★ 美國紐伯瑞兒童文學金牌獎
2020紐伯瑞金牌獎得主
獎項成立以來，首度由圖像小說獲獎
本書榮獲紐伯瑞金牌獎榮譽，作者克拉夫（Jerry Craft）證明了以「不受苦難驅使的」非裔美國人故事亦能成功，在這個探討種族及階級的故事中，帶領讀者進入以白人為主的學校，與他一起奮力找到自己的定位，建立自我認同。他巧妙地運用了圖像小說的形式，為讀者帶來令人愉悅而真實的角色及情節。例如，主角喬丹．班克斯（Jordan Banks）進入學校食堂後，將其縮小到螞蟻大小的比例，並將飯廳變成了怪異的仙境，藉以呈現出他缺乏社交地位。這樣的視覺效果令人目眩，也能共感喬丹內心的不適。
他是新來的孩子，但是作為來自華盛頓高地的非洲裔美國男孩，這種污名不僅僅使他在回家的路上迷路了，更讓他發現自己是在異國他鄉的陌生人。在追尋自我的定位的路上，他也迷路了……。生活中的文化差異、對非裔人士的訕笑，讓喬丹有種格格不入之感。他努力找尋關於自己是誰，正站在哪裡，又正往何處去。
克拉夫表示多數人仍然相信文化大熔爐的想法，每個人都融化並重塑為同一個孩子。但或許用沙拉比擬會更妥適：即生菜仍為生菜、黃瓜仍是黃瓜，胡蘿蔔也一樣……，它們保持自己的身份，但組合在一起會有很棒的呈現。不同的個體彼此尊重，也發揮專屬於自己的特色。克拉夫希望在本書中傳達這樣的理念，為在身份與文化認同的路上迷惘的孩子，提供一份力量，擁有多一點信心，創造更好的自己。
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature!
Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft.
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.
As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
【適讀程度】
Age Range: 8 - 12 years