micro- and macroaggressions that Jordan endures from classmates and teachers. Highly recommended for all middle grade shelves.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

★“This engaging story offers an authentic secondary cast and captures the high jinks of middle schoolers and the tensions that come with being a person of color in a traditionally white space.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★ “Award-winning author/illustrator Jerry Craft confronts elitism, microaggression, racism, socioeconomic disparity and white privilege in a familiar setting. His preteen audiences will undoubtedly recognize and empathize with Craft’s memorable cast.” — Shelf Awareness, (starred review)

“Craft’s full-color comics art is dynamic and expressive. This school story stands out as a robust, contemporary depiction of a preteen navigating sometimes hostile spaces yet staying true to himself thanks to friends, family, and art.” — Horn Book Magazine

“New Kid is at once tender and tough, funny and heartbreaking. Hand this to the middle-grade reader in your life right away.” — The New York Times Book Review

"This story captures the tensions that come with being a person of color in a traditionally white space." — Publishers Weekly

“Genuine characters propel this funny, warm, biting, fearless story. Entertaining and insightful, it will surely offer affirmation for some readers, revelation for others.” — Cooperative Children’s Book Center

“An honest and compelling read for any kid looking for a place to belong.” — Scholastic Teacher Magazine

“This beautifully crafted work captures ‘tween angst, recognizes everyday and systemic injustice, and challenges everyone to do better by every kid." — The San Francisco Chronicle

From the Publisher

★ “Award-winning author/illustrator Jerry Craft confronts elitism, microaggression, racism, socioeconomic disparity and white privilege in a familiar setting. His preteen audiences will undoubtedly recognize and empathize with Craft’s memorable cast.

Shelf Awareness

New Kid is at once tender and tough, funny and heartbreaking. Hand this to the middle-grade reader in your life right away.

The New York Times Book Review

Funny, sharp, and totally real! Jordan Banks is the kid everyone will be talking about!

Jeff Kinney

Craft’s full-color comics art is dynamic and expressive. This school story stands out as a robust, contemporary depiction of a preteen navigating sometimes hostile spaces yet staying true to himself thanks to friends, family, and art.

Horn Book Magazine

Genuine characters propel this funny, warm, biting, fearless story. Entertaining and insightful, it will surely offer affirmation for some readers, revelation for others.

Cooperative Children’s Book Center

★“Possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.

Booklist (starred review)

An honest and compelling read for any kid looking for a place to belong.

Scholastic Teacher Magazine

This beautifully crafted work captures ‘tween angst, recognizes everyday and systemic injustice, and challenges everyone to do better by every kid."

The San Francisco Chronicle

★“Possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.

Booklist (starred review)

Genuine characters propel this funny, warm, biting, fearless story. Entertaining and insightful, it will surely offer affirmation for some readers, revelation for others.

Cooperative Children's Book Center

★ 11/01/2018

Gr 4–7—Jordan Banks is anxious about being the new kid at Riverdale, especially since he'd rather be going to art school. He's even more nervous when he realizes that, unlike in his Washington Heights neighborhood, at Riverdale, he's one of the few kids of color. Despite some setbacks, Jordan eventually makes a few friends and chronicles his experiences in his sketch pad. This is more than a story about being the new kid—it's a complex examination of the micro- and macroaggressions that Jordan endures from classmates and teachers. He is regularly mistaken for the other black kids at school. A teacher calls another black student by the wrong name and singles him out during discussions on financial aid. Even Jordan's supportive parents don't always understand the extent of the racism he faces. This book opens doors for additional discussion. Craft's illustrations are at their best during the vibrant full-page spreads. The art loses a bit of detail during crowd scenes, but the characters' emotions are always well conveyed. Jordan's black-and-white notebook drawings are the highlight of this work, combining effective social commentary with the protagonist's humorous voice. VERDICT Highly recommended for all middle grade shelves.—Gretchen Hardin, Sterling Municipal Library, Baytown, TX

School Library Journal

★ 2018-10-15

Jordan Banks takes readers down the rabbit hole and into his mostly white prep school in this heartbreakingly accurate middle-grade tale of race, class, microaggressions, and the quest for self-identity.

He may be the new kid, but as an African-American boy from Washington Heights, that stigma entails so much more than getting lost on the way to homeroom. Riverdale Academy Day School, located at the opposite end of Manhattan, is a world away, and Jordan finds himself a stranger in a foreign land, where pink clothing is called salmon, white administrators mistake a veteran African-American teacher for the football coach, and white classmates ape African-American Vernacular English to make themselves sound cool. Jordan's a gifted artist, and his drawings blend with the narrative to give readers a full sense of his two worlds and his methods of coping with existing in between. Craft skillfully employs the graphic-novel format to its full advantage, giving his readers a delightful and authentic cast of characters who, along with New York itself, pop off the page with vibrancy and nuance. Shrinking Jordan to ant-sized proportions upon his entering the school cafeteria, for instance, transforms the lunchroom into a grotesque Wonderland in which his lack of social standing becomes visually arresting and viscerally uncomfortable.

An engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America. (Graphic fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews