To make matters worse, Drew begins to feel as if his good friend Liam might be one of those privileged kids.

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? This time, it’s Jordan’s friend Drew who takes center stage in another laugh-out-loud funny, powerful, and important story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school.Įighth 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. Who should buy this book? Elementary and middle school and public libraries – an essential purchase.New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize. To whom would you recommend this book? For fans of realistic middle grade fiction and graphic novels, ages 8-13, especially fans of New Kid. Craft intersperses black and white comics drawn by Jordan throughout, and chapter headings are fun parodies of other middle grade book covers, such as “Diary of a Shrimpy Kid,” “Omelet,” and “Nay Kiddo.” I loved this book – especially how the boys figured out how to mend their own complicated rift. The turmoil of middle school relationships is on the hot-seat here, along with race, class and figuring out how to be yourself.

Kids who loved New Kid will be happy to see the same characters, just with the focus on a different person.

It is Jordan who has a genius idea which allows the friends to honor each other’s lives and mend their friendship. When Drew and Jordan spend the weekend at the home of their friend Liam, Drew feels overwhelmed with the difference in lifestyle: whereas Drew lives with his grandma in a small apartment, Liam lives in a gigantic mansion with a maid, chauffer and parents who are out of touch with Liam and each other. The way that Craft inserts Drew and Jordan’s experience of daily micro-aggression is a great strength of the book. His pal Jordan (the main character in Craft’s previous book New Kid) gets it, but other pals don’t. He loves school and gets great grades, but sometimes he feels isolated by differences in privilege and lack of race awareness. What did you like about the book? Drew is one of a just a handful of Black students at the fancy Riverdale Academy Day School. Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

Class act book jerry craft