New Kid~ Jerry Craft

Riley is feeling those new kid vibes right along with this story's protagonist!

Despite begging to attend art school, Jordan’s mom wants him to attend RAD, a school outside his neighborhood with excellent academic opportunities.

Jordan dreads going, and things don’t get much better when the year begins. Unlike in his last school, Jordan is an outsider at RAD. He is not wealthy or white, and several of his classmates and teachers don’t let him forget it.

Jordan struggles to see the good when his teacher keeps confusing him with one of the only other black students, the class jerk makes culturally insensitive comments daily, and his neighborhood friends keep calling him ‘Private School.’ 

Luckily, Jordan meets Liam and Drew. Though the friends initially seem completely different, Jordan learns how much they actually have in common and the power of a small but authentic support system. Through art and with the support of wise friends and family members, Jordan starts to find his voice and navigate RAD with confidence. 

Maturity: 1/4

This novel does not have any content that would be considered inappropriate, though it does address issues of racism. I would recommend this graphic novel to students age 11+

Pages: 249

Lexile: GN320L

This novel is definitely one I would recommend to reluctant or struggling middle grade readers, and it could certainly be appropriate for upper-elementary students as well. 

GN stands for graphic novel! 

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.

If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

♥ RileyReadsYA ♥