Episode 8: New Kid
Ainara can’t count how many times she’s read the Newbery Award winning New Kid, and gives us all the reasons why this graphic novel story about identity is a regular go-to for her. Then, she jumps on a plane and a couple of trains to visit the artist behind the book, Jerry Craft in drizzly Connecticut.
More about the Book
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?
Learn even more about New Kid
About Jerry Craft
Jerry Craft is the both author and illustrator of his best selling graphic novels New Kid and Class Act. He has won the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature, the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature, and the Coretta Scott King Author Award for the most outstanding work by an African American writer! Jerry was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City, just like Jordan.
To learn more about Jerry Craft visit his website
More of Jerry’s Work
Eighth grader Drew Ellis is no stranger to the saying “You have to work twice as hard to be just as good.” His grandmother has reminded him his entire life. But what if he works ten times as hard and still isn’t afforded the same opportunities that his privileged classmates at the Riverdale Academy Day School take for granted?
Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury, and their friends from Riverdale Academy Day School are heading out on a school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can’t wait to see all the amazing art in the famous City of Lights. Will Jordan and his friends embrace being exposed to a new language, unfamiliar food, and a different culture? Or will they all end up feeling like the “new kid”?