Here we go: New Kid is the first book from th 2021/2 Mark Twain Award nominees I've been able to get my hands on, and let's just say, I hope the rest of the books on the list are a million times better than this. He does have outward resilience, but inside, this main character - Jordan - is simply offended by everything that goes on around him. There are some important concepts presented in this graphic novel, but they are lost in the Jordan's defeatist attitude.
 | Description from Goodreads: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. |
For me, the most interesting character in the book is an annoying secondary character who wears a puppet on one of her hands. She really seems out of place in this storyline, but for some reason Jordan treats her with kindness and gets her to reveal her story to him. All of a sudden, the girl starts acting normal and making friends - for no real reason - but her story never really seems to reach resolution. Neither, in fact, does Jordan's. It's a blah ending for a book that only serves to shout at readers.
