This is the third book in the "New Kid" series by Jerry Craft. I think that this one is my favorite of the three. We join Jordan, Drew, Liam and their classmates as they go on their school trip to Paris. This book is a teacher's dream come true. It brings up topics that are important to the world. BIPOC peoples experiences are sometimes challenging to share and to think about. This book uses kid friendly language to share experiences in a way that is meaningful to middle grade students. I can see a lot of fantastic conversations happening at school, amongst friends, even within families because of this book. I also LOVE the fact that Jordan keeps finding ways that Americans use French in every day language. It is a neat way to show how English has been influenced by other languages. I also really like that idioms keep coming up as well. I think that this would be a fantastic book to read in a middle school/junior high English class. I love that all of these things are brought up with Paris as the backdrop. Middle grade students can also learn about Paris. When I was young, my dream destination was Paris. I can see kids picking up this book and also fantasizing about visiting Paris one day as well. I definitely recommend this book for anyone that loves to read middle grade fiction. It's a beautiful book that will definitely make a lasting impression on the reader. Teachers can read this book to their students. Parents can read this book with their children. People ages 10 up can read these books on their own. I found myself laughing out loud at many parts. I highly recommend School Trip.

Jerry Craft kicks off his next book with Jordan and his peers from RAD in "School Trip". I think this is the best book in the series by far. In three books, we have seen these middle schoolers struggle through friendships, bullying, and racism. All the while, there is humor, imagination, and adventure to be had. In this third installment, Jerry Craft perfectly captures the heart of a school trip. Our characters address issues, bond, and make new friends all while adventuring in unknown (or known) places. Their experience helps them to refine, build-up, and appreciate their trip-mates. There is so much character growth that defines the maturity of older middle-grade students. This is a great book that students will love just as much if not more than those that went before it.

Students will love this third installment of New Kid! My students love the characters and will enjoy reading about their school trip.

Thank you for the advanced copy. I was excited to read the next book in this fun series. This time the school is going on class trips. I like how Jerry Craft addresses things kids are dealing with these days. I'm glad he has a diverse cast of characters. I enjoyed a trip to Paris with the kids. Not my favorite of the series but it was fun.

This graphic novel is just as awesome as the previous two books by Jerry Craft! I can't wait to put this one in their hands! The message in the book that I love the most is that reading graphic novels IS reading! I have had to deal with some of this thinking at the middle school where I work and while assisting with reluctant readers, I often push graphic novels into their hands! I also love that he touched on the banned books issue that we are all dealing with now. Thank you so much Jerry Craft for choosing to NOT shy away from tough topics! Kids need to see these topics and be able to form their own opinions and come to their own conclusions! I will ALWAYS recommend this book to my avid readers and reluctant readers alike!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Children’s Books, and Jerry Craft for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

Jordan, Drew, Liam, and the rest of the crew of Riverdale Academy Day are back and headed to Paris for a school trip. As they’re making their way around a foreign city taking in the sites and great food, they’re also navigating new friendships. Some of the same issues from home come abroad with them and the RAD kids come together to help each other learn about their differences and what they struggle with.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this book. New Kid has been an AMAZING book for my students and since getting Class Act, I haven’t been able to keep it on the shelf. School Trip is a no-brainer to add to our class library.

This was alright. It did not have as much humor as the first two books and seemed to move from beat to beat in a some haphazard fashion. Nonetheless, this will likely satisfy fans of the first two books who are looking to follow characters they know into a new adventure abroad.

As a middle school librarian, I love to read graphic novels and especially love Jerry Craft’s NEW KID and CLASS ACT. CLASS TRIP is just as funny, heart-warming and honest as the first two. CLASS TRIP stands out for so many reasons including the fact that favorite characters have an opportunity to shine. I found myself cheering them on as they found their voices. CLASS TRIP also has Jordan’s journal entries that are seemingly simple messages but in actuality are the most impactful. For example, “Samira’s Guide to Insulting People” shows Andy and readers how to have fun with someone rather than belittling someone. There are so many gems like this as well as Easter eggs that are fun to locate! CLASS TRIP is by far one of the best graphic novels I have read and it will definitely win awards next January and throughout the year.

Thank you, netgalley, for the advanced copy on this one! I was so excited to see my old friends again, and this time in Paris! Puns, light chaos, new friendships, character development, yummy food, Andy continuing to be a butthead...I loved it.

An engaging graphic novel about a school trip to Paris, told from the point of view of Jordan and his friends. The kids learn that travel is both different from being at home and also full of some of the same problems and relationship negotiations.

SCHOOL TRIP – by Jerry Craft

SCHOOL TRIP is the first Middle-Grade Graphic Novel that I have read by Jerry Craft. I can’t wait to read the two novels that precede this one, NEW KID and CLASS ACT, and BLACK BOY JOY: Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood, an Anthology of short stories written by seventeen Black male and non-binary authors, which includes a short by Craft.

The lead character in SCHOOL TRIP is thirteen-year-old Jordan Banks, who, along with his friends Drew, Liam, Maury, and classmates, are about to finish Middle School at Riverdale Academy, and attend High School, when Jordon receives a much-anticipated letter in the mail—an approval or rejection letter from the High School of Music, Art, and Mime he applied to.

As an aspiring artist, Jordan wants more than anything to be accepted into the school, but he also realizes he would not only be the new kid in school all over again, he would miss his friends at Riverdale.

Did Jordan get accepted into the Academy?

Nope, no spoilers! ;)

The next day at school makes for an exciting distraction, along with trepidation when the kid's School Trips are posted on the bulletin board. Jordan and his friends: Drew, Maury, Liam, Girl Alex, and Samira, are all going on the school trip to Paris, unfortunately, along with the school bully, Andy, and the seemingly oblivious Ashely. (Ugh!)

Jordan is nervous about flying to a place where he doesn’t speak the language but can’t wait to go to Parish and see the museums with his favorite teacher Ms. Slate as one of the trip's chaperones, that is until a last-minute snafu has the faculty guides going to unexpected destinations, which makes for some educational, funny, and downright interesting journeys.

As the story unfolds, Jordan and his group try to navigate their way around the streets of Paris whilst seeing new sites and breaking down and truly understanding the commonalities and differences between various cultures within their group and setting, which aids in some much-needed self-discovery and awareness by stories end.

I don’t want to venture down spoilerville lane, but it broke my heart at the end regarding Jordan’s Mom’s comment as if it could never be possible, and I won’t say what the ‘it’ I’m referring to is; you have to read the book and find out.

Thank you, NetGalley and Quill Tree Books (HarperCollinsPublishers), for providing me with an eARC of SCHOOL TRIP at the request of an honest review.

Highly Recommend!

Scheduled For Release On: April 4, 2023 (subject to change)
Reading Age: 8 – 12

When I saw the third installment of the New Kid series by Jerry Craft, I was PUMPED. I loved both New Kid and Class Act and have had many wonderful discussion with students about these books. For some reason, though, School Trip just didn't hit the same. Don't get me wrong, every message of inclusion, equity, acceptance, and moment of kids standing up for themselves was well-written and accurate. The messages matter, especially in today's climate. But, the other two books balanced fun with a lesson. This one felt more...intense. I wonder how my students are going to react to it.
I loved seeing kids of color on a trip through Paris. I loved characters owning their individuality, and some standing up for themselves for the first time. The art is beyond fantastic, again. I didn't love that the teachers were represented as idiots, not gonna lie. I also read the first two installments in one sitting. This one took me a while to push through. Maybe it was the intensity between characters?
I'm just very unsure of how I felt about this graphic novel. I'm going to have to sit with it for a while. Will it be on my shelves? Absolutely.

** Will be published on Mar 3, 2023

My Thoughts:
Author and Artist Jerry Craft gives middle readers a good, wholesome, functional, and diverse group of friends having adventures in middle school. From our first introduction to the very likable Jordan Banks in the Newberry Award book New Kid, this third and last book about Jordan and his friends at Riverdale Academy Day School is a nice way to end their middle school journey and return having learned even more about tolerance, friendship and facing bullying and racism with grace and honesty.

This is just a nice book. And if you ever get to meet Jerry Craft, you will also see that he is nice. His characters reflect his own personality. Like Gene Luen Yang, they are giving of their time and talent. They are natural mentors for others. That author personality comes through in School Trip, even by the way that the teachers are treated by these students.

Thank you Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury, Ramon, Samira (even Ashley, Andy and Coach Roche) for a gentle reminder that middle school is really about relationships, and that relationships can be worked on even on the last week of middle school. Of course being in Paris helps, but lasting change comes from taking ourselves out of our usual ruts and perhaps that is where Paris comes in.

From the Publishers:
Jordan, Drew, Liam, Maury, and their friends from Riverdale Academy Day School are heading out on a school trip to Paris. As an aspiring artist himself, Jordan can’t wait to see all the amazing art in the famous City of Lights.

But when their trusted faculty guides are replaced at the last minute, the school trip takes an unexpected—and hilarious—turn. Especially when trying to find their way around a foreign city ends up being almost as tricky as navigating the same friendships, fears, and differences that they struggle with at home.

Will Jordan and his friends embrace being exposed to a new language, unfamiliar food, and a different culture? Or will they all end up feeling like the “new kid”?

Publication Information:
Author: Jerry Craft

Publisher: Quill Tree Books (April 4, 2023)

Jordan is still attending Riverdale Academy School, but has just gotten accepted to art school. He's thinking he will accept, but his mother doesn't think it's a good idea. Meanwhile, the RAD class trips are getting ready to depart. Some students are going to Alaska, some to the South, and Jordan and his friends are heading to Paris with the French teacher. Due to some destructive hijinks my frequent misbehavers, the chaperone list and travel documents are messed up, and on the day of the trip it turns out that Jordan's group will be traveling with two different teachers, Mr. Roche and Mr. Garner. Along with his best friend at school, Drew, Ramon, Liam, Maury, Alex, Ashley, and Samira will be on the trip. Unfortunately, so will Andy. Things go fairly smoothly, and the group gets to Paris okay, but there are some snags once they get there. The school credit card is declined, so Maury (whose family is very wealthy) picks up the tab. The group can't take the hop-on-hop-off buses, so walk instead. They experience a lot of different food, see the sights, and learn some life lessons along the way. Andy, who can't seem to interact appropriately with anyone who is not white, is brought to task for his negative ways, his inappropriate and unfunny jokes, and his general treatment of anyone who is different from him. Jordan is glad that he is able to travel, but realizes that there aren't a lot of portrayals of BIPOC students traveling, and wishes he could have seen this reflected in the media. When the group returns to school, they are glad that Andy has apologized to Ramon, whom he treated especially badly, and that their librarian has gotten a grant for more inclusive titles that aren't centered around trauma, as well as for more graphic novels.
Strengths: For some reasons, there seem to be fewer graphic novels with boys as the main characters, so it's good to see more books in this series. I like to be able to have a balanced collection in many respects; unlike Miss Brickner, the RAD librarian, I've been trying since before 2014 to have a more diverse book collection! I'm always a fan of books where kids travel, and this is a great trip to Paris without even leaving my armchair. The interpersonal problems are woven deftly into a fun story, so the action is never slowed down. The life lessons that Jordan examines in his comic book style chapters are important ones, but delivered with a light touch. This book will be popular with my students.
Weaknesses: There are a lot of self-referential comments, especially about books being banned and the liklihood of artists being successful, that I'm not sure my students will get. In fifty years, they will be fascinating to scholars of middle grade lit, certainly. I felt like there were a lot of inside jokes I wasn't quite getting.
What I really think: Both New Kid and Class Act circulate well in my library, so I will definitely be purchasing, especially since one of our language arts classes studies New Kid as a class novel, and demand for the sequels is always strong when a book is studied.

4.5
What a sweet book. It stands alone but probably best to read the first one before (I haven’t read the 2nd one yet). The author is creating the books he wished he had as a kid. Like he said in the book who sees a black kid going on a trip to Paris? Going to look for the 2nd book now which somehow I missed.

The most recent edition to the New Kid graphic novel series focuses on an end of middle school trip to Paris. The story felt chaotic and unbelievable, with strange and often judgemental asides. My interest in the series has progressively waned over time and I think this particular volume will be my last.

Jerry Craft’s latest graphic novel hits all the right notes as it helps the reader navigate the slew of micro aggressions and slights often faced by people of all backgrounds and all ages. He manages to do it in a softly insightful, yet straightforward way. This book offers up myriad chances for conversation in the classroom, while helping students understand the issues of race in realistic and uncomplicated way. A great read!

Another gem of a novel by Jerry Craft. He effortlessly blends the drama of life in middle school with the social and racial issues inherent in the lives of middle schoolers without it feeling forced. Students of all ages will be able to connect and see themselves in these characters, regardless of which school they attend or their skin color.

School Trip is Jerry Craft’s latest graphic novel that follows his original characters from New Kid. Jordan and his friends are looking forward to their class trip to Paris as they celebrate the end of junior high. However, things don’t go as expected from the very beginning. Not only is Jordan’s art teacher moved to chaperone a different trip at the last minute, he finds out that ANDY will be part of the Paris trip. Jordan and his friends are forced to confront choice and challenges both familiar and new.

I enjoyed the return of familiar characters in this addition to the New Kid series. Jordan is once again the primary character we follow, but we get additional insights into some of the other characters too. I appreciated the ways the characters handled their conflicts with each other. One aspect of this book that was particularly noteworthy was the art. Craft did an excellent job of embedding both subtle and not-so-subtle details to add humor and support the text. I also loved that Craft mentioned book banning multiple times since it is such a prominent issue in the United States right now (and it’s obvious that certain types of books are being targeted).

This book will make a great addition to middle school collections. I would also add it to my high school collection as many of the issues the characters face as relevant to older readers as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the opportunity to review an eARC of this title.

My son read this book. He said he liked that there was more recognition of diverse perspectives than in the first two books. His only complaint was that Craft tried to make Andy a more sympathetic character.