Craft, J. (2019). New Kid. New York, NY: Harper, an imprint of    HarperCollins.

Jerry Craft’s graphic novel, New Kid, follows the journey of a young boy named Jordan Banks, who struggles to fit in as one of the few colored students in a prestigious, predominantly white private school. This graphic novel explores various themes including race relations, socioeconomic differences & stigmas, school education, social mobility, status and others. This novel is a relatively simple read for middle-school/junior high school students, incorporating an excellent balance of complex, serious issues, with lighthearted moments and dramas of everyday teenage life. This graphic novel can be incorporated into literature circles, a short novel study, or as a supplementary text to use for a project or assignment related to systemic racism, social conflicts in education, socioeconomic disparities or other similar themes. This text is best suited for younger secondary school readers, as it would not challenge nor engage senior students in the issues presented. This graphic novel can be used in a Social Studies 8 or Humanities 8 classroom, or an English Language Arts classroom with students from grade 6-8. This would be an excellent resource to incorporate for students who struggle with language or reading proficiency, as the genre of graphic novel can help these individuals understand the main themes and issues presented through images and visuals.