SuitabookNew Kid
Jerry Craft
- Reading
- Before reading, discuss what “staying true to yourself” might mean. Afterwards, compare Jordan’s school and neighbourhood experiences without assuming either community is presented as wholly good or bad.
- Themes
- Belonging across communities: Jordan travels between his Washington Heights apartment, his neighbourhood friends and Riverdale Academy Day School, feeling that he does not fully fit either world. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Race and school culture: Jordan is one of the few pupils of colour in his grade at a prestigious private school, where he is learning to navigate an unfamiliar culture. The premise makes racial under-representation part of Jordan’s situation, but does not establish whether the school’s culture is challenged, changed or accepted.
- Parents’ educational choice: Jordan wants to attend an art school, while his parents enrol him at a prestigious school known for its academic record. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The move into an unfamiliar school culture and Jordan’s position as one of few pupils of colour may merit attention, particularly if readers recognise similar pressures around belonging.