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You Gotta Read This!
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3/9/2020 1 Comment New Kid by Jerry Craft
Title: New Kid
Author: Jerry Craft Publisher: Quill Tree Books (February 5, 2019) ISBN13: 9780062691200 Genre: Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Topics/Themes: Friendship, New School, Racism, Bullying, Peer Pressure Recommended Age Level: 9-13 Awards / Recognitions:
Summary: Jordan Banks wants nothing more than to go to art school to be able to pursue his passion of drawing. Instead, his parents are sending him to the prestigious prep school across town where he is only one of a handful of non-white kids there. As he adjusts to his new life in this new school, can Jordan find a balance between his old friends and his new friends, cultures that are so drastically different? Which world does Jordan really belong to, and can he ever really fit into one or another again? Professional Reviews: “Speaking up about the unrepresented experience of so many students makes this a necessary book , particularly for this age group. Possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.” – Jesse Karp, Booklist 2018 “An engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America.” – Kirkus Review 2018 Personal Insights: As someone with their own host of white privileges, for me this book was a fantastic example of being a window to show someone a glimpse of what someone else’s life looks like that they have no way of experiencing themselves. Craft so skillfully portrays a myriad of ways in which subtle, or not so subtle, racism appears in a person of color’s life, all in an easy-going artistic style captured in the pages of this graphic novel. As someone who does not read a lot of graphic novels, I can definitely see the appeal now, and I do not think this story could have had the impact it did if it were text only. The power of this book’s message rests in the perfect marriage between the illustrations and conversations captured. Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads) Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (2019) - Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is. It All Comes Down to This by Karen English (2017) - It’s 1965, Los Angeles. All twelve-year-old Sophie wants to do is write her book, star in the community play, and hang out with her friend Jennifer. But she’s the new black kid in a nearly all-white neighborhood; her beloved sister, Lily, is going away to college soon; and her parents’ marriage is rocky. There’s also her family’s new, disapproving housekeeper to deal with. When riots erupt in nearby Watts and a friend is unfairly arrested, Sophie learns that life—and her own place in it—is even more complicated than she’d once thought. Unidentified Suburban Object by Mike Jung (2016) - The next person who compares Chloe Cho with famous violinist Abigail Yang is going to HEAR it. Chloe has just about had it with people not knowing the difference between someone who's Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. She's had it with people thinking that everything she does well -- getting good grades, winning first chair in the orchestra, etCETera -- are because she's ASIAN. Of course, her own parents don't want to have anything to DO with their Korean background. Any time Chloe asks them a question they change the subject. They seem perfectly happy to be the only Asian family in town. It's only when Chloe's with her best friend, Shelly, that she doesn't feel like a total alien. Then a new teacher comes to town: Ms. Lee. She's Korean American, and for the first time Chloe has a person to talk to who seems to understand completely. For Ms. Lee's class, Chloe finally gets to explore her family history. But what she unearths is light-years away from what she expected.
The official book trailer
An introduction to the book by author Jerry Craft
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