Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this companion to Newbery winner New Kid and its sequel, Class Act, eighth grader Jordan Banks is excited about two things: his acceptance letter to the art school of his dreams, and traveling to Paris with his Riverdale Academy Day School classmates. But he's also nervous; going to a new high school means leaving his best friends behind. While he has limited time to accept the new school's offer, Jordan endeavors to disengage from admissions stress by having the time of his life in Paris. As Jordan and his friends prepare to travel abroad, however, they learn that irksome classmate Andy, who's constantly inserting himself into their plans, will also be traveling with them. Despite various setbacks--including teachers' credit cards not working, and Jordan and his friends being tricked into sharing a room with Andy--the group makes the most of what they believe is their last hurrah before going separate ways. With his signature laugh-out-loud storytelling, which teems with nuanced character dynamics, tender moments of acceptance and connection, and a multicultural cast, Craft offers a zestful graphic novel adventure that mixes lighthearted fare with thought-provoking observations on lasting friendship in the face of future-based anxieties. Ages 8--12. Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--8--As Jordan enters his last year of middle school, he receives an acceptance letter from an art school, which is both exciting and nerve-racking for him: he loves art more than anything, but does he really want to be the new kid once again? Jordan and his friends are overjoyed to learn they'll be taking a school trip to Paris, but when they see that Andy the bully will be joining them, they feel deflated and nervous. In this companion to New Kid and Class Act, the characters that readers love grow and mature while they travel across the globe. The art style stays true to Craft's first two installments, and the creative approach to demonstrating mood and tone shines through in the illustrations. Craft emphasizes racism, classism, and differences in worldview by creating extreme juxtapositions with the roommate pairings on the trip, which also results in comic relief and laugh-out-loud moments. Further, Craft highlights the importance of traveling both physically and metaphorically to build empathy, referencing examples of microaggressions and the dangers of book bans. VERDICT This heartfelt, must-read title belongs on all library shelves, as it beautifully accompanies Craft's first two graphic novels with these characters.--Angie Jameson
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Review by Horn Book Review
In his third graphic-novel outing (New Kid, rev. 1/19; Class Act, rev. 11/20), thirteen-year-old Jordan Banks no longer sees himself as the new kid at elite Riverdale Academy Day School; he's the "new and improved" kid ("Jordan 2.0"), and he has a big decision to make: continue at RAD or go to art school. He wants to pursue art, but he's afraid of having to start all over again. First, though, he and his friends are going on a class trip to Paris -- along with nemesis Andy. This book by Coretta Scott King and Newbery Award-winning author Craft effectively uses brightly colored panels, speech bubbles, dialogue, and black-and-white sketchbook pages to portray the challenges of an overseas school trip for Black students as well as of this diverse group of students as a whole in navigating a new city and their own relationships. When one of the friends finally confronts Andy about years of verbal torture, the tone of the trip changes, and the students, including Andy, begin to take responsibility for how they want to be treated and how they treat one another, returning home with renewed commitment to making Riverdale a good school for everyone. Pair this with Santat's graphic-memoir treatment of a similar European trip, A First Time for Everything (rev. 1/23). (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The Riverdale Academy Day School crew is back and ready for an adventure to the City of Lights. This newest installment in Craft's groundbreaking middle-grade graphic novel series finds eighth grade African American boy Jordan facing a milestone all too familiar to many teenagers: the arrival of a school admissions letter. Attending art school is Jordan's dream come true, but getting one's heart's desire comes with a fresh set of worries. Going to a different school means leaving his best friends behind and becoming the new kid once more; worst of all, he only has a few weeks to make up his mind about whether to accept the offer. A school trip to Paris, something that is both exciting and nerve-wracking, stands as a metaphor for the life changes that Jordan is facing, and his friends are on hand to help him make the most of things. At the heart of Craft's series are the three-dimensional relationships forged among the diverse cast of characters in Jordan's orbit, and this novel fully delights on that score. From Jordan's dad, who insists on the family's watching Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) on VHS; to Andy, his obtuse nemesis who secretly longs for acceptance; and Ramon, the hardworking Nicaraguan classmate for whom this is the trip of a lifetime, readers will love this European escapade with characters who reflect the richness and multiculturalism of modern America. Another triumph of storytelling filled with heart and wonder. (Graphic fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
