New Kid

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade graphic novel
• Originally Published: 2019
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile GN320L; grades 5-8
• Structure/Length: 14 chapters; approx. 256 pages; approx. 2 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Jordan Banks, a Black middle school student who loves to draw cartoons about his experiences, attends a prestigious school where he encounters bullying and racism.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racism

Jerry Craft, Author

• Bio: Grew up in NYC; graduated from The Fieldston School; received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts; creator of the 1990 comic strip Mama’s Boyz; cofounder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival
• Other Works: Class Act (2020)
• Awards: Newbery Medal (2020); Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Award (2020); Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature (2019)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Finding Confidence in Middle School
• Maintaining a Black Identity in School and at Home
• Balancing Friendships Across Social Class

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of microaggressions and code-switching.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen understanding of themes related to Finding Confidence in Middle School, Maintaining a Black Identity at School and at Home, and Balancing Friendships Across Social Class.
• Create a graphic narrative to demonstrate their understanding of the graphic novel form as well as the theme of Finding Confidence in Middle School.