New Kid (2019)
About This Book
Seventh grader Jordan Banks dreams of attending art school but is instead sent to a prestigious private academy where he is one of the few kids of color, navigating a world of microaggressions, well-meaning but clueless classmates, and the exhausting work of code-switching between school and his Washington Heights neighborhood. Craft draws with sharp, expressive detail, using the visual medium to show what Jordan cannot always say out loud. The book is funny, smart, and painfully honest about what it feels like to be the only one in the room who looks like you.
Why It's a Classic
Jerry Craft became the first graphic novelist to win the Newbery Medal, and he did it with a book that does something most middle grade novels about race carefully avoid: it depicts everyday, mundane racism, the kind that is not dramatic enough for a Very Special Episode but grinds you down day after day. Craft uses the graphic novel format brilliantly, letting the art carry subtext that words alone cannot convey, such as a panel where Jordan imagines his classmates seeing him in a stereotypical way versus how he actually looks. The multiple friend groups and social dynamics in the book are drawn with the precision of someone who has observed these patterns firsthand, and Craft has spoken about basing many incidents on his own son's experiences at a similar school. The book avoids both the trap of making its white characters into villains and the equally harmful trap of suggesting that everything can be fixed with better communication, instead showing how systemic patterns persist even among well-intentioned people.
Fun Fact
Craft is a veteran cartoonist who created the comic strip "Mama's Boyz," which ran in syndication for years. He based many scenes in New Kid on real incidents from his sons' experiences at private schools in New York City. After winning the Newbery Medal, the book was challenged and banned in several school districts, which Craft has said proves exactly why the book is necessary.
Parent Note
The book depicts racial microaggressions and casual racism in school settings, drawn from real experiences, which may be validating for kids of color and eye-opening for others. There is no violence or inappropriate content. The humor keeps the tone accessible even when the subject matter is serious, making it an excellent conversation starter about race and belonging.
Quick Facts
- Year
- 2019
- Type
- 📚 Book
- Category
- Graphic Novels / Comics
- Age Group
- Tweens (Ages 11–13)