Book Flood Podcast (E13): Newbery Medal Winner Jerry Craft on “New Kid”

Thomas Nixon

2 weeks ago

YouTube

JERRY CRAFT is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the graphic novels New Kid, Class Act, and School Trip. New Kid made history by being the first graphic novel ever to receive the Newbery Award. The book is also celebrated for receiving the Coretta Scott King Author Award, honoring African-American authors whose work portrays the African-American experience for young readers. In addition, New Kid won the Kirk’s Prize for Young Readers’ Literature in 2019.

New Kid tells the story of Jordan Banks, an African-American boy navigating life at a predominantly white private school, and it touches on themes of race, identity, and fitting in. The success of New Kid led to sequels, Class Act (2020) and School Trip (2023), which continue Jordan’s story and explore issues related to friendship, privilege, and diversity.

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New Kid: A Newbery Award Winner

Craft, Jerry (Author)
English (Publication Language)
256 Pages – 02/05/2019 (Publication Date) – Quill Tree Books (Publisher)

Jerry Craft’s work is widely praised for its humor, heart, and positive representation of African-American youth. Craft is also known for his efforts to promote diversity in children’s literature and for encouraging young people, particularly Black kids, to see themselves as main characters in books.

Jerry was born in Harlem and grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City and now travels the world telling kids and their families about the importance of reading.

Jerry Craft | GoodReads | TeachingBooks | Wikipedia

Books by Jerry Craft are available on Amazon.com:

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New Kid: A Newbery Award Winner