Class Act
In this companion book to New Kid this time it’s Jordan’s friend Drew who takes center stage in a story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school.
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?
To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids. He wants to pretend like everything is fine, but it's hard not to withdraw, and even their mutual friend Jordan doesn't know how to keep the group together.
As the pressures mount, will Drew find a way to bridge the divide so he and his friends can truly accept each other? And most important, will he finally be able to accept himself?
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Jerry Craft
Before Jerry Craft ever earned a Newbery Medal or found his name on bestseller lists, he was a kid in Washington Heights sketching comics that reflected a world he recognized—funny, heartfelt, awkward, and real. Long before graphic novels were considered literature, Craft believed they could be more than superheroes and sound effects. They could be mirrors.
Craft writes the kind of stories he wishes he had growing up—stories where kids of color aren’t sidekicks or cautionary tales, but complex, hilarious, fully human leads. In New Kid, his breakout middle grade graphic novel, readers meet Jordan Banks, a quiet, artistic kid navigating a private school where he doesn’t quite fit in. It’s not a tale of trauma—it’s one of subtle microaggressions, laugh-out-loud moments, and the daily balancing act of identity, friendship, and growing up between cultures.
New Kid
Middle school is hard enough without having to feel like an outsider in every hallway. That’s the quiet current running beneath the New Kid series—a graphic novel journey that doesn’t just speak to young readers, but listens to them.
Told through expressive panels and a voice that feels refreshingly real, this coming-of-age story centers on Jordan Banks, a kid who loves drawing more than just about anything. When he ends up at a prestigious private school far from his Washington Heights neighborhood, Jordan finds himself juggling two worlds: one that looks polished on the outside and another that feels like home—but where he’s starting to feel invisible.
New Kid consists of three books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
