Class Act: A Graphic Novel

From School Library Journal Gr 4-8-Picking up where New Kid left off, this sequel finds Jordan starting another riotous, discomfiting year at Riverdale Academy Day School and pondering his future. For now, he has time to burn alongside best friends Drew and Liam. An initial sequence following the three boys' daily commutes encapsulates conflicts to come. Lighter-skinned Black, middle-class Jordan eats breakfast with his loving parents before his father drives him to school from Manhattan. Drew, who is also Black yet darker-skinned and working-class and whose doting grandmother is already at work when he leaves for school, catches two buses from Co-op City. Live-in staff attend to white, wealthy Liam while his parents, entrenched in cold war at opposite ends of the table, ignore their three children. Craft hereafter toggles among these points of view but focuses on Drew, who must work "twice as hard to go half as far." Once again, the author/illustrator's full-color panels captivate, drawing on comics' capacity for visual metaphor and hyperbole to deliver heavy payloads. He relies on Jordan's cartoons-rendered in simple, black-and-white linework-to pause the narrative and deliver incisive, bite-size observations on race, socioeconomic status, burgeoning individuality, and pubescent perils. (Lest the subject matter seem overwhelming, be it known that the book is hilarious-see, for instance, the interstitial title pages parodying popular graphic novel covers.) In time, the growing boys-unlike their school, which has no clue how to address institutional inequities and simmering tensions-initiate the painful but necessary work required to truly see and support one another. VERDICT Lightning strikes twice as Craft again produces a funny and appealing yet sensitive and nuanced middle grade tale of inequity and microaggressions.-Steven Thompson, Bound Brook Memorial P.L., NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “A well-Crafted, visually rich, truth-telling tale for our troubled times that affirms the eternal importance of friends.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Craft makes the story honest and believable and presents it as a powerful, if difficult to achieve, real-world possibility. Another work of resounding understanding and empathy.” — Booklist (starred review) “Lightning strikes twice as Craft again produces a funny and appealing yet sensitive and nuanced middle grade tale of inequity and microaggressions.” — School Library Journal (starred review) “Hilarious and heartfelt. Craft adeptly balances poignant questions…with laugh-out-loud moments of adolescence, making Class Act a substantial snapshot of the interior life of boys, especially Black boys who are too often not afforded such attention, love, and care.” — The Horn Book (starred review) "Craft approaches Drew’s—and his devoted friends’—dilemmas with candor and respect.xa0Kids who missed volume one can dive in here and backtrack later; kids already on board will identify episodes and new characters around which they can build hope for a third entry." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review) “Deftly weaving discussions of race, socioeconomics, colorism, and solidarity into an accessible narrative, Craft offers a charming cast journeying through the complicated landscapes of puberty, self-definition, and changing friendships, all while grappling with the tensions of attending an institution that structurally and culturally neglects students of color.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A warm hug of a book… Class Act ’s modeling of thoughtful communication and its celebration of friendship are appealing and heartfelt. Craft’s expressive characters, strong command of vibrant color and hits of visual humor—including references to popular books in the double-page spreads that open each chapter—are downright delightful.” — BookPage “A moving and often very funny story about the convergence of an awkward age (13 to 14) with an awkward age (America’s racial reckoning)…. [Craft] balances his biting sendup of American race relations with poignant family portraits, and the art is most striking in quiet moments.” — The New York Times Book Review Jerry Craft is thexa0author-illustratorxa0ofxa0#1 New York Times bestselling graphic novels New Kid , and its companion book, Class Act . New Kid was the first book in history to win thexa0Newbery Medal, The Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. In his latest book, School Trip , Jerry hopes to share his love of travel in order to inspire kids and their families to see the world and embrace new cultures. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts and now lives in Florida. Read more