Class Act: A Graphic Novel by Jerry Craft
Product Details
Web ID: 11774216A Must Read, and Great Sequel to New Kid
This book was like a roller coaster. It slowly builds up to the great parts and then drops to new and fun activities. This book really brought me back to when I was in elementary school. I was doing a lot of dumb stuff, meeting new friends, and getting decent grades. I can really relate to Drew Ellis. He is the main character in the class act and is pretty funny. The book also represents some of what the world is like right now. The book is about 3 kids (Jordan, Drew, and Liam) becoming friends. Jordan and Drew are African-American, and Liam is a rich white American. This book is about racial diversity in schools and how the kids there can get along even though they are of different races. That also happens in real life in schools and that is a good thing. A lot of young kids and readers can relate to this book and probably will like the book. The author Jerry Craft is very easy to relate to because he makes a lot of references to everyday things for kids and teens. He makes references to tv shows, video games, books, cartoons, quotes, movies, etc. His topics are easy to understand. His illustrations and use of grammar really drive deep into me because it touches me. It takes me back to when I was younger. This book is also a good way to figure out how to make new friends. Jerry Craft shows how to make friends, and how to make your way through. Honestly, I'd give this book a solid 5/5 because it is just so relateable and so much fun to read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Predictable, but in a shocking way
A few months ago, I read the book New Kid and enjoyed it quite a lot. The book, where 7th-grader Jordan Banks has to cope with the new environment that came with his new school and new faces, some of which he befriended, such as Liam, Drew, Alexandra, etc. So, naturally, when I found out that that book had a sequel dubbed Class Act, I had to read it. However, unlike New Kid, told via the perspective of Jordan, this book is told via the viewpoint of Drew, one of Jordan's close friends. Class act, on the face of it, has a pretty similar plot to that of New Kid. It is again about a kid who has to cope with racial or behavioral injustice in a school of diversity by befriending people in similar situations as him. However, this book managed to connect to its reader better than other books I have read in this genre. It is structured as a graphic novel, so all scenes are coherent enough to be understandable for even the most dingus of readers, like me. Despite its sense of simplicity, it does still take your brain to accept what happens throughout the novel. It even managed to use truth and relatability to, in a sense, have me feel what it was like to be in the situation that Drew found himself in throughout the book. It makes the book feel alive, not like a sheet of paper I force myself to read. Jerry Craft, I feel, knows how to appeal to the younger generation very well. He makes connections and references to video games, tv series, other books, movies, animes, famous people and their quotes; you name it. And that might be why this is one of the best books in its category among us. It is a fabulous book to read, and I would most certainly recommend it to one of my peers. Predictable, but it a shocking way.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A fantastic follow-up to New Kid
Class Act is a fantastic continuation to New Kid, featuring the budding artist, Jordan Banks, and his RAD friends, including Drew who takes center stage on the cover of this sequel. In New Kid, Jordan attends the prestigious Riverdale Academy where he navigates new classes, teachers, and friendships, as well as racism and microaggression from both teachers and classmates. In Class Act, Jordan and his friends start eighth grade at RAD, or Second Form, where Jordan and Drew continue to maneuver through high school life. There's more focus on Drew this time around, though still told from Jordan's pov, as well as more focus on their friendship with Liam, but all the same characters are present and the themes are much the same, making this a must-read for young readers and educators alike.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
One of my favorite books of 2020!
I had very high expectations for Class Act since reading New Kid, and I have to say, it totally exceeded them! Jerry Craft's writing and art styles are fresh and fun, and his storylines are really heartfelt. He addresses a lot of tough (yet timely) topics like racism and classism in a way that is relatable for Middle Grade readers, and even manages plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout. I especially enjoyed the small nods to other authors and graphic novels peppered into the story. I wish I could get this book in the hands of every Young Reader!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com