Image: HarperCollins Publishers
Class Act by Jerry Craft. 256 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, October, 2020. 9780062885510. (Review of finished purchased copy.)
Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed the amazing weekend! After five days of rain, Saturday was brilliantly sunny and I spent the day raking and blowing all the leaves that came down with the rain while listening to an audiobook. I finished on Sunday before the wind and rain combined forces to bring more leaves (and some neighborhood trees) down, obliterating the work I did. Such is autumn.
Middle Grade Monday features Class Act by Jerry Craft. This is the sequel to his Newbery-winning, and I believe MG debut, New Kid. Jordan returns to ritzy RAD for his second year. He's now an eighth grader. He notes all the changes among his classmates, Drew got taller and sports a new haircut that attracts unwanted attention and touching. Liam remains oblivious to his own white privilege, though we do learn thanks to the triple POV of this graphic novel, that life at home is not great. He's closer to his driver than his own dad. We also learn more about Drew and his home life. The school administration has launched a diversity initiative that is laughably inept.
Middle Grade Monday features Class Act by Jerry Craft. This is the sequel to his Newbery-winning, and I believe MG debut, New Kid. Jordan returns to ritzy RAD for his second year. He's now an eighth grader. He notes all the changes among his classmates, Drew got taller and sports a new haircut that attracts unwanted attention and touching. Liam remains oblivious to his own white privilege, though we do learn thanks to the triple POV of this graphic novel, that life at home is not great. He's closer to his driver than his own dad. We also learn more about Drew and his home life. The school administration has launched a diversity initiative that is laughably inept.
Mr. Craft seamlessly weaves serious issues, such as racism, microagressions and classism into an engaging text that never feels burdened by the messages. The full-color art just pops. The chapter breaks contain amusing parodies of popular graphic novels that most gn fans will recognize and an an Easter egg that is metaphorical genius and absolutely tickles.
Class Act is an absolute must-purchase. You'd do well to buy more than one copy.
No comments:
Post a Comment