Crispell students started a school-wide reading project that will have all students reading the same books throughout the entire school year. Principal John Boyle explained that we are all different people and we need to learn about other cultures, to see the world around us from another perspective. “4 Books for Crispell” recently kicked off with sixth-graders starting to read “New Kid” by Jerry Craft, a Newberry Award winning author.

 

“New Kid” is a graphic novel about a seventh-grade student who loves to write and draw and wants to attend the art school of his dreams. Instead, his parents send him to a prestigious private school where he is one of just a few students of color. And, of course, he is the new kid.

In a video message to students, the author said he wasn’t an avid reader as a kid, noting he didn’t see himself much in the books he read.

“It’s important to see yourself in books,” he said, noting this book is about an African-American student but also a kid new to a school. He encouraged readers to be respectful and kind to everyone, especially the new kids.

Students were actively giving their opinions on situations in the anticipation guide on the first day of the reading program. The anticipation guide brought up many situations that they would discover in this book – such as how challenging it can be to go to a new school, kids wanting to belong and surrounding yourself with people of different perspectives. The answers to situations aren’t always black and white, they learn.

The remaining three books the Crispell students will read in the program are “Class Act,” also by Jerry Craft, “Stargazing” by Jen Wang and “The Witch Boy” by Molly Ostertag.

Happy reading Crispell!