the new kid book review

• 100 Scope Notes
• A Fuse #8 Production
• Good Comics for Kids
• Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
• Politics in Practice
• Teen Librarian Toolbox

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

May 20, 2019 by Katie Cunningham

New Kid by Jerry Craft is a Middle School Must-Read

May 20, 2019 by Katie Cunningham   Leave a Comment

CLICK IMAGES TO SEE LARGER VERSION (WHEN AVAILABLE)

Filed under:

Written by Jerry Craft

Published in 2019 by HarperCollins Children’s

ISBN: 978-0-06-269119-4

Book Review

“This is how I feel every single day of my life, like I’m falling without a parachute.” Meet twelve-year-old Jordan Banks, an African American boy from Washington Heights and new kid at the uber-privileged, prep school Riverdale Academy. In New Kid , Jerry Craft has taken the daily dramas of middle school life (cafeteria hierarchy, social anxieties, and tween hallway banter) to an arresting and devastatingly accurate new level. At Riverdale Academy, Jordan finds himself one of a few token students of color, where White teachers mistakenly mix up the names of African American students, and where being on financial aid becomes a social stigma. Balancing serious and light-hearted moments, Craft portrays the two worlds Jordan feels caught between: home in his predominantly Latinx and African American Washington Heights neighborhood in northern Manhattan and at school where buildings are named after his friend’s philanthropic grandfather, where salmon-colored shorts signify status, and where winter break means trips to Vail, Aspen, or Jackson Hole…not the local Chinese restaurant. Thoughtfully inclusive, Jordan’s friendships at Riverdale are from a diverse cast of characters despite the overwhelming Whiteness of the school’s population and school culture. Episodic-in-nature, New Kid portrays Jordan’s school year from beginning to end. The graphic novel format deepens the experience for middle grade readers to interpret the words, actions, and facial expressions of the characters, providing an additional layer of context for complex race and class dynamics. Jordan’s notebook sketches offer further insight into him as a character and add to the narrative in poignant ways. The sketch “Judging Kids by the Covers of Their Books” will give pause to teachers who may see their well-intentioned but sometimes misguided efforts to match books to readers based primarily on students’ skin color or class.  Offering hope for a more socially conscious, kinder tomorrow, New Kid should be required reading for every middle schooler (and middle school teacher) before the start of every school year.

Teaching Ideas / Invitations for Your Classroom:

Close Reading of Illustrations. The graphic novel format gives readers multiple pathways for making meaning. Have your students individually or in small groups focus on one specific part of the narrative, and do a close reading of the illustrations. Support students with language for discussing graphic novel elements (i.e., panel, frame, foreground, midground, background, gutter, bleed) through an anchor chart that students can refer to throughout the study. See Scholastic’s Graphix Teachers Guide for tips on using graphic novels with students. Have them consider questions like:  How do the size and shape of panels impact their interpretation of what is significant? How is color used? Why? How does Craft convey emotion? How do Jordan’s notebook drawings add to the narrative?  Have students share their interpretations by presenting their thoughts informally to the class using a document camera to magnify their focal pages.

ADVERTISEMENT

Graphic Book Clubs.   Gather a variety of graphic books for students to explore in book clubs. At The Classroom Bookshelf , we have written about many graphic books, novels with graphic components, and graphic picture books for middle grade and middle school readers including graphic fictional books like Smile by Raina Telgemeier, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo, Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper, Grace for Gus by Harry Bliss, and Snow White by Matt Phelan; graphic nonfiction books like Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans by Don Brown; and the graphic memoir March: Book Three by John Lewis. We also recommend graphic school stories and tween stories like Newbery Honor Award winner Roller Girl and All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. Encourage clubs to discuss the storylines, social contexts, and themes, but also guide them to discuss the graphic elements of the book to share with other students. Support them to apply visual literacy skills based on their reading experiences with New Kid to discuss the use and absence of color, panel sizes and shapes, dialogue, caption boxes, and framing.  

Composing Graphic Shorts. Extend student understanding of graphic novels, by having students create graphic short stories. Investigate online sources like this WikiHow page on how to create graphic novels. Have students first consider a story worthy of telling either from their own lives or from their imaginations or from a hybrid of both. Before planning, drawing, and writing, create a class list of Must-Haves and Can-Haves with student input to support their composing process. Encourage students to engage in a composing process that works for them. That may mean starting by storyboarding the illustrations first. That may mean first writing out the scene with dialogue. That may mean partnering with another student to plan the story together. When complete, have students present their stories to one another either by projecting them with a document camera, scanning them into a class blog, photocopying them for distribution, or by making them available in the classroom library for independent reading.

Self Literacy: Who Am I? Why Am I Me? New Kid is a story about the challenges of middle school life and Jordan’s continuously evolving identities. Questions like “Who am I?”, “Why am I me?”, “What is important to me?”, and “Who will I be?” are unstated but can be inferred by readers. Support students to identify moments in the story where Jordan seems to be wrestling with his multiple identities. Discuss the ways that Jordan is many things and that his identity is not static, despite the social pressures that make it feel that way. Open up the discussion for students to make connections to events in the story, the characters, and the ways in which their own identities are multiple and evolving. Consider having students create cultural x-rays for a character in the story as well as for themselves.  

Family Dynamics and Friendships Create Authentic Conflict. Like any great narrative, New Kid is full of conflict between characters. Draw students’ attention to the various moments of conflict in the story that may mirror conflict in their own lives by narrowing student focus to family dynamics and friendship. In what ways are the conflicts fueled by social, racial, economic, and cultural differences? In what ways do the conflicts feel like mirrors for them as middle grade/middle school students? Support students to zoom in on the use of language to create conflict. What are the words characters say to one another that spark conflict? Deepen student understanding by having them use drama to reenact or reimagine these moments of conflict. Encourage students to reference precise moments in the text that they can refer back to when writing their own stories to convey conflict.

Falling Without a Parachute: Navigating Strong Emotions. On the first page of the book, Jordan explains that he feels like he is falling without a parachute. Discuss with students that language choice and the ways in which Jordan’s experiences across the book reveal these strong emotions and the feelings of insecurity that may mirror falling without a parachute. Give students an opportunity to do some freewriting in response to Jordan’s statement. Share with students the Mood Meter , a tool created by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence which gives students a way to share their mood and to notice patterns in themselves over time. At different points in the story, have students consider where Jordan and other characters may self-report where their mood is using the Mood Meter. Use New Kid as a way to launch a year-long focus on how books help us recognize and navigate our own strong emotions.

Tween Realistic Fiction Text Set. Seeing your life experiences in stories supports readers to make authentic connections, grow in stamina, and keep reading. We recommend gathering a variety of realistic fiction books for book clubs, book tasting events, and book talks. At The Classroom Bookshelf , we have written about many realistic fiction books where the characters represent a range of tween experiences that students may relate to including: Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina, You Go First and Hello, Universe, both by Erin Entrada Kelly, The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh, The Seventh Wish by Kate Messmer, Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullay Hunt, Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead, and Booked by Kwame Alexander.

Critical Literacy

Names and Other Markers of Identity: Understanding Microaggression. One of the most arresting patterns in the story is the way in which White teachers mistake characters of color for other characters by calling them by the wrong name. In particular, Drew is repeatedly mistaken as Deandre by Ms. Rawle, Jordan is mistaken as Maury, and even one of the teachers is mistaken as the football coach. Define the term microagression using Merriam-Webster or another source. Merriam-Webster defines a microagression as a “comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group”. Have an open discussion about the impact microaggressions have on the characters of the story and what power and privilege have to do with who experiences microaggressions. Some students may experience microaggressions in their own lives or they may realize that they have been perpetrating microaggressions that they were unconscious of until reading this book. Consider as a class the actions students might take in their own lives as their consciousness is raised such as coming together as a class to commit to certain kinds of language or processes with one another when microaggressions occur. Support students with language they can use to address microaggressions openly such as: “When you said _____, it made me feel _____” and “You may not be aware of what you just said/did. You ____. In the future, ______.”

Living in Two Worlds: Exploring Setting. Jordan lives with his family in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, a real New York City neighborhood in northern Manhattan. Find a digital map and photographs of the neighborhood online to give students further context. You may want to engage in a class investigation into the history of the neighborhood and how it has experienced urban renewal and gentrification in the last decade. Explore with students the ways in which the neighborhood is portrayed in the illustrations and through the dialogue. How does Jordan change his persona and even his clothing when he rides the bus from Washington Heights to Riverdale? In what ways does his clothing signify who he is in the presence of others depending on where he is on his ride?  Then, have students describe Riverdale Academy Day School, a fictional prep school with likeness to real private schools in New York City like Riverdale Country School and Ethical Culture Fieldston School. With upper middle school students, read “ The Tale of Two Schools ”, a New York Times Magazine article that in many ways documents the cultural, social, economic, and academic divides that Jordan feels living between his two worlds of home and school.

Further Investigations

Online Resources

Jerry Craft’s Site

New Kid Author Talk with Jerry Craft

New Kid Book Trailer

Blindfold Drawing Challenge with Jerry Craft

Scholastic’s Graphix Guide

WikiHow: How to Create a Graphic Novel

Mood Meter Explained

Mood Meter Video for Teachers

“Tale of Two Schools”, New York Times Magazine

The Tale of Two Schools

Alexander, K. (2016). Booked . Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Bliss, Harry. (2018).   Grace for Gus . New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

Brown, D. (2015). Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans . Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Camper, C. (2014). Lowriders in space . San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.

DiCamillo, K. (2013). Flora and Ulysses: The illuminated adventures . Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Jamieson, V. (2015). Roller girl . New York, NY: Penguin Random House.

Jamieson, V. (2017). All’s faire in middle school . New York, NY: Penguin Random House.

Kelly, E.E. (2018). You go first . New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Kelly, E.E. (2017). Hello, Universe . New York: Greenwillow Books.

Hunt, L. M. (2015). Fish in a tree . New York, NY:, NY Nancy Paulsen Books.

Lewis, J. (2016). March: Book three . Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.

Medina, Meg. (2018). Merci Suárez changes gears .  Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Messner, K. The seventh wish . New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

Pheloan, M. (2016). Snow White . Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Stead, R. (2015). Goodbye stranger . New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Tegemeier, R. (2010) Smile . New York: Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic.

Yeh, K. The way to Bea . Boston, MA: Little, Brown Books.

Filed under: Comics & Graphic Novels , Fiction

About Katie Cunningham

Katie is a Professor of Literacy and English Education at Manhattanville College. There she is also the Director of the Advanced Certificate Program in Social and Emotional Learning and Whole Child Education. Her work focuses on children’s literature, joyful literacy methods, and literacy leadership. Katie is the author of Story: Still the Heart of Literacy Learning and co-author of Literacy Leadership in Changing Schools . Her book Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness will be released September 2019. She is passionate about the power of stories to transform lives.

Related Posts

Slj blog network, gallery: scenes from a bookstore event.

by Travis Jonker

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

by Betsy Bird

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early August 2024 | News

August suggestion totals:.

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Navigating the High School and Academic Library Policy Landscape Around Dual Enrollment Students

by John Chrastka

Adventures in Dyslexia, a guest post by Taylor Tyng

by Amanda MacGregor

Gennifer Choldenko on how writing makes her feel Completely Alive

by Colby Sharp

Related Articles on SLJ

In Search of a Read-Aloud? Don't Miss These

NCTE Announces 2021 Charlotte Huck and Orbis Pictus Awards

Comics, Graphic Novels Drive Popularity of Early Readers

Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards Voting Is Open

13 Books for Tweens

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

• Bookreporter
• ReadingGroupGuides
• AuthorsOnTheWeb

The Book Report Network

Sign up for our newsletters!

Regular Features

Author spotlights, "bookreporter talks to" videos & podcasts, "bookaccino live: a lively talk about books", favorite monthly lists & picks, seasonal features, book festivals, sports features, bookshelves.

• Coming Soon

Newsletters

• Weekly Update
• On Sale This Week
• Summer Reading
• Spring Preview
• Winter Reading
• Holiday Cheer
• Fall Preview

Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:.

Poignant, quirky and insightful, Jerry Craft’s graphic novel NEW KID is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel about a thoughtful and creative young boy named Jordan, and his struggle to fit in. Craft explores tough themes like privilege, bias and racism through his big-hearted protagonist for a story that is as heartfelt as it is powerful.

Jordan, who loves to draw cartoons about his life, is entering the seventh grade at a new school --- a preparatory private middle school towns away from his own neighborhood and friends. That’s not all: Jordan will also be coming from a diverse school to one where he is one of the only students of color. The change of scenery leads to a series of new interactions, friendships and life lessons that our dear protagonist is ill-prepared for, but he comes out stronger for it. Told in a graphic novel format interspersed with Jordan’s own drawings, NEW KID centers primarily around Jordan learning to navigate through a world of primarily white privilege and upper class learning having come from a lower middle class area and seeing the differences between the two, and also sometimes the similarities.

"Craft explores tough themes like privilege, bias and racism through his big-hearted protagonist for a story that is as heartfelt as it is powerful."

Early on, the micro-aggressions and passive aggressive acts of racism become immediately apparent. For example, Jordan has to contend with a teacher who mixes up names between him and another black student who looks nothing like him. This other student tends to occasionally act up and behave more playfully and even disruptively, but this same teacher projects her feelings about that student onto Jordan. Readers will immediately sympathize with Jordan, who feels too young to have to deal with these sorts of feelings, but is, in fact, a prime example of the world our children are growing up in.

At the same time, a “cool kid” named Andy in Jordan’s class thinks it’s funny to mock other students based around their heritage and doesn’t see how his actions are racist. He introduces himself by first asking Jordan what sport he plays and immediately asks “And what are you anyway?” in reference to Jordan’s racial background. Throughout it all, Jordan is forced to contend with an environment that is supposed to be “better” for him, even while its inhabitants are passive-aggressively and openly rude to him and his heritage.

It may sound like the easiest solution would be for Jordan to return home to Washington Heights and his old school, but as time goes on, Jordan has a tough time fitting in with his old friends, too. The educational resource divide between private and public schools sets him apart from everything and everyone he has known, and Jordan starts to feel like he does not fit in anywhere. In a particularly poignant moment, Jordan is forced to recognize his own biases and confront them --- in a beautiful move by Craft, Jordan uses this moment to stand up as a leader, and he begins to call out the injustices he sees.

Craft’s art is fantastic --- he intertwines pop culture and his own art in very fun ways, referencing popular movies in each chapter. Jordan’s own art allows us to see his internal monologues and the ways the outside world is really affecting him. Together, Craft’s and “Jordan’s” art combine to make a book that is visually fun, and not just based on its complex themes.

Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, NEW KID is a painfully timely and wonderfully honest graphic novel about tough themes like diversity, racism and the struggle all kids feel to fit in. This is a book that will start conversations in middle schools all over the country --- about how we can recognize our own biases, start to break them down and ultimately create a better world for our youth.

Reviewed by Matthew Burbridge on February 26, 2019

New Kid written and illustrated by Jerry Craft

• Publication Date: February 5, 2019
• Genres: Fiction , Graphic Novel
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• ISBN-10: 0062691198
• ISBN-13: 9780062691194

Book Review

• Jerry Craft
• Graphic Novel , Humor

Readability Age Range

• 8 to 12 years old
• Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books
• Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2020; Newbery Medal, 2020

Year Published

In New Kid by Jerry Craft, Jordan Banks starts middle school at a wealthy academy that has few other African-Americans. He strives to fit in while encountering ignorance and prejudice.

Plot Summary

In this graphic novel, Jordan Banks is an African-American seventh grader from Washington Heights in New York. Not only is he just starting his middle school career, but his parents have enrolled him at a wealthy private academy called Riverdale. He doesn’t know anyone there, and all but a handful of the students and staff are white.

Jordan feels the pressure to change his persona even on the bus ride from his side of town to Riverdale. He quickly discovers his classmates and teachers have many stereotypes when it comes to people of color. A few kids are overtly rude, but most people are simply ignorant or thoughtless. Bullies nickname an African-American boy from a wealthy family “Oreo,” because they meanly say “he’s Black outside and white inside.”

Other kids assume a Nicaraguan boy is Mexican. Some students stereotypically presuppose that Black children all like basketball and fried chicken, and that they’re being raised by single mothers. Teachers accidentally mix up Black students’ names, as though they can’t tell the difference between them. An administrator even does this to an African-American teacher he’s known for fourteen years.

Another teacher tries so hard to practice ethnic sensitivity that he can hardly say a word without apologizing for his potentially racist remarks. Jordan and his new friend, Drew, feel embarrassed whenever their status as financial aid recipients is mentioned. At a book fair, the librarian proudly directs Jordan and Drew to the historical African-American literature section she’s set up just for them. She doesn’t understand they like the same contemporary novels their white peers read.

After attending a school meeting, Jordan’s parents tell him they understand some of his dilemmas. His mother, who works for a magazine where she’s one of the few African-Americans, says she’s had to learn to “play the game.” Jordan’s dad left a similar career because he didn’t like having to deal with racial inequity and didn’t feel he should have to.

Jordan’s dad grapples with inadequacy after dropping Jordan at the mansion of his wealthy white friend, Liam. Liam gives Jordan an expensive Christmas gift. Jordan hides it from his parents so they won’t feel bad about their less-expensive presents.

Jordan sometimes struggles to stay connected with his neighborhood friends. They deal with problems such as kids bringing guns to school. Jordan’s classmates are only concerned about their next exotic vacations.

As time passes, Jordan finds ways to connect with both his old and new friends. His art teacher opens his eyes to new painting techniques at which he thrives. He demonstrates kindness to misfit students and a bully who has harassed him for months. At the end of the year, Jordan tells his parents that he has become a new kid.

Christian Beliefs

Other belief systems, authority roles.

Jordan’s parents try to give him opportunities to see beyond life in his own neighborhood. Dad struggles with feelings of inadequacy when he can’t offer Jordan the luxuries his classmates enjoy. Some school staff members make little effort to see beyond color with their black students and employees. Other white teachers try too hard to appear racially open-minded to the point of making things awkward.

Profanity & Violence

Sexual content, discussion topics.

What are some of the new and challenging experiences Jordan faces all at once? When have you attended a new school, moved to a different town or began a new activity? What were you feeling during this time? What helped you get through it?

Why do you think some of the teachers and students treat Jordan and Drew so differently than the white students? Are these individuals mean on purpose, or do they just fail to understand people of other races? Explain your answer. What are some practical ways you can be sensitive and respectful to people from different cultures or backgrounds?

When have you become friends with someone of a different race, nationality or social class? What did you learn as you got to know them?

Why is Jordan nice to Andy in the end, even though the bully has been mean to him all year? How does the Bible tell us we should treat our enemies? When have you shown kindness to an enemy?

How does Jordan change during the course of his bus rides from home to school? When have you felt the need change your personality to fit in with different groups of people? Why did you think you had to act like someone else in these circumstances?

Additional Comments

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] . Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

Latest Book Reviews

The First State of Being

The Campaign

The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum (Book No. 1)

Tree. Table. Book.

Young Blood (An Umbrella Academy Novel)

Weekly reviews straight to your inbox.

Jerry Craft Discusses New Kid

Speed Interview with Author-Illustrator Jerry Craft

The Children’s Book Review

The Children’s Book Review: Which five words best describe  New Kid ?

Jerry Craft: Funny, Thought-Provoking, Conversation-Starter, Honest, Comforting

(I know technically that’s seven words, but I’m hoping the judges will rule in my favor.)

Can you share a highlight from the book? Or maybe your thoughts on, or an excerpt of, your favorite sentence, paragraph, or page?

One of my favorite scenes from New Kid  is when Jordan Banks is waiting for his Dad (who is running late) to pick him up (pages 180-187). Then, to make matters worse, it begins to rain. But just when Jordan thinks that it can’t get any worse . . . BAM! Here comes Alexandra, the kid who everyone thinks is probably the weirdest kid in the whole grade. And she sits down next to him. The only good thing is that she offers to share her umbrella.

I like this scene because I “Crafted it” (pun intended) to take my readers through a whole range of emotions. First, it’s the awkwardness of having to talk to someone who you really don’t want to talk to. Then there’s the slow realization that maybe it’s not as bad as you thought. And finally, there’s the comfort that happens when you open your mind, and your heart, to see who that person really is! And that many of your preconceived notions couldn’t be further from the truth. I think that’s an important lesson for both kids, and adults, to learn. Plus I put in one silly panel to get my readers to laugh and relax.

If you had to take a vacation with one of the characters from  New Kid , who would it be? Why?

Well, it wouldn’t be Andy, that’s for sure. I think I’d jump out the plane before reaching our destination.  

Jordan would be cool, because we’d spend the day drawing. Liam would also be a good choice. But I think I’d pick Drew because he’s always aware of his surroundings, and is very protective of his friends. So he’d allow me to let my guard down long enough to enjoy the vacation.

What has been the best reaction from a reader , so far?

I have had such AMAZING reactions that it’s difficult to choose. I’ve already gotten emails from moms whose kids have told them, “I am Jordan Banks,” which continues to give me goosebumps. Every day since the book launched on February 5 has been like Christmas morning to me. I open up my email and never know what is waiting for me, but it’s already been a magnificent journey.

I’ve received emails from kids saying how much they love the book. And from parents who are stunned that their supposedly “reluctant readers” read the book three times in ONE DAY!

And I’ve seen fan drawings of the characters all over social media.

BUT, if I had to choose ONE, it was this message that I got from a mom: “My son was at your event today. He has autism and usually has difficulty with crowds. His teacher told me he was so excited to meet you and was able to ask you a few questions! Thank you for doing something as small as answering a question, it meant a great deal to my son! Thank you!”

And what made it even more special was that she sent me a photo of her son holding the book.

What’s on your nightstand? Any books?

I just picked up a copy of Betty Before  X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson. Renée is one of my favorite authors. And I always keep a copy of Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library , which is illustrated by Eric Velasquez, my friend and a fantastic illustrator.

For your writing energy: sugar or salt, tea or coffee?

Neither and neither. I keep almonds and dates on my desk. And I usually have water or a container of whatever I’ve juiced that morning.

Creative tools: computer, pen and paper, or all of the above?

I did New Kid  exclusively in Photoshop.

Can you tell us one more thing we may not know about New Kid ,  your writing style, or yourself?

The house where Jordan Banks lives is actually the house that I grew up in. I also used a lot of my childhood friends’ names throughout the book, as well as named Jordan’s old school after my editor, St. Harwell’s. My agent’s and lots of former classmates’ names are in there as well. So I guess I’ll be able to see who actually reads the book.

Written and Illustrated by Jerry Craft

Publisher’s Synopsis:  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?

Ages 8-12 | Publisher: HarperCollins | February 5, 2019 | ISBN-13: 978-0062691200

Available Here:

About the Author

Jerry Craft is an author and illustrator who has worked on numerous picture books, graphic novels, and middle grade novels, including The Zero Degree Zombie Zone by Patrik Henry Bass. Jerry is the creator of Mama’s Boyz , an award-winning syndicated comic strip. He has won five African American Literary Awards, and he is a cofounder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and now lives in Connecticut. Visit him online at www.jerrycraft.net .

This speed interview with Jerry Craft, author-illustrator of New Kid , was conducted by Bianca Schulze. For similar books and articles, follow along with our content tagged with Diversity , Friendship , Graphic Novel , Jerry Craft , Middle School , and New Kid At School .

What to Read Next:

• Inside the Studio with Remy Lai, Creator of Pawcasso
• Illustration Inspiration: Alyssa Bermudez, Creator of Big Apple Diaries
• Real Friends, by Shannon Hale | Book Review
• My Writing And Reading Life: J. S. Puller, Author of Captain Superlative

• X (Twitter)

Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

RECOMMENDED FOR AUGUST

CURRENTLY READING:

Featured articles.

NEWEST BOOK REVIEWS

New Kid: A Librarian’s Perspective Review

A scene in New Kid reminds me of a scene in American Born Chinese , where a white teacher introduces new student Jin Wang as “coming all the way from China.”  Jin Wang mutters, mostly to himself, that he moved there from San Francisco. Similarly, in New Kid , teachers constantly mispronounce African American students’ names.

I love that both these books call out these microaggressions and brings them to readers’ attention. It is not difficult for teachers to make sure they get students’ names right. My Korean American friend in middle school also had her first name constantly mispronounced. It is most definitely a thing.

Every middle school library needs New Kid . It’s a beautiful graphic novel, so an automatic win, but many middle schoolers will relate with Jordan.

SUMMARY OF NEW KID

Jordan Banks lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City with his mother and father. On the first day of school, Jordan starts at a new school, an expensive private school where Jordan is one of a handful of scholarship students. Nearly all of his new classmates are wealthy and white, and Jordan and the other “scholarship students” attempt to fit in without losing themselves in the process.

THE SHORT VERSION

Aww, so cute! I love the illustration style and the colors used. Jordan’s difficulties are realistic, and many readers will find something to relate to. Tons of topics for middle school classroom discussion.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT NEW KID

This book portrays everyday racism in a realistic way that middle school readers will want to talk about. The racism isn’t violent or loud; it’s subtle and subversive. So subtle that the teachers don’t even realize they are calling the African-American students the wrong names. So subversive that the white teachers call the black teachers the wrong names, too.

All the characters feel real. I loved Jordan’s parents, especially his dad. His mom is super-ambitious and while she’s supportive of Jordan, she doesn’t much listen to what he wants in life. Jordan’s dad supports Jordan’s desire to attend art school and seems to be a bit “run-over” by his wife’s ambition. The mom is likeable, but I’m glad she isn’t my mom.

Jordan feels stuck between two worlds: his wealthy private school and the neighborhood school where his childhood friends go. Again, it’s a realistic recurring theme throughout the novel, with some resolution at the end.

LOVE LOVE LOVE all the book references in New Kid , including contemporary graphic novels and books for tweens, too! Many middle school libraries will have these titles.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT NEW KID

Only one teeny-tiny gripe: The novel introduces many characters quickly, and I had trouble keeping them straight at times. I’ve had this difficulty before with other books, so maybe it’s just me.

This isn’t a criticism of New Kid , but a criticism of the middle grade graphic novel industry as a whole. It makes me sad that this is the only graphic novel for tweens I can think of with an African-American boy as the main character or even a character at all. Plenty of readalikes pop into my head, including Chmakova’s Awkward series, Telgemeier’s Smile books, Hale’s Real Friends , Holm’s Sunny books, and Jamieson’s All’s Faire in Middle School . With the exception of the Awkward series , these books focus on white female main characters.

Okay, I lied. There’s also Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover graphic novel, which just came out last week. So that’s two.

LIBRARIANS WILL WANT TO KNOW

Themes: new students, friendship, bullying, prejudice and racism, everyday racism, rich vs. poor

Would adults like this book? Yes, especially adults who work with or have middle school children.

Would I buy this for my high school library? Probably. The book is fabulous and brings to light lots of issues, but the main characters are all seventh graders. It’s a bit young for high school, but as I mentioned, it’s not like we have tons of other choices. Until we get a LOT more diverse graphic novels for tweens and teens, this one has a place on high school shelves. Even if the characters are middle schoolers.

Would I buy this for my middle school library?: Absolutely, with no reservations. Every middle school library needs this book, and I’ll even go a step further to say it should be in middle school classrooms, too. And elementary school libraries.

MATURE CONTENT

• Language: none
• Sexuality: none; no romance or crushes at all
• Violence: very mild; some bullying
• Drugs/Alcohol: none

BOOKTALK OR DISPLAY NEW KID WITH:

MORE MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEWS

• Bad Island by Doug TenNapel
• Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
• Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

COPYRIGHT ©2024 — MrsReaderPants — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

• Member Login
• Library Patron Login
• Get a Free Issue of our Ezine! Claim

Book summary and reviews of New Kid by Jerry Craft

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

by Jerry Craft

• Critics' Consensus:
• Readers' Rating:
• Genre: Graphic Novels
• Publication Information
• Write a Review
• Buy This Book

About this book

Book summary.

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

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?

• "Beyond the Book" articles
• Free books to read and review (US only)
• Find books by time period, setting & theme
• Read-alike suggestions by book and author
• Book club discussions
• and much more!
• Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
• More about membership!

Book Awards

Media reviews, reader reviews.

"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) "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) "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 "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 "An honest and compelling read for any kid looking for a place to belong." - Scholastic Teacher Magazine "Funny, sharp, and totally real! Jordan Banks is the kid everyone will be talking about!" - Jeff Kinney, Author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author Information

Jerry craft.

Jerry Craft is an author and illustrator who has worked on numerous picture books, graphic novels, and middle grade novels, including The Zero Degree Zombie Zone by Patrik Henry Bass. Jerry is the creator of Mama's Boyz , an award-winning syndicated comic strip. He has won five African American Literary Awards, and he is a co founder of the Schomburg Center's Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and now lives in Connecticut. Visit him online at www.jerrycraft.com.

More Author Information

More Recommendations

Readers also browsed . . ..

more graphic novels...

Become a Member

BookBrowse Book Club

Members Recommend

The Fertile Earth by Ruthvika Rao

A love story set against India's political turmoil, where two young people defy social barriers.

Everything We Never Knew by Julianne Hough

A dazzling, heartwarming novel from Emmy winner Julianne Hough and Rule author Ellen Goodlett.

Solve this clue:

It's R C A D

and be entered to win..

Win This Book

Follow the Stars Home by Diane C. McPhail

A reimagining of the intrepid woman who braved treacherous waters on the first steamboat voyage to conquer the Mississippi River.

Your guide to exceptional           books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email.

Free Weekly Newsletters

Discover what's happening in the world of books: reviews, previews, interviews, giveaways, and more plus when you subscribe, we'll send you a free issue of our member's only ezine..

Spam Free : Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time.

New Kid Book Review

• Author Jerry Craft
• Publisher Quill Tree Books
• Published 2/05/2019

Hello! So today, I am doing another review! I mean, what did you expect? For this week, I’ll be doing a previous Battle of the Books book, New Kid by Jerry Craft. This one is a bit different than the other books I’ve reviewed on the podcast.

Instead of being a novel, which I usually read, this is a graphic novel! Or a comic book if that’s what you want to call it. I hope everyone enjoys this week’s episode, and here we go!

The Book Review Podcast

The graphic novel by Jerry Craft is a story about our protagonist, Jordan Banks, and his journey through seventh grade. He originally wanted to go to an art school because that’s what Jordan is passionate about: Art!

He loves sketching and drawing and doing art-related stuff. Unfortunately for him, his mother has different ideas for him. Jordan’s mom wants him to attend this new school that is all about academics, Riverdale Academy Day School.

Even though Jordan isn’t the happiest about the decision, he has to go anyway. Jordan has to “survive” seventh grade being the new kid.

The story teaches the readings about stereotypes; for example, an incident happens with one of Jordan’s new friends, Drew and secret Santa.

But I’ll let you read about that. We follow Jordan as he meets new friends, some exciting challenges, and realizes the importance of not judging a book by its cover.

Author Praise

Jerry Craft makes this story so animated, not literally, but it looks enjoyable! It’s very fun to read and relate to Jordan because I’ve been in a situation where I was the new kid.

Also, the moral or the message Jerry is trying to give is very important for readers to understand, and I give him kudos for that!

Basic Facts

• The book is 256 pages long
• There are 14 chapters, though there is no table of contents
• This book was the first and only, at the moment, graphics novel to win a John Newberry Award! Isn’t that crazy?
• The author is Jerry Craft
• The publishing brand is Harper Collins

What is My Rating?

If I had to rate this book out of five, it would be a solid 5. I really like the message and the characters Jerry makes in try story. It’s funny and super enjoyable to read.

The art is lively and super colorful. It’s overall a great story to read about and learn from. I really enjoyed this book. And that’s why I’m giving it a 5-star rating!

Would I Recommend?

If I had to recommend this book, I would be happy to! It’s a quick read, for me, and j think it’s worth it to read.

As I’ve mentioned, it’s funny, relatable, lively, and can teach a great lesson! Totally recommend a lot of my friends who are interested in books because it’s a great read.

Highlights Segment

Time for the highlights time! There actually won’t be any spoilers this time so go ahead and enjoy spoiler free!

• I overall really enjoyed how Jerry added little segments where Jordan would sketch out a page where Jordan would be explaining things, for example, the handshake, the dude pyramid, and so much more!
• The humor is super great in this book and I love it so much. It really addresses the problem of stereotypes in a fun and enjoyable way for people to really understand it. Especially from Jordan’s point of view as a person of color.
• I love the friendship Drew and Jordan have, they have a lot in common and can relate to one another which shows that even when you don’t think you fit in, there’s someone that can make you feel better.

Character Thoughts

Finally, character thoughts! My favorite! As you may have heard, this books main topic is about stereotypes and judging people by there looks. Along with bullying.

So we have a variety of characters in this book that do different things. We can tell Andy is that kind of bully that jokes around and thinks that he’s being funny, but is really hurting people’s feelings.

At the moment, I can’t really give a character that is my least favorite, (yes, Andy is mean but not my least favorite) but I can say that Jordan is a great character.

He has flaws, yes, but he has some great personality traits that are important for a realistic character.

Also, little honorable mention for Alexandra because she did play a good role in the book.

Thank You For Listening!

I hope you enjoyed. This graphic novel was great to review in this week’s episode! So, I hope you take the time to check it out. Alrighty, here’s the end of our episode!

About Jerry Craft

JERRY CRAFT is an author and illustrator. New Kid is his middle grade graphic novel that has earned five starred reviews, including one from Booklist magazine, which called it “possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.” Kirkus Reviews called it “an engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America.”He is the creator of Mama’s Boyz, a comic strip that was distributed by King Features Syndicate from 1995-2013, and won five African American Literary Awards. Jerry is a co-founder of the Schomburg’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He was born in Harlem and grew up in nearby Washington Heights. He is a graduate of The Fieldston School and received his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts.

OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

Ashlee Kelsen

Recent Content

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Book Review

Hello everyone! I have just recently finished this book, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabstein, and I'm super excited to talk about it! It's a very different book from others...

The Titan’s Curse Book Review

Hello everyone! Today, I wanted to continue the Percy Jackson and the Olympians reviewing series, in celebration that Percy Jackson is coming to Disney plus! This is really exciting because we...

Down The Hobbit Hole Blog

New Kid Review with Discussion Questions

New Kid review by the Hobbit. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.

Know Before You Read the Book New Kid:

• New Kid Review**Spoilers Beyond this Point**

New Kid Discussion Questions:

New kid faith moments:.

Book : New Kid (find our review of the sequel Class Act HERE !) Author and Illustrator : Jerry Craft (Color by Callahan) Pages : 249 Published : 2019 Age Suggestion : 8+ Warnings : None Quick Summary : Jordan’s parents have enrolled him at a prep school known for its academics. He would really have preferred art school – but instead he leaves his neighborhood school behind to begin seventh grade. He has a lot to navigate – all of the normal problems of middle school, finding new friends, bullying, pressure to do well. On top of all of this Jordan is one of only a few kids of color at the school. Will Jordan be able to handle all of the problems that come with being the new kid?

New Kid Review **Spoilers Beyond this Point**

Accolades first. This is the first graphic novel to win the prestigious Newbery, and it is well deserved. I believe almost all kids will be able to relate to Jordan and it will bring back memories for a lot of adults. I think I first knew this on page 8, when Jordan goes over his dad’s rules for shaking hands ( “the firmer the grip, the more people will respect you” is one). Craft is clever with the chapter titles, making references to books and movies such as the chapter in the school cafeteria being called “The Hungry Games”.

The book explores a number of themes well, and I believe that it accurately represents how kids feel at this stage in their life. There are a number of good books that address this crucial time in kid’s lives and this is one of them (another one other is All’s Faire in Middle School ). New Kid explores, in particular, the stress that comes at this age from the different economic backgrounds that kids come from. And not only does Jordan have all of the normal stresses that accompany middle school, he is one of the few kids of color at his new school. He is dealing with how that works, with old friends and with new ones. This is all resolved with lots of space for discussion. The artwork is impressive, there are many humorous moments, and the book  should appeal to a variety of ages.

• Which character in the book do you identify with the most? Why?
• Have you ever struggled to fit in? How were your experiences like Jordan’s and not like Jordan’s?
• If you had to choose between a sport and being in a school musical which would you choose? Why?
• How does Jordan handle the impacts of race on his friendships?
• How do you handle having a new kid at your school?
• Which of the many pressures that Jordan faced can you most relate to?

Family is a high priority for Jordan and his parents.  The book shows  his parents struggling with making the decisions on school because they truly want what is best for Jordan. Although there are no specific mentions of faith, Jordan and his parents operate in the type of love for each other that is a good example for all families.

If you liked our New Kid review, check out our other graphic novel reviews:

*Our New Kid sequel Class Act review with discussion questions!

– Lord of the Fleas – Fetch 22 –For Whom th e Ball Rolls –Brawl of the Wild –Unicorn Rescue Society

Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and this New Kid review post use affiliate links, we only link products we think you’ll like and you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Find our other  reviews  with discussion questions here. Our posts about  faith  here. And our posts about  family  stuff here.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Banned and Challenged: Restricting access to books in the U.S.

Banned books: author jerry craft on telling stories all kids can identify with.

Pilar Galvan

Reena Advani

This discussion with Jerry Craft is part of a series of interviews with — and essays by — authors who are finding their books being challenged and banned in the U.S.

Cartoonist and children's book author Jerry Craft published the Newbery award-winning graphic novel New Kid in 2019 . New Kid also won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Kirkus Prize.

Craft followed the book with Class Act in 2020 and, coming in April 2023, School Trip. His novels focus on portraying the experiences of kids of color. Craft's work allows kids to see themselves in stories, provoking inspiration and giving voice to diverse experiences.

New Kid focuses on the experience of being Black and the "new kid" at a predominantly white school. It follows Jordan, a seventh grader and aspiring artist from Washington Heights, New York. Jordan's parents send him to a private school to invest in his academic future. As he navigates the differing environments in his neighborhood and his new school, he attempts to stay true to himself.

The book has been challenged in some school districts including in Texas and Pennsylvania, citing the teaching of critical race theory.

The interview below has been edited for length and clarity.

Interview highlights

On capturing reality

In my opinion, a lot of the books with African American protagonists ... there's this really big thing that happens — a life changing event, catastrophic, death or police or someone goes to jail or drugs — and I didn't want to show that. So there is no catastrophe in New Kid , but it's just kind of the day-to-day code switching you get so used to at an early age. My dad lived in the time where they had white drinking fountains and Black drinking fountains. So, I'm only one generation removed from that. He didn't expect anything... So when you think of the things that our ancestors had to deal with and even stuff that my dad [dealt with], having someone call you the wrong name or touch your hair — it's not catastrophic by nature. It's annoying. I really did want to have a book where you could read it and relax and just kind of subtly point out things that we can all do to improve how these kids grow up.

On inspiring Black kids by depicting positive new narratives

You're trained in a lot of ways to be a second class citizen. Even taking my sons to the movies, whereas their white counterparts — if they wanted to see someone that looked like them — their parents took them to see Harry Potter and, you know, Percy Jackson. Our version was 12 Years a Slave and Harriet Tubman ... There just aren't a lot of happy stories. Even when I was a kid, the show Good Times was very popular. But for a show called "good times," they never really had any good times.

... I have a teacher who emailed me [about how] all the kids were going around saying what they wanted to do when they grow up [and] a Black kid in class goes, "Well, if I live to be 18, I hope to... " So, I wanted to have a book where there is hope. In School Trip , which comes out in April, the kids go to Paris. And I'm already reading some early reviews [about how people] love the book...but occasionally someone will go "well I don't think the kids will be able to relate going to Paris... But [a] kid could relate to being a wizard like Harry Potter or going into space or going back in time or any of the other fantasy things. But a Black kid won't be able to relate to going to another country... If I wrote about a dystopian future where a 13-year-old white kid saves the world single handedly, that's relatable?

Book News & Features

'the undefeated' wins caldecott medal, while 'new kid' picks up newbery.

These 3 Books Are Perfect For Your Back-To-Middle-Schooler

It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

What people miss in the conversation about banned books.

So, when I do new kid in class, not only am I doing this for kids to show that they do have hope and futures — but I also want to point out to parents and some of the teachers and librarians who put these emotional and mental shackles on their kids [thinking] 'I'm not even going to give them this book because [they'll] never be able to relate to going to Paris.' ...Why can't a kid have those kinds of aspirations where one day they're like, 'Oh, wow, I'd like to go there like Jordan Banks did' as opposed to, 'Hey, here's another gang book.' So what? I can relate to that, I can relate to being in a gang. I can relate to being enslaved... but it's such a discrepancy. ...They give them all these hard stories and then they forget that they're kids.

On representation in children and young adult books

When I do these [school visits] on zoom or in person, it's about me being a very reluctant reader. I hated reading books as a kid because — who were my heroes? The Black kid in Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn? There was no kid who looked like me that I was proud of. It was Black Panther ... which came out, what, five years ago, that was the first time where I had goosebumps. That and Into the Spider-verse . I felt like I was 10 years old. What I would have given to have something like that when I was ten.

But one of the big problems that I have is... [people saying], 'oh, well... you're making white kids feel bad.' A lot of these books — especially historical books — you'll have a book like Ruby Bridges, or stories where these 8-year-old kids are single-handedly integrating the school systems and there are people throwing stuff or cursing: So, those kids can handle that — but your little kid can't handle reading about that because it makes them feel bad? And I think most times kids empathize with the main characters. I don't think that kids ever empathize with the bullies. And if they do, I don't think that you're doing your job as a parent properly. Because when I read a graphic novel like El Deafo by Cece Bell, which is amazing, or Hey, Kiddo, Jarrett J. Krosoczka's book — these are all kids who are teased because they're different. And again, if you raise your kid to not be able to have empathy for the one who's the target of the bullies ... I have white kids dressing up like Jordan Banks and Drew for Halloween. It's one of their favorite characters, kids don't emulate the bad guys. And if they do, like I said, you might have missed a couple of parenting sessions that you probably should put in.

On who decides what is appropriate reading

I'm a parent... I do think that, as a parent, you have every right to decide what your kid can and cannot read... But you don't have the right to tell me what my kid can read. Because a lot of time kids will find themselves in books. They may not even be able to have [certain] discussions at home. I don't know what it's like at 12 years old to realize that I'm gay and I want to come out to my parents who are going to hate me and disown me because of that. But there are books with those characters that kids can find out that they're not the only ones.

Claire Murashima produced the broadcast version of this story. Meghan Collins Sullivan edited this story for the web.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

How to Prepare Your Kids for School After a Summer of Screen Time

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Multicultural Books

YouTube Channels with Diverse Representations

Podcasts with Diverse Characters and Stories

New kid, book 1.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 102 Reviews
• Kids Say 11 Reviews

Based on 11 kid reviews

Kid Reviews

This title has:

• Great messages

Report this review

• Educational value
• Great role models

One of the best books I will ever read

It's pretty nice, stellar book with good message, shows a lot of what people go through, great book, 15 out of 10, great book, what to read next.

American Born Chinese

Be Prepared

Graphic novels and memoirs, books to help your kid survive middle school, related topics.

• Middle School
• Music and Sing-Along

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Oct 30, 2021

Book Review: New Kid

Image courtesy of JerryCraft.com - full reference included in Citations section.

Genre / Category:

Fiction > Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Age Rating:

Middle Grades (3rd – 7th grade)

Twelve-year-old Jordan Banks finds himself in a new and very different world when he enrolls in the Riverdale Academy Day School, the best private school in the state. While adjusting to his new environment, Jordan meets new friends, navigates the social pitfalls of middle school, and grapples with integrating the elements of his “old” and “new” lives.

Justification:

I chose New Kid as my Coretta Scott King award-winning selection, although that is far from the only prize awarded to this novel. New Kid was also named the 2020 Kirkus Prize Winner and received the 2020 Newbery Medal – becoming the first graphic novel to do so.

Evaluation:

When I originally chose the books I planned to read in this course, I thought Eleanor & Park would be my only banned / challenged book selection. On October 6, 2021, I was surprised to read that New Kid had been challenged by a parent in Katy ISD for, according to the parent, teaching “critical race theory” (Li, 2021, para 1). Although the book was reviewed and reinstated by the district a week later, the experience is strangely apropos for the subject of the book itself. Through his use of dynamic art, a familiar plot, and uniquely believable characters, author Jerry Craft tells a story that is as beautiful and authentic as it is distressing to the conservative reaches of the Houston suburbs.

Although I am an admitted lover of words, I do not think that New Kid would have been as emotionally impactful as a text-only novel. The story panels burst with expressive, active imagery – the characters are full of movement and emotion that highlights and heightens the accompanying text. When one particular event early in the protagonist’s, Jordan’s, experience at Riverdale Academy Day School (RAD) makes him feel vulnerable and small, Craft shows him as a mouse, tiny and exposed in a world of giant feet. The text identifies the social misstep and Jordan’s response to it, while the image immediately gives the reader that flash of hot shame that results from such situations in real life. A variety of Jordan’s sketches are interspersed with the story panels, adding levity at strategic moments throughout the tale, while also deepening the audience’s understanding of his personality. The artistic style is clean and simple, and uses distinct styles and color for the storytelling panels versus Jordan’s sketches, thus giving each their own individual voice. In these ways, each graphic, panel, color, and artistic choice tells the story in progress in an amplified and enriching way.

The plot of New Kid is a classic school year, coming-of-age story where the protagonist, Jordan, learns to orient himself in a decidedly off-putting environment – the nearly all-white private school that his mother chose for him to attend in lieu of art school. Jordan faces the familiar pitfalls of being the titular new kid in this environment – learning where in the cafeteria is off-limits to him as a first-year student, managing to find his way to class on a gigantic campus, and meeting his teachers and classmates. The familiarity of this plotline does not take away its narrative impact. In fact, because the situation is so familiar and relatable, Craft is able to use it to highlight the ways in which Jordan’s experience is distinct from other protagonists of the classic school story, and this conflict adds to the narrative tension. As one of only a few non-White students at Riverdale Academy Day School (RAD), Jordan experiences, and in turn allows the reader to experience, all the milestones of a school year with an additional lens: Craft overlays microaggressions, codeswitching, and navigating cross-racial and socioeconomic friendships on to the classic middle school experience.

The characters in New Kid are, for me, the instruments of what makes the plot really work. Rich and varied, each contains nuanced shades of depth that I was not expecting in a middle grades graphic novel. The protagonist, Jordan, is a creative artist who, though he never says the word, illustrates the concept of codeswitching in the clearest way that I have ever seen it presented as he transforms himself – hoodie and sunglasses on, to just hoodie, to no hoodie, to no hoodie and no drawing or pencils out - over a series of subway stops as he moves from his home in Washington Heights to the decidedly posh enclave that is the home of the RAD campus. Friends Maury, Drew, Liam, Alexandra, and class bully Andy are also multi-dimensional and original, and who, while they play the roles of archetypal characters in a school-coming-of-age story, do not fall into the classic backstory of those archetypes. Jordan is a smart kid from an average middle-class family with two working parents. Liam is a rich kid who misses his dad and prefers playing Xbox with his friends to going on lavish vacations. Drew receives financial assistance and lives with his grandmother, and is the best student in the school in math. Even school bully Andy does not have the usual abuse and broken family dynamic of the classic school bully – although his living the consequences of his microaggressions and general buffoonery render him almost likeable by the book’s end, though credit for that is due to Craft’s excellent characterization of Jordan, who is a genuinely kind kid and the only RAD student who signs Andy’s yearbook. All these examples are to say that although classic themes of race and class are present, and the kids certainly exist in those contexts, they do not provide the central conflict within each relationship – this is not a simple rich versus poor or black versus white story, it’s a much more complicated and realistic one. This story is ultimately about a group of kids learning to work and play together within the system in which they find themselves.

And the system in which they find themselves is Craft’s masterwork. He does a phenomenal job of capturing all the disparate elements of Middle School, from the weird teacher who ends up inspiring Jordan by the tale’s end, the principal who cannot seem to remember that the math teacher is an altogether different man than the school’s former coach, and, most importantly, the insidious ways in which adults in authority can become the tools of institutional racism. This is nowhere more embodied than in Jordan’s homeroom teacher, who consistently calls Drew “Deandre,” clarifying that Deandre was a trouble student, regularly reminds her students of color that financial assistance is available when costs beyond admission are discussed (even if they do not need or qualify for it), and, after finding and looking through Jordan’s sketchbook without asking, tells Jordan that he seems like an angry boy, when he should be grateful for the opportunity represented by attending the RAD School. I can only speculate that it was this portrayal of what is reality for so many students across America that caused the Katy ISD parent to submit her challenge of New Kid to the school board, in some misguided view that Craft was artificially casting the novel’s white teachers as implements of oppression, rather than attempting to accurately capture the lived experiences of students of color, including himself and his children. I do not have the same problem of doubting someone’s recollection of their own experience, but I can add my own as a defense of Craft’s work. As someone who has spent the last 10 years working in public school human resources, I can say that events like those included in Craft’s portrayal match many of the investigations and disciplinary meetings that I have been involved in during the past decade. Happily, it seems the reviewers of the Katy ISD school board agree.

I think that New Kid is a deserving recipient of all the honors it has won, as it is that rare and special combination of good as a story and good as a life lesson . Through his expressive art, timeless plot, and full-bodied characters, author Jerry Craft deftly weaves a coming-of-age story with heart – and the best and most fully-developed characters that I have met thus far in my reading. I recommend it highly to all middle-grade and up readers – and I hope the publicity from the backlash it has received inspires everyone to read it for themselves!

Craft, J. (2019). New kid . Harper Collins.

Craft, J. (2019). New kid by Jerry Craft . Jerry Craft. https://jerrycraft.com/books/new-kid/

Li, D. K. (2021). Texas school district pulls books by acclaimed black author amid critical race theory claims. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-school-district-pulls-books-acclaimed-children-s-author-n1280956

Recent Posts

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches

Book Review: Educated

Book Review: Eleanor & Park

click here to read it now

Read this week's magazine

New and Noteworthy Children's and YA Books: August 2024

Young readers can keep the summer fun coming this month with exciting new releases , including a picture book lesson about apologies, a haunting picture book about the search for a fitting godfather, a YA thriller set in the Paris catacombs, and more.

Picture Books and Early Readers

Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars

Jonathan Roth. Little, Brown/Ottaviano, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-3165-2554-1. Ages 5–9. The unassuming roll of unbleached muslin for sale in 1903 at a store in Dayton, Ohio, might have been turned into ladies’ underwear. But the Wright brothers saw something more in it: a fabric ideal for covering the wings of the world’s first airplane. After sitting in storage and being displayed in a museum, a swatch of this cloth again and again soars into history. The book received a starred review from PW .

Before the Ships: The Birth of Black Excellence

Maisha Oso, illus. by Candice Bradley. Orchard, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-338-84997-4. Ages 4–8. In an insightful picture book, Oso offers an empowering portrait of African peoples before the slave ships. It’s an affirming history that connects readers to ancestors while underlining how “Black lives have always mattered.” The book received a starred review from PW .

The Boy and the Elephant

Freya Blackwood. Random House Studio, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-70766-1. Ages 4–8. After school, a child takes two bowls out to a cramped patch of trees next door to their home, where they greet a friend: a stand of interwoven trees that make up the figure of an elephant. The book received a starred review from PW .

Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos

Nathalie Alonso, illus. by Rudy Gutierrez. Calkins Creek, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-6359-2811-2. In this stirring biography of Puerto Rican baseball player Clemente (1934–1972), Alonso celebrates the athlete’s contributions to baseball and human rights. Ages 7–10.

Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story

Traci Sorell, illus. by Joseph Erb. Charlesbridge, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62354-193-4. Ages 4–7. Haunted by missing the final shot in a previous game of stickball, Cherokee player Vann works together with their team to win a game. In English and Tsalagi, the game progresses as the coach encourages the team to “work together—gadugi—an important Cherokee value.” The book received a starred review from PW .

The Dictionary Story

Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. Candlewick, $18.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-5362-3550-0. Ages 3–7. Prior collaborators Jeffers and Winston craft a quick-moving tale about a dictionary, “never quite sure of herself” among other books’ clear arcs. The book received a starred review from PW .

Evidence! How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera

Deborah Hopkinson, illus. by Nik Henderson. Knopf, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5934-2681-4. Ages 4–8. Hopkinson and Henderson immerse readers in a close city neighborhood where deadly cholera has broken out and follow Dr. John Snow as he investigates the cause. The book received a starred review from PW .

Mo Yan, adapted by Guan Xiaoxiao, trans. from the Chinese by Ying-Hwa Hu, illus. by Zhu Chengliang. Simon & Schuster, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-66593-062-8. Ages 4–8. At seven years old, a child goes for the first time to collect satintail grass with their grandfather, Yeye, in this picture book debut from Nobel laureate Mo Yan, adapted from a short story of the same name. The book received a starred review from PW .

Godfather Death

Sally Nicholls, illus. by Júlia Sardà. Viking, $19.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-593-69210-3. Ages 4–8. Nicholls pens a haunting story about a poor fisherman searching for an honest man to serve as godfather of his newborn son. The book received a starred review from PW .

I’m Sorry You Got Mad

Kyle Lukoff, illus. by Julie Kwon. Dial, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-46291-1. Ages 3–7. In this witty epistolary classroom drama, a student struggles to apologize to a classmate about a knocked-over block castle. The book received a starred review from PW .

Noodles on a Bicycle

Kyo Maclear, illus. by Gracey Zhang. Random House Studio, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-70608-4. Ages 4–8. Zhang and Maclear capture the casual grace of Japan’s demae—cycling food deliverers—who, from the 1930s to the 1970s, balanced stacked trays loaded with “ceramic soup bowls and wooden soba boxes” on one shoulder while piloting their bicycle with the other hand. See our roundup of more bike-themed books for young readers . The book received a starred review from PW .

One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story

Ruth Spiro, illus. by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. Dial, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-3991-8631-8. Ages 4–8. After a playground in a busy metropolitan neighborhood has fallen into disrepair, a child mobilizes their community to fix it. The book received a starred review from PW .

The Ship in the Window

Travis Jonker, illus. by Matthew Cordell. Viking, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-35057-7. Ages 3–7. Jonker introduces a man, a boy, and a mouse who live together on a ship with hopes of being captain one day.

Show Up and Vote

Ani DiFranco, illus. by Rachelle Baker. Rise x Penguin Workshop, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-5933-8377-3. Though a child is reluctant to head out to the polls on a rainy November day, their mother encourages them to come along to see voting in action, in this picture book from musician and activist DiFranco. Ages 3–6.

Sometimes We Fall

Randall de Sève, illus. by Kate Gardiner. Random House Studio, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5936-4549-9. Ages 4–8. A young bear literally looks up to its mother in this reassuring picture book about learning to take risks. The book received a starred review from PW .

Somewhere for Little Bear

Britta Teckentrup. Crocodile, $18.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-62371-683-7. Ages up to 5. After Little Bear flees for his life from a forest fire, he must bravely search for a new place to call home. The book received a starred review from PW .

Ashley Fairbanks, illus. by Bridget George. Crown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-59-365144-5. Ages 4–8. With a title that echoes a song long protested as erasing Indigenous history, this work—part of the Race to the Truth series—aptly communicates the issue of land acknowledgments. The book received a starred review from PW .

We Are Definitely Human

X. Fang. Tundra, $18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-7748-8202-3. Ages 4–8. When their flying saucer crash-lands near Mr. and Mrs. Li’s rural home at midnight, a trio of aliens tries their darndest to convince the couple that “we are DEFINITELY human.” The book received a starred review from PW .

What Is Color? The Global and Sometimes Gross Story of Pigments, Paint, and the Wondrous World of Art

Steven Weinberg. Roaring Brook, $19.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-2508-3341-9. Ages 6–10. Using an effusive cartoon version of himself as a guide, Weinberg joins forces with dog Waldo to lead readers along a delightfully meandering journey that gives new meaning to “color commentary.” The book received a starred review from PW .

The Zebra’s Great Escape

Katherine Rundell, illus. by Sara Ogilvie. Simon & Schuster, $19.99 (64p) ISBN 978-1-4814-9163-1. Ages 5–9. Mink, a headstrong city-dwelling child, encounters a baby zebra named Gabriel and the two work together to find the mustachioed villain who has captured Gabriel’s parents. The book received a starred review from PW .

Middle Grade

How It All Ends

Emma Hunsinger. Greenwillow, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-315815-3. Ages 8 and up. Thirteen-year-old Tara Gimmel is promoted straight to high school and is faced with a new, terrifying reality she doesn’t feel prepared for. See our q&a with Hunsinger . The book received a starred review from PW .

Island of Whispers

Frances Hardinge, illus. by Emily Gravett. Amulet, $19.99 (120p) ISBN 978-1-4197-7433-1. Ages 10–14. Fourteen-year-old Milo sails a ship of souls to the realm of the dead in this elegiac fantasy from Hardinge. The book received a starred review from PW .

Carnival Chaos (Moko Magic #1)

Tracey Baptiste. Freedom Fire, $17.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-368-07437-7. Ages 8–12. Cousins Misty, Aiden, and Brooke come together to save the Caribbean Day Parade from dark forces in this series opener from Baptiste. The book received a starred review from PW .

Not Nothing

Gayle Forman. Aladdin, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-665943-27-7. Ages 10 and up. Twelve-year-old Alex avoids juvenile detention by spending the summer working at Shady Glen Retirement Home, where he meets and bonds with 107-year-old Josey Kravitz, a Polish Holocaust survivor. See our inside look at the making of the novel . The book received a starred review from PW .

The Outsmarters

Deborah Ellis. Groundwood, $18.99 (248p) ISBN 978-1-77306-857-2. Ages 10–13. Tween Kate lives with her Gran while awaiting her mother who has left her, and struggles with managing her anger and destructive behavior. See our q&a with Ellis . The book received a starred review from PW .

Sherri L. Smith, illus. by Christine Norrie. Graphix, $24.99 (144p) ISBN 978-1-338-02943-7; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-1-338-02942-0. Ages 10–14. A Japanese American 13-year-old questions her identity and loyalties when the two countries go to war in this emotional and riveting story of perseverance. The book received a starred review from PW .

The Secret Dead Club

Karen Strong. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (240p) ISBN 978-1-6659-0450-6. Ages 8–12. A Black tween with a supernatural gift determines to banish a terrifying specter from her new town in this American South–set horror novel. The book received a starred review from PW .

We Are Big Time

Hena Khan, illus. by Safiya Zerrougui. Knopf, $21.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-5934-3048-4. Ages 8–12. High school freshman Aliya Javaid joins the basketball team at her new Islamic school. But when the media take notice of their uniforms instead of their skills, the team endeavors to take control of the narrative. The book received a starred review from PW .

Young Adult

Ash’s Cabin

Jen Wang. First Second, $25.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-75405-9; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-1-250-75406-6. Nonbinary teen Ash seeks out a hidden cabin their grandfather built so they can make a life for themselves but discovers that a life alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Ages 14 and up. The book received a starred review from PW .

Better Left Buried

Mary E. Roach. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-36809-840-3. Ages 12 and up. Gay 16-year-old Lucille Preston and her mother become embroiled with tycoon family Anselms when they uncover a dead member of the family. The book received a starred review from PW .

Bridge Across the Sky

Freeman Ng. Atheneum, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-6659-4859-3. Ages 14 and up. A teenage immigrant faces the ramifications of the Chinese Exclusion Act in this vivid verse novel inspired by the anonymous poems of Chinese detainees found at Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco. The book received a starred review from PW .

The Dark We Know

Wen-Yi Lee. Zando/Flynn, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-63893-058-7. Ages 14 and up. Bisexual art student Isadora Chang returns to the old mining town of Slater where the disappearance of an old classmate leads to revelations about the death of her two childhood best friends. The book received a starred review from PW .

Death at Morning House

Maureen Johnson. HarperTeen, $19.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-325595-1. Ages 14 and up. Gay teen Marlowe starts working at infamous mansion Morning House. When the historian in charge disappears soon after Marlowe’s arrival, she senses deadly secrets afoot and fears she may be the next victim. See our q&a with Johnson . The book received a starred review from PW .

Everything We Never Had

Randy Ribay. Kokila, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-46141-9. Ages 12 and up. Ribay examines masculinity and familial trauma via four generations of Filipino teens’ alternating perspectives in this emotionally resonant tale. See our feature on children’s books portraying immigrant experiences . The book received a starred review from PW .

Jennifer Dugan, illus. by Kit Seaton. Putnam, $24.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-5935-2984-3; $17.99 paper ISBN 978-0-593-52985-0. Upon hearing rumor of a group of hunters with the ability to make werewolves human, teen wolf Tessa risks her life, and the safety of her family and friends, to learn more. Ages 12 and up.

Bessie Flores Zaldívar. Dial, $19.99 (432p) ISBN 978-0-59369-612-5. Ages 14 and up. In this powerful debut, Zaldívar recreates the tumultuous world of 2017 Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and the societal climate’s effects on 18-year-old Libi Morazán and her family. The book received a starred review from PW .

Love Requires Chocolate (Love in Translation #1)

Ravynn K. Stringfield. Joy Revolution, $12.99 paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-593-57154-5. Ages 12 and up. Debut author Stringfield cooks up a decadent romance between an ambitious Black American drama student and the pragmatic son of a Parisian chocolatier. The book received a starred review from PW .

Medici Heist

Caitlin Schneiderhan. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $20.99 (432p) ISBN 978-1-250-90718-9. Young con artist Rosa enlists the help of Michelangelo to rob a corrupt pope in Schneiderhan’s riveting debut heist tale from Stranger Things writer Schneiderhan. Ages 13 and up. See our q&a.

Mysterious Ways

Wendy Wunder. Wednesday, $20 (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-77020-2. Ages 13 and up. Maya has the ability to read minds, and while she’s at Whispering Pines Psychiatric Hospital, she considers how her power gives insight into others but not herself. The book received a starred review from PW .

Our Beautiful Darkness

Ondjaki, trans. from the Portuguese by Lyn Miller-Lachmann, illus. by António Jorge Gonçalves. Unruly, $16.95 (126p) ISBN 978-1-59270-410-1. Ages 12 and up. Two teenage paramours navigate a metropolitan blackout’s full duration in this arresting graphic novel by Angola author Ondjaki, illustrated by Portuguese creator Gonçalves. The book received a starred review from PW .

Our Shouts Echo

Jade Adia. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 (416p) ISBN 978-1-3680-9011-7. Ages 12 and up. Doomsday prepper and self-proclaimed weird kid Niarah is forced to join a hiking group to earn her PE credits where she encounters Mac, who she begins to develop feelings for. The book received a starred review from PW .

Ellen Hopkins. Penguin/Paulsen, $20.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-5934-6324-6. Ages 14 and up. Seventeen-year-old twins Lake and Storm are separated from each other in the foster care system and struggle to find their way back to one another.

This Ravenous Fate

Hayley Dennings. Sourcebooks Fire, $18.99 (480p) ISBN 978-1-7282-9786-6. Ages 14 and up. Two Black girls’ destinies are intertwined in this bewitching novel in which once-human vampires called reapers are taking over 1926 Harlem. See our q&a with Dennings . The book received a starred review from PW .

Under the Surface

Diana Urban. Putnam, $19.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-593625-08-8. Ages 14 and up. Urban follows four teens who find themselves fighting for their lives in the catacombs of Paris while on a class trip abroad. See Urban’s essay on “Why YA Readers Love Murder.” The book received a starred review from PW .

With Love, Echo Park

Laura Taylor Namey. Atheneum, $19.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-6659-1536-6. Ages 12 and up. Clary Delgado is shocked to discover that she has a half-sister and distracts herself with a quest to obtain historic recognition for La Rosa Blanca and Avalos Bicycle Works, the last two Cuban-owned businesses her L.A. neighborhood. The book received a starred review from PW .

• You are a subscriber but you have not yet set up your account for premium online access. Contact customer service (see details below) to add your preferred email address and password to your account.
• You forgot your password and you need to retrieve it. Click here to retrieve reset your password.
• Your company has a site license, use our easy login. Enter your work email address in the Site License Portal.

• ADMIN AREA MY BOOKSHELF MY DASHBOARD MY PROFILE SIGN OUT SIGN IN

THE NEW KID

From the alien next door series , vol. 1.

by A.I. Newton ; illustrated by Anjan Sarkar ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2018

This series spin on the alien-next-door trope gets off to a slow start.

Second-grader Harris Walker’s sure something’s odd about the new kid at school, whose family has just moved in next door.

Harris has seen Zeke do impossible things, but no one else has. Meanwhile, Zeke, or Zekelabraxis, is unhappy to be starting over in a new school on a new planet. Due to his scientist parents’ research, the family moves around a lot, and Zeke misses everything about his home, Tragas. It’s hard making friends while hiding your true self. Harris’ best friend, Roxy Martinez, feels sorry for Zeke and includes him when she can, urging Harris to do the same. After a successful play day at Harris’ house, Harris is ready to be friends with Zeke…but not ready to give up trying to prove Zeke’s not of this world. Newton’s first in a series of easy chapter books is largely occupied by setup, simply establishing characters and relationships with very little plot. Mild humor is found in Zeke’s attempts to conceal his true nature, but the alternating third-person focus between Harris and Zeke blunts much of its potential. Human diversity is signaled (Harris may be black; Roxy is evidently Latina) but not explored; in his human form, Zeke appears to be white, though he’s actually fairly squidlike. Sarkar’s cartoon illustrations on every page pair well enough with the text. (Final art not seen.)

Pub Date: March 6, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4998-0559-8

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Little Bee Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

Share your opinion of this book

SNOW PLACE LIKE HOME

From the diary of an ice princess series.

by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Barbara Szepesi Szucs ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.

Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.

The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.

Pub Date: June 25, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

More by Erika Lee

BOOK REVIEW

by Erika Lee & Christina Soontornvat

by Sarah Mlynowski & Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Maxine Vee

by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Kevin Hong

CAPTAIN AWESOME TO THE RESCUE!

From the captain awesome series , vol. 1.

by Stan Kirby & illustrated by George O'Connor ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2012

As Captain Awesome would say, this kid is “MI-TEE!” (Fiction. 5-8)

The town of Sunnyview got a little bit safer when 8-year-old Eugene McGillicudy moved in.

Just like his comic-book mentor, Super Dude, Eugene, aka Captain Awesome, is on a one-man mission is to save the world from supervillains, like the nefarious “Queen Stinkypants from Planet Baby.” Just as Eugene suspected, plenty of new supervillains await him at Sunnyview Elementary. Are Meredith Mooney and the mind-reading Ms. Beasley secretly working together to try and force Eugene to reveal his secret identity? Will Principal Brick Foot succeed in throwing Captain Awesome into the “Dungeon of Detention?” Fortunately, Eugene isn’t forced to go it alone. Charlie Thomas Jones, fellow comic-book lover and Super Dude fan, stands ready and willing to help. When the class hamster goes missing, Captain Awesome must don his cape and, with the help of his new best friend, ride to the rescue. Kirby’s funny and engaging third-person narration and O’Connor’s hilarious illustrations make the book easily accessible and enormously appealing, particularly to readers who have recently graduated to chapter books. But it is the quirky, mischievous Eugene that really makes this book special. His energy and humor are contagious, and his dogged commitment to his superhero alter ego is enough to make anyone a believer.  

Pub Date: April 3, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4424-4090-6

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

More In The Series

by Stan Kirby & illustrated by George O'Connor

More by Stan Kirby

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

Advertisement

Supported by

‘Alien: Romulus’ Review: Go Ahead, Scream (No One Can Hear You)

The seventh installment of the series centers on Rain (Cailee Spaeny), a contract worker in an outer-space mining colony, and her friend Andy (David Jonsson), an android.

• Share full article

By Manohla Dargis

Some movie sequels take a series in new directions, adding original ideas, new characters, different approaches and, at times, heft and myth. Other sequels are more like filler. They help plug the spaces between movies and keep the franchise’s brand in the public’s imagination, all while trying to make some cash. The newest “Alien” movie, “Alien: Romulus,” the seventh installment in this storied, apparently inexhaustible cycle of films, is perfectly adequate filler.

Since Ridley Scott’s “Alien” burst into gripping, gruesome life in 1979, the series has generated hits and misses, tankers of acidic slobber and a sizable body count. The franchise turned Sigourney Weaver into an icon and gave David Fincher his start as a film director. As the movies piled up, they also reminded you that the original “Alien” is a masterpiece and that even the lesser follow-ups that Scott directed, “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant,” have their virtues, among them striking visuals, filmmaking intelligence, a curiosity about the cosmos, and a twinned appreciation for the mystery of life and the inevitability of death.

“Alien: Romulus” is a nuts-and-bolts action-adventure horror story with boos and splatter. It doesn’t have much on its mind but it has some good jump scares along with a disappointingly bland heroine, a sympathetic android and the usual collection of disposable characters who are unduly killed by slavering, rampaging extraterrestrials. In series terms, the events in “Romulus” take place between those in “Alien” and those in the second film, “Aliens.” Written and directed by James Cameron, and crowded with big guns and bulging biceps, “Aliens” is largely notable for its swaggering action sequences that have become de rigueur in the series and for giving Weaver’s Ripley a muscular makeover while turning her into a surrogate mom.

Directed by Fede Álvarez (“ Don’t Breathe ”), who shares script credit with Rodo Sayagues, “Romulus” tells a familiar, half-baked story of adversity, gritty perseverance, quick thinking and a drag-down fight for survival. It centers on Rain (Cailee Spaeny), a 20-something contract worker in a grim outer-space mining colony. There, along with Andy (David Jonsson), a glitchy android that she loves and calls her brother, Rain yearns to leave the sunless planet and the punishing conditions that condemned both her parents to early deaths. She soon gets her chance when some other friends share that they’re planning an escape in an abandoned space station that has conveniently drifted above their planet.

Álvarez gets through this setup economically, and it isn’t long before Rain and company are creeping through the station’s eerily empty corridors, exploring its topsy-turvy rooms and pondering its not particularly mysterious mysteries. (Álvarez spends a lot of time showing off his sets, which are more engaging than the writing.) Spaeny, who played Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” is an appealing performer — her youth and slight frame deceptively suggest near-childlike vulnerability — and you’re on Rain’s side straightaway. What keeps you rooted there is largely a matter of film-going habit and franchise familiarity: She’s the heroine and Ripley’s symbolic heir, after all, and the monsters are coming.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Ryan's World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure

Ryan's twin sisters Emma and Kate get trapped in a comic book world. Ryan enters this realm to rescue them, facing adventures, battles, and mishaps while attempting to bring them back before... Read all Ryan's twin sisters Emma and Kate get trapped in a comic book world. Ryan enters this realm to rescue them, facing adventures, battles, and mishaps while attempting to bring them back before his parents discover their disappearance. Ryan's twin sisters Emma and Kate get trapped in a comic book world. Ryan enters this realm to rescue them, facing adventures, battles, and mishaps while attempting to bring them back before his parents discover their disappearance.

• Albie Hecht
• Rose Frankel
• Larry Herrera
• 8 User reviews
• 1 Critic review
• 1 nomination

Top cast 14

• Delivery Guy
• Ryan World Fan

• (as Jack Reid)
• Magician Dan Rhodes
• Combo Panda …

• Dark Titan …
• Ryan's World Fan
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Soundtracks Thunder Written by Imagine Dragons Performed by Pentatonix

User reviews 8

• Aug 16, 2024
• August 16, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Pocket.watch
• Sunlight Entertainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $10,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 23 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

New Kid: A Newbery Award Winner › Customer reviews

Customer reviews.

New Kid: A Newbery Award Winner

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the united states, there was a problem loading comments right now. please try again later..

• ← Previous page
• Next page →

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices