This graphic novel is the second in the series. It shows the story of of a student who is in middle school and is one of the only students of color. It shows his middle school troubles along with the highs and lows of friendship. I recommend this book to middle school students because I feel like all middle school students can relate to this in some way.

Gr 4–8—The fast-paced, riotously funny sequel to New Kid follows aspiring artist Jordan and best friends Liam and
Drew as they begin eighth grade at New York City's upscale Riverdale Academy Day School. This time, the
narrative prioritizes darker-skinned Drew's perspective, juxtaposing full-color artwork with Jordan's grayscale
cartoons to illustrate issues of race, class, and plain old pubescence.

Once again Jerry Craft does a wonderful job portraying questions about identuty, race, class, parent expectations, and school pressures for middle school readers. In this sequel to New Kid, we get to know more about Drew -- Jordan's friend from Riverdale Academy. Drew is feeling the pressure to fit in and to figure out where he fits. Can he be friends with classmates who just don't understand or can't seem to understand what it means to be Black? Classmates who come from more privledge and wealth?

Jerry Craft gets the voice of his characters spot on -kids, parents and teachers. The adults mean well and some help Drew, Jordan, and friends find naviagte the school year. Other adults miss the boat entirely. Love how Craft nods his head to other popular graphic novels and authors. ( )

Representation: Black main character

7/10, very humorous. ( )

At Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan and his pals embark on a new school year with many hopes and concerns, particularly wondering if this year will be like the previous one or not.

This book is called a "companion" novel to New Kid, but it's pretty much a sequel. The cover makes you think it's from the perspective of Jordan's friend Drew, but it's still more or less Jordan's story. However, we definitely do see more of Drew as he navigates being one of the few Black students at the prestigious school, having complex feelings about one of his friends being much wealthier than his own family (and neighborhood), handling a school girl's crush on him, and dealing with covert and not-so-covert racism from those who are well meaning and those who are not.

As may be clear by now, this book handles lots of difficult topics. It manages to do so with humor at all the right times and in a way that is likely relatable to many middle-grade readers, even if their circumstances might be slightly different. There's a clear love of children's comics, with each chapter's cover page being an homage to a different popular graphic novel, such as Amulet, Ghosts, Hey, Kiddo, and more. The illustrations are the right blend of cartoon-ish and naturalistic to capture the realism while still maintaining the fun, quick pace. ( )