User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Gaps. Sometimes they’re all that I can see.
Imagine you have a brain that allows you to retain information in compartmentalized slots. You have chosen the field of “librarian” so this trait is useful in your day-to-day work. As you read children’s books over the course of a year, you categorize each one. You note similarities, differences, and books that don’t strike you as like anything else out there. And you continue to keep track year after year, building up your knowledge, tracking what you’ve seen.
Now I’ve been in the children’s librarianship business for quite a while. Along the way, I’ve identified the areas that I really prefer to read. Comics, for example, are great. I’m a big time fan. Better still, comics are seeing a real Renaissance lately. Publishers of every stripe are stepping up to the challenge, providing graphic literature for the hungry young masses. It’s an amazing time to be a comic reader or creator.
So tell me this. All those comics out there. All that time. All that energy. Why is it, then, that I cannot come up with a single comic out there for kids that stars a contemporary black boy who doesn’t have super powers? Oh, I can think of the superpowered comics of Miles Morales or the highly charming Sci-Fu. I can think of comics where the black kid is paired with someone else (Lost in NYC) or is part of a large group (“Cardboard Kingdom”). Honestly only one book comes to mind and that’s Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri and, let me tell you, even though he’s the title character, practically the first thing you learn about Yummy is that he’s dead. Do you see, then, why
New Kid is such a rarity? Into this gaping void comes a book with a simple fish out of water premise. What sets it apart, though, is how it chooses to realistically deal with all the crap a kid like Jordan Banks has to contend with in his day-to-day life. Blisteringly honest with a respect for young readers that is sadly uncommon, Jerry Craft has created something revolutionary: An everyday black boy in a comic for kids.
Middle school is hard. Switching schools is hard. Now imagine switching to a private middle school where you’re one of the few black kids there. Jordan Banks is a seventh grader with a dream. He wants to go to art school where he can let his drawings soar. Instead, he finds himself at hoity-toity Riverdale Academy Day School. It’s okay and the kids are generally pretty nice (with some notable exceptions) but Jordan can’t help noticing things. Teachers who get the black kids' names mixed up. Classmates that get away with murder. Privilege privilege privilege. The longer he stays, the more he sees. The more he sees, the more he understands. And the more he understands, the better prepared he’s going to be for the real world out there.
It was only a few years ago that I learned the term “microaggression”. Basically it means, “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.” With that definition in hand,
New Kid can feel like a crash course in how to make someone feel bad. Like a composer of a symphony, Craft gathers together every possible microaggression in his arsenal and weaves them into a comprehensive story. To do this, Craft assembles a crack team of awful people. You have the well-meaning teacher who’s threatened by any student of color raising issues with her (she calls Jordan’s comics a polemic, “against everything this school stands for. And me!”). You have the white kid that makes everyone’s life a misery but never gets called out on it. There are teachers that call the other black teachers “coach” even though they’ve known them for years. A librarian who only hands the black kids books about struggle and hardship (starring other black kids, naturally). With great care, Craft filters these people and moments throughout the book, managing to balance the heavy moments with lighter ones. Even when the story is serious, though, it manages to lighten the tension with ease. The end result is that a kid doesn’t feel like they’re getting info on the state of the world today, but they are. Oh boy howdy, they are.
Truth be told, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a plot forward comic. There’s no overarching goal that Jordan’s reaching for the whole time. Basically, he’s trying to survive middle school in the day-to-day, and we’re just surviving there alongside him. I was a little surprised, since I assumed Craft was going to make this center on Jordan’s struggle with his desire to go to art school. Instead, that dream just sorta peters out, though he retains his love of drawing. The end result is a book with form but no drive. Looking back on it, the climax comes when Jordan stands up to some of those people that have made him feel awful. He confronts what’s wrong with the system and, if he doesn’t dismantle it, he at least takes it down a peg. In light of that, I didn’t mind so much the book’s easygoing plotting. Sometimes, though, I did yearn for more clarification. For example, there’s an odd plot point where one of the kids at school is kicked out because he’s on financial aid, but the school found out he accompanied another student to Hawaii over break. It’s a throwaway moment, and maybe things like that happen with real private schools, but I found it a bit confusing and it was never really visited again after the initial discovery.
And then I started thinking about what I could possibly compare this book to. For a lot of kids, comics used to be pure escapism and nothing else. What changed? On the adult side of the equation you had Maus talking about the Holocaust (albeit with mice). On the kids’ side? I think of some of the most popular authors of graphic novels for middle grade readers these days. Cece Bell, Raina Telgemeier, Jeff Kinney (if you count
Wimpy Kid), Vera Brosgol, Victoria Jamieson, Shannon Hale, etc. What all these folks have in common is their willingness to tell stories about real kids (often themselves) dealing with real problems. What else do they have in common? They’re all white. We know from the We Need Diverse Books movement that a lack of diverse points of view has always been a problem in children’s literature, but it seems to have been taken to an extreme case in comics. What do I compare this book to? Itself. And let me tell you, it would be noteworthy, interesting, fun, and thought provoking even if there were hundreds of books out there starring historically marginalized kids. More than just the sum of its parts, Craft has created a book with guts, that kids will want to read multiple times. Funny, whip smart stuff.
For ages 9 and up.
Rating: really liked it
This is a must have in all upper elementary and above classrooms. This book is packed with bias and micro aggressions that are important for kids to read and understand -especially kids that live in areas with little to no racial diversity. I cannot wait to hand this off to my students and see what they think.
Rating: really liked it
A middle grades graphic novel, just awarded the Newbery Medal of 2020, the first comics story to ever win that award, one school year in the life of would-be artist Jordan Banks, who lives in Washington Heights on the upper west side of Manhattan, but whose parents enroll him in a posh private school in Riverdale, in the Bronx. Culturally, financially, these are two very different places, and Jordan and some other new students of color encounter some challenges, mainly on racial lines, in their new school. It doesn't seem to be really nasty, and it's not black vs. white kids, or black kids vs. white teachers, but he and his friends navigate some complicated racial territory as "new kids." One rich white kid becomes his good friend, but a favorite page is one illustrating how Jordan becomes a very different person each neighborhood along the way from Washington Heights to Riverdale.
I am reminded of another and more complex and layered (for an older, YA audience) book on the subject of racial issues, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, but really, there are now many, many books to help students explore these issues with friends and adults. This one is likable, with realistic dialogue.
Rating: really liked it
"I wish I was Batman. Not just for the cool reasons. I could fit in anywhere! One minute he's at a board meeting [as Bruce Wayne]. And the next, he's in the most dangerous part of town. Completely fearless! Unlike me, Batman is always in control of EVERYTHING!" -- Jordan Banks, on page 166
Witty and plausible graphic novel starring protagonist Jordan Banks, a thirteen year-old who is just starting 7th grade as a transfer student (hence the title) at a private school nicknamed 'RADS' in New York City. Banks initially struggles to adapt and fit-in, as he is among the small number of minorities on the roster. He experience prejudices and stereotyping from both kids and faculty, as well the kind low-key bullying (more verbal than violent) that can be common during adolescence.
Yet this is not a Stephen King nightmare or a dry
Afterschool Special-type of story. Banks is often able to hash out his various thoughts and frustrations in his drawings and sketches (shades of
Diary of a Wimpy Kid) that periodically appear in the narrative. The humor was sharp and effective, but there is a decent amount of sincerity, too. Possibly my favorite moment was when Jordan and his friend Drew invite their classmate - a girl named Alexandra, who is first depicted as an oddball and a loner (partially by choice, for reasons that soon become clear) - to accompany them on a walk around campus. Alexandra, happily surprised at being included in something at last, is subtly depicted by author / illustrator Craft as joyfully floating inches above the pavement for the next three pages.
Jordan and his companions were likable bunch, and further adventures would be most welcome.
Rating: really liked it
This book was a joy to read. I looked forward to it.
A kid from an inner city school longs to go to art school, but his parents want him to have opportunities and they send him to a prep school that's private where he is a minority among wealthy kids. It's the classic fish out of water, having to find your way in school story. It's well done and he makes friends and eventually he likes his new school. He has to figure out how to fit in to all the different parts of his life.
This might be part one and we might get the 2nd year soon. I look forward to it. The art style is full of energy and a dichotomy of the two worlds. Jordan is an artist and his little cartoons are blended in with the story.
This won the Newbery and I don't know if the Newbery should give out awards to graphic novels, it does deserve awards. I am going to see if the Niece will read this one too. I think she would enjoy it.
Rating: really liked it
Stunning! The first of (I hope!) many graphic novels to be recognized with a Newbery Award, and it's absolutely deserving of the honor! Well written, well drawn, poignant and funny, I couldn't put it down, reading into the wee hours. My 11yo has also read it and loved it, and next it will go to the 15yo!
Rating: really liked it
I really enjoyed this and I will most definitely be recommending this to middle graders for a long time. I think this is a story that many kids will be able to see themselves in, or recognize someone in their life going through the same things the characters went through.
Rating: really liked it
What an AMAZING comic!
Rating: really liked it
Jordan is the new kid in seventh grade. And he's not going to art school like he wanted—he's going to a fancy new private school where he's one of a handful of students of color. He's not sure if he's going to fit in...but he's going to try.
This was such fun to read. Jordan's world-view and how he frames things are hilarious and introspective, and his drawings are just the cutest things on the planet. I loved that he was able to expand his mind, and even though he still wanted to go to art school and pursue his passion at the end of the novel, he realized that he really was able to enjoy all three of his favorite Chinese foods (it's a metaphor, I promise!) and not just have to stick to only one. He could enjoy private school and his private school friends, and he could stay true to his Washington Heights roots.
It was also uncomfortable, because it highlights how problematic
good intentions can be. Jordan faces a thousand and one micro-aggressions from his white liberal-minded teachers who get so caught up on race that they fail to see the person behind the color—and get upset when they are called out on their prejudice.
And then there's the
massive shout-out against kidlit geared towards children of color, particularly black children. White kids get fantasy stories of Riordian proportions. Black kids? Get
issue books, filled with gritty urban kids doing gritty things in their gritty lifestyle.
How depressing.
And how utterly frustrating.
In addition to racism (both overt and covert) there is colorism, as Jordan has light skin—and he gets to deal with his richer white classmates teasing him for their darker tans when they return from fancy trips abroad during the various school breaks. With that, there's a good deal of classism involved, with the rich students flaunting their wealth and the poor students (who are often from marginalized communities—save Maury, who gets lumped in with the "poor" kids because he is black even though his dad runs a Fortune 500 company) being targeted for having financial aid (and getting penalized for getting too uppity, like going on a vacation that they
shouldn't be able to afford if they couldn't pay for the full costs of the school).
But like everything else in this graphic novel, there is nuance to the classism. Liam, for example, just wants to be an ordinary student. Not a legacy. Not a rich kid. Not pretentious. He wants to be judged for himself and not his family's extravagant wealth.
Jordan is on financial aid, and able to attend the prestigious school because he's smart—and he's forced to go to the school because his mother wants to ensure that he has every advantage he can possibility have to get a leg up in life.
And there is Drew, labeled the
aggressive black student because he stood up to a racist teacher, even though he made the honor roll each semester and was the starting quarterback.
And finally, there is Alexandra, who proves that first impressions (and third, and fourth, and fifth) really don't tell you everything about a person.
If you enjoy Raina Telgemeier or Svetlana Chmakova, this is a definite win.
Rating: really liked it
I haven't read a graphic novel in ages but I LOVED this one. So endearing and smart.
Rating: really liked it
This is going to be THE most talked about graphic novel in the new year. This is a story that needs to be read and then talked about. Every single chapter had me shaking my head yes. Swipe right to see just two pages of serious truth that readers and teachers alike need to be reading. Out February 2019
Rating: really liked it
Cute. A relatable story about how it feels to be the only black kid somewhere and the spark of joy you get when you see someone else who looks like you and microaggressions.
Also, amen to the segment about how MG/YA books are marketed to black kids. You have got drugs, poverty, rap, and basketball for black books vs. lily-white adventurer books. Thank God, it's
slowly changing.
Rating: really liked it
And I'm rereading it. Because. It's Friday. No reasons.
Rating: really liked it
I wasn't really planning on picking this up, but I found it as an ebook and graphic novels never take too long to read. I really liked that it tackled so many aspects of racism (especially getting into specifics given that the protagonist, Jordan, is light-skinned - you can tell Craft really knows how to write about race and convey more than the minimum), mostly for black communities but there were students from other backgrounds.
I wasn't a fan of the art - it really reminded me of 00s webcomics and looked sloppy at points. Also, while this is aimed at a younger audience, the storyline was pretty basic. I think it's a good introduction for a more complex conversation about racism, but there's a lot out there that does it better.
Overall, this was fine, but it didn't blow my mind.
Rating: really liked it
The first graphic novel to win a Newberry Medal. Jordan Banks is a 12-year old from Washington Heights in upper Manhattan. He'd like to go to art school but when he gets into a private school in the Bronx, his parents force him to go. This took me a little while to get into. It's very NYC school-centric at the beginning, which is its own beast I've not seen anywhere else. But once it gets going, it's a charming book. Jordan sketches out what bothers him in his sketch book, giving us insight on what it's like to be a normal kid in a very rich school, what it's like to be African American in a school that's not very diverse. Jordan is a sweet kid that you absolutely root for as he adjusts to life at his new school. The art is a little cartoony but fine given that this is a graphic novel for children. This was a delight. I'll be buying a copy for my niece soon.
