NEW KID (AI DRAFT)
A funny school story with serious conversations about race and belonging.
The Worldview
Read it together. Jordan’s year at a mostly white private school raises questions about racial assumptions and fairness that younger readers may need help sorting through.
NEW KID values family, friendship, honesty and courage. Jordan’s parents want a good future for him, and his grandfather offers patient counsel. Jordan grows by getting to know classmates as individuals, speaking up when a friend is blamed unfairly and choosing kindness even toward a bully.
Race and class are central, not passing details. The book presents stereotyping and repeated mistakes about Black students as real harms, including when adults make them. It asks readers to notice those patterns. At the same time, Jordan has assumptions of his own to reconsider, and the story gives characters of different backgrounds individual motives and friendships. Its emphasis is on recognizing unfair treatment and understanding one another, not on patriotism, faith or a specifically Christian account of justice. God, prayer and Scripture are absent.
Jordan wants to be seen fairly, a longing Scripture addresses directly: “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” (James 2:1, ESV)
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESJordan Banks would rather attend art school, but his parents enroll him in Riverdale Academy, an elite private school where he is one of the few students of color. His new classmates, a long commute and the pull of his old neighborhood leave him unsure where he fits. Jordan turns to drawing as he tries to make friends, keep old ones and figure out how to be himself in both places.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own reader.
- Throughout the school year Jordan and other students encounter racial assumptions, including Maury being described as “Black on the outside, white on the inside.”
- Chapter 6 A student uses the insult “jerk.”
- Chapter 12 Drew confronts Andy after Andy makes a racist remark; the boys push each other, Andy falls, and Drew is blamed. Jordan tells the school what happened.
- Chapter 13 A teacher reads Jordan’s sketchbook without permission and reacts defensively when he tries to explain how her behavior affects Black students.
A locator so a parent can pre-read the scenes that matter instead of the whole book.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Moral worldview values family, friendship, honesty and speaking up for someone treated unfairly. Its sustained focus on racial stereotyping and class differences invites discussion about fairness and assumptions.
Foul Language
Name-calling includes “jerk.”
Violence
Light cartoon scuffling, such as two boys pushing each other during a confrontation, after which one falls. There is no blood or death. The book also refers to neighborhood children bringing guns to school, without depicting a shooting.
Sex
Light romantic material: Jordan worries that Alexandra might kiss him, and he teases Drew about having a girlfriend. No kissing or sexual activity.
Nudity
No nudity identified.
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use identified.
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drug use identified.
Miscellaneous Immorality
Students tease, bully and stereotype classmates. Some adults make hurtful assumptions or mistake Black students for one another. Financial-aid embarrassment and class-based exclusion also appear. Jordan keeps an expensive gift from Liam secret from his parents to spare their feelings; the concealment is presented sympathetically. The book treats the bullying and stereotyping critically; Jordan also shows kindness toward a bully.
Is the Writing Any Good?
Four stars: this is a confident, expressive graphic novel with a lot to say. Jerry Craft’s bright panels make Jordan’s changing moods easy to read, and the black-and-white sketchbook drawings give his observations a distinct voice. The cast feels varied and human, not just a lineup of heroes and villains. The story moves through many school-year episodes, so it can feel more like a collection of connected situations than one tightly driven plot. Still, Jordan’s relationships and the visual humor hold it together, while the art makes the social tensions clear without long explanations.
Talk About It
Four questions for the dinner table, the car, or a parent and teen reading it together.
When Jordan is mistaken for another student, what might that feel like? What assumptions can we make about someone before we know them?
James 2:1 · James 2:8Jordan speaks up when Drew is blamed unfairly. What can make it hard to tell the truth when other people may disagree?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22Jordan’s parents choose a school he did not want, believing it will help his future. How can a family talk through a big decision when parents and children see it differently?
Proverbs 15:22 · Ephesians 6:1–4Jordan is kind to Andy after Andy has treated him badly. What does kindness look like when someone has been unkind to you?
Romans 12:20–21 · Luke 6:27–28The Final Word
NEW KID is funny, visually lively and thoughtful about friendship, family and unfair assumptions. Its conversations about race, along with a mild scuffle and name-calling, make it a better choice for a parent and child to discuss together than a book to hand to a younger reader without preparation. Our answer: Read it together.
