Hello everyone, I hope this new month is treating everyone well. Down here in New Zealand, the clocks have changed and our days are slightly longer. Summer is around the corner!! This next read is an inspirational graphic novel about a young African American boy and his adventures in a new school. If you remember your first day in a new one, then you, like me will surely relate with him. Have a read and find out…
Title: New Kid
Author: Jerry Craft with colour by Jim Callahan
Genre: Fiction – contemporary (Graphic Novel)
Publication details: HarperCollins; NY, 2019
ISBN: 9780062691200 (Hardcover) | 9780062691217 (ebook)
What this book is about: 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 have enrolled him in a private school known for its academics, where Jordan turns out to be one of the few kids of colour in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academic Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds – and not really fitting into either one. Middle school’s hard enough without all the unspoken rules and expectations that come with being the new kid! Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighbourhood friends and staying true to himself?
My review: What a delightful story this was!! Set in a private school environment with some awesome characters in Jordan, Liam, Drew and Alex, this really catapulted me into their school lives. I truly marvelled at the way Jerry Craft was able to create an authentic storyline telling about the lives of African American tweens such as Jordan and Drew. Every single panel has been executed to perfection for me!! What made me laugh the most were the cartoon stories Jordan draws exaggerating his own life’s experiences. Such an inspirational read highlighting these awesome tweens and their middle school adventures!! I look forward to any other books Jerry Craft writes in the future!!
My rating: 5 ⭐
Additional notes: I only recently found out that this title has won the Newbery Medal for this year, 2020!! What an amazing accomplishment!! Jerry Craft has also gone and won the coveted Coretta Scott King Book Award for Author this year as well!! Additional awards include the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers Literature in 2019 and a nomination for the Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade & Children’s Fiction in 2019.
