Class Act audiobook

Such a great graphic novel!

Summer is over and it is time to go back to school. Jordan, Drew, and Liam are back together at Riverdale. It is good to be back, but they soon realize that a new school year means new wrinkles to the issues they struggled with in 'New Kid.' This time the focus is on Drew although we still get to enjoy comic pages drawn by Jordan. Included are clever Easter Eggs and punny chapter titles like "Sketch Diary of a Shrimpy Kid," "Teal Friends," and "Invisible M.E." If you loved 'New Kid,' you will also love this second addition to the series. Can we look forward to following them into high school in New Kid #3? I hope so!Thank you to Harper Collins and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is SO GOOD. The art is a delight. Characters are expressively drawn and clearly delineated. The chapter headings are wonderful homages to different graphic novels, and there is a terrific scene where a table full of Black students are introduced--"Angie, Nic, Jason, Renée Kwame..." I didn't catch it at first, until I noticed Kwame's shaved head and realized he was modeled on the author. Then I went back and saw who all of them were!Wonderful Easter eggs aside, the story is full of humor It made me guffaw a few times, from one kid wryly commenting, "That's why I only fist bump him," when the friends realize Jordan's crushing handshakes are a family tradition, to the constant witty nicknames Jordan and Drew call each other, to Mr. Roche's general cluelessness, culminating in the school sending teachers to the National Organization of Cultural Liaisons Understanding Equality. (Check out the acronym.)I love the way Craft balances friendship issues and social issues, sometimes dumping them upside down. Jordan and Drew, working class and middle class Black boys, both come from loving homes. Their white friend Liam has a chauffeur, maid, indoor swimming pool, and a messed up family. Some of the teachers are still mired in micro-aggressions and foolishness, and some are so anxious about being offensive that they become easy prey for the teasing of Samira, who wears a hijab with aplomb. Fitting in, showing someone you like them, making and challenging assumptions, and finding your own way in life--all of these very real concerns for tweens and teens are beautifully represented in the students of Riverdale Academy Day School.

I really enjoyed this companion/continuation of the New Kid series and I really enjoyed Drew’s story. The pacing of this one wasn’t my favorite, but it still humorously tackled major issues of growing up, racial (in)justice/prejudice, and finding one’s self. These stories are so important, and I hope all middle schoolers and educators take the time to read them.

Great follow up to the award-winning New Kid! We see more inside Drew's head as he struggles with worrying about his grandmother working too hard, friends from home not getting along with friends from school, and trying to see the perspective that having a lot of "stuff" doesn't equal happiness. I really loved the chapter headings, which are all done in the style of other graphic novel covers!

Just as good as the first book, New Kid!!

5 stars! Another winner by Jerry Craft, and the full-cast audio added to the experience as I read along. While Jordan still features prominently in this story, the focus of this book is Drew, who continues to question if he really belongs at his school. Drew, Liam, and Jordan became really good friends by the end of the previous year, but Jordan knows they're all different. Jordan doesn't really care, but Liam and Drew feel the differences more, in part because Drew is really dark and tall, which ties into the stereotypes of colorism, and Jordan is small (which he hates) and light-skinned, so he tends to be overlooked as a "black kid". Liam has more money than he knows what to do with, but what he doesn't have is Jordan's family or even Drew's grandmother. I love how this series explores what it's really like to be in middle school, but it also addresses many contemporary issues having to do with stereotypes, classism, racism, prejudice, etc. But I love Jordan's attitude on all of it and how he works to be a bridge to increasing understanding between people, even Andy. This was another fabulous graphic novel and narration and I highly recommend it.

I knew there was going to be big shoes to fill going into Class Act. After all, when your predecessor is a Newbery award winner, how can it not be? Well, while I did prefer New Kid, I think Class Act is an excellent book as well.We follow many of the same kids from Class Act; they are just one year older. However racial concerns, comments, people trying to not offend.....all of it plays a role. I could identify with characters who overthink what they say in case it comes off racist (and thus by doing so they unfortunately made it racist). I also appreciated the storylines of characters wondering about the other's perceived stereotypes and being afraid to show their true colors because of said stereotypes. I feel that resonates with people across ALL races. One thing Jerry Craft does is he pays homage to many other graphic novel writers in his "chapter headings." Anyone familiar with graphic novels will see inspiration drawn from Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, Shannon Hale, and so many others....it brought a smile to my face every time. I want to see what middle grade readers think of this book. And I also can't help but wonder if come next month it will generate award buzz too.

A fantastic sequel to New Kid! It tackles more tough topics with humor and heart. The ending had me grinning with a full heart.Also, I loved how the chapter title pages were all spoofs of other middle grade graphic novels and books, so freaking funny!

I just loved so much about this book.

Stellar follow-up to New Kid! My elementary students love New Kid and will love this, but it’s deeper themes and subtle humor will resonate stronger with middle school students. I love seeing complex topics being addressed in middle grade books, especially in graphic format.

I liked the continuation of “The New Kid” Series where we follow Drew this time. It felt slightly off though because we followed Jordan just as much so I kept forgetting whose point of view we were truly supposed to be following. I like that we kept up with Jordan’s comics though. It was nice seeing the characters go through changes both personally and at their school. We see that their school is trying to do better at being more diverse and a lot of it is cringe worthy things that higher ups think are correct but tend to have a negative affect on those their trying to “inspire.” Honestly, this series is awesome at showing some of the small and big things that people do that are racist but they don’t realize it is like “how do you pronounce your last name? I feel like I say it wrong everytime.”, “”Can I touch your hair?”, Do you pray and worship around skulls?” Drew and Jordan really weren’t afraid to bring up what they went through as black kids and it was truly fascinating seeing their different experiences. Things truly seem to be heading on a better path for them and I can’t wait to see what happens in (hopefully) another installment.

As wonderful as New Kid, Class Act delivered just as much commentary on class and race (with more of a focus on class) as New Kid. I love the kids in these book, and I feel that these graphic novels should be required reading for middle grade or high school. I cannot recommend them enough.