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A review by jecoats
New Kid by Jerry Craft
5.0
I heard about this graphic novel a year or two ago because it had been challenged by someone (parents, school board - I really don’t recall) who wanted to ban it, and I have been curious about it ever since. I finally decided to check out a physical copy from my library to read for this class. New Kid is the winner of the Newbery Medal (2020), Coretta Scott King Book Award for Author (2020), NAIBA Book of the Year for Middle Grade (2019), Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature (2019), and the NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor Book (2020).
New Kid focuses on Jordan, a young middle school student starting his first year as a new student at a private school. While Jordan really wants to attend an art school, his parents are insistent that he attend Riverdale Academy Day School (RAD) so he can receive a quality education, which they believe will give him many opportunities in the future. At RAD, Jordan meets a few students he bonds with, such as his guide Liam, who seems embarrassed that he comes from a wealthy family, and Alexandra, a student who uses a sock puppet to deflect from a burn scar on her hand. He also meets Drew, a student who, much like Jordan, feels singled out for being one of few black students in the school. Jordan and Drew become fast friends, spending their time hanging out and playing XBOX games online together. There are other students and teachers interwoven throughout the story, but the focus is on Jordan navigating a new school, his parents' expectations, and his own desires of becoming an artist.
New Kid is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. It has a lot of charm and heart, which comes from very likable and well-rounded characters. The graphic novel also has quite a bit of humor (for instance, every new chapter begins with a riff or a comical reimagining of a famous movie title), and I found it difficult to not chuckle along with the characters. Some of the periphery characters are static (such as Mr. Roche, who tries so hard to be PC that he almost comes off as inappropriate and problematic), but I think they act as foils to the more well-rounded characters to enable them to demonstrate a full range of emotions. For instance, one white teacher keeps calling Drew by another black student's name, which comes to a head when he erupts in anger at constantly being misnamed. The static characters do play a role in the story, but they also give the main characters someone to interact with that enables writer Jerry Craft a chance to show how complex his characters are.
Craft’s illustrations are part of the fun of the story, and I loved his clean linework and simple color palette. There is a lot of subtle detail in each image that enhances the illustrations without being distracting. Each character has a unique style and design, which is aided by the fact that each character wears the same outfits throughout the story (I think this is a reference to superhero comics and the unchanging nature of hero costumes). Even when the graphic novel is pointing out the biases of a teacher that can’t distinguish between their students, we the reader would never confuse any of the characters for one another.
As far as realistic fiction, I think New Kid does an excellent job of accurately portraying what it feels like to be a new person in an unfamiliar setting, as well as what it’s like to navigate an environment that seems inherently biased against people of color. In my opinion, Craft has provided us with an authentic and straightforward glimpse into the life of a middle school student who is trying to fit in at a new school while simultaneously trying to maintain what makes them a unique individual. To be fair, there are some moments of “fantasy” - but these are all in Jordans imagination and depicted through the drawings Jordan sketches in his notebook.
This book would be wonderful for students 6th grade and up. I think students of any race or culture would be able to identify with Jordan as he navigates being both a new student in a new school and a black student in a predominantly white environment. New Kid could work as a mirror, window, and a sliding glass door as it not only provides young BIPOC readers with characters and authentic experiences that reflect them and their experiences, but it also invites other readers in to experience these events with Jordan. I believe this book would be a great way to build a sense of community and empathy in any classroom.
New Kid focuses on Jordan, a young middle school student starting his first year as a new student at a private school. While Jordan really wants to attend an art school, his parents are insistent that he attend Riverdale Academy Day School (RAD) so he can receive a quality education, which they believe will give him many opportunities in the future. At RAD, Jordan meets a few students he bonds with, such as his guide Liam, who seems embarrassed that he comes from a wealthy family, and Alexandra, a student who uses a sock puppet to deflect from a burn scar on her hand. He also meets Drew, a student who, much like Jordan, feels singled out for being one of few black students in the school. Jordan and Drew become fast friends, spending their time hanging out and playing XBOX games online together. There are other students and teachers interwoven throughout the story, but the focus is on Jordan navigating a new school, his parents' expectations, and his own desires of becoming an artist.
New Kid is one of the best graphic novels I have ever read. It has a lot of charm and heart, which comes from very likable and well-rounded characters. The graphic novel also has quite a bit of humor (for instance, every new chapter begins with a riff or a comical reimagining of a famous movie title), and I found it difficult to not chuckle along with the characters. Some of the periphery characters are static (such as Mr. Roche, who tries so hard to be PC that he almost comes off as inappropriate and problematic), but I think they act as foils to the more well-rounded characters to enable them to demonstrate a full range of emotions. For instance, one white teacher keeps calling Drew by another black student's name, which comes to a head when he erupts in anger at constantly being misnamed. The static characters do play a role in the story, but they also give the main characters someone to interact with that enables writer Jerry Craft a chance to show how complex his characters are.
Craft’s illustrations are part of the fun of the story, and I loved his clean linework and simple color palette. There is a lot of subtle detail in each image that enhances the illustrations without being distracting. Each character has a unique style and design, which is aided by the fact that each character wears the same outfits throughout the story (I think this is a reference to superhero comics and the unchanging nature of hero costumes). Even when the graphic novel is pointing out the biases of a teacher that can’t distinguish between their students, we the reader would never confuse any of the characters for one another.
As far as realistic fiction, I think New Kid does an excellent job of accurately portraying what it feels like to be a new person in an unfamiliar setting, as well as what it’s like to navigate an environment that seems inherently biased against people of color. In my opinion, Craft has provided us with an authentic and straightforward glimpse into the life of a middle school student who is trying to fit in at a new school while simultaneously trying to maintain what makes them a unique individual. To be fair, there are some moments of “fantasy” - but these are all in Jordans imagination and depicted through the drawings Jordan sketches in his notebook.
This book would be wonderful for students 6th grade and up. I think students of any race or culture would be able to identify with Jordan as he navigates being both a new student in a new school and a black student in a predominantly white environment. New Kid could work as a mirror, window, and a sliding glass door as it not only provides young BIPOC readers with characters and authentic experiences that reflect them and their experiences, but it also invites other readers in to experience these events with Jordan. I believe this book would be a great way to build a sense of community and empathy in any classroom.