The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Craft, Jerry. New Kid. Quill Tree Books, February 5, 2019.

In the graphic novel New Kid by Jerry Craft, being the new kid at school is never fun. In his first few weeks at Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan Banks is called by the wrong name, has assumptions made about him because he is Black, and is bullied because he is in the first form, meaning stage or class at school. By the end of the school year, as Jordan stands up for another friend being treated in with bias, Jordan demonstrates he has come to realize skin color and wealth should not single people out for special treatment.

Jordan begs his parents to allow him to attend a school dedicated to art, but his mother insists on giving Riverdale Academy Day School, called RAD, a try. She reminds him how few Black people have good jobs. She believes that attending this private school will give him the tools he needs to succeed.

On Jordan’s first day of school, he is picked up by Mr. Landers in his Mercedes. Landers is the father of Liam, Jordan’s guide at his new school. Liam, who is White, does not seem to care much for Jordan. At the school, which is massive compared to Jordan’s previous school, Jordan is relieved when he sees another Black boy, Maury. When Jordan attempts to befriend Maury, he finds the two have little in common. Maury’s family is wealthy. He has attended RAD since kindergarten. Regardless, Jordan listens as the White kids degrade Maury and call him an “Oreo” (26). This suggests Maury is Black on the outside and White on the inside.

As Jordan’s school year continues, a White teacher, Ms. Rawle, consistently calls him and Drew, another Black student, by the wrong names. She criticizes Drew for calling Jordan a “dawg,” (89) but she allows Andy, a White student who bullies everyone, to use the same term when talking to his friends.

Near the end of the school year, Jordan has finally had enough of the biased treatment when Andy makes a comment to Ramon about the Mexican food being served in the cafeteria. Drew tells Andy that he is being a jerk, and the two begin pushing each other. When an apple falls from Andy’s lunch tray, he slips on it and falls.

Rawle sees what happened and orders Drew to the principal’s office, even though several students argue Drew did not push Andy down. Jordan is so angered by the way Rawle assumes Drew is at fault that he stands on a table and tells the teacher exactly what happened. Other students support his story. Two teachers who are listening tell Rawle that they believe Jordan’s story.

As a result, Drew is not sent to the principal’s office. Rawle makes Andy and Drew clean up the mess they made. Jordan’s drawings show other students who were not involved in the argument joining in to help clean.

On Jordan’s last day of school, his parents take an end-of-the-school-year photo. Jordan looks different. He is wearing a pair of salmon-colored shorts, popular at RAD, that a friend gave him as a joke. He is also not wearing the hoodie he usually wears. So, he looks different physically, too Jordan assures his parents the clothing change is only temporary. They tell him his outward appearance is only superficial. They are most proud because he looks more self-assured as a result of his experiences at his new school.