On Thursday, October 22 at 6:30 p.m., the Hudson Library & Historical Society will host a live virtual streaming event with Jerry Craft, author of the children’s graphic novels New Kid (2019) and Class Act (2020). Jerry Craft is both a New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal-winning author. He will discuss his books and then have a Q&A session with participants. This program is for children in grades 3 and up.

New Kid follows seventh-grader Jordan Banks, who was brought up in Washington Heights and is now starting at a new prestigious private school known for its academic excellence. However, Jordan isn’t just the new kid, he is also one of the few kids of color in the whole school. As seventh grade progresses, Jordan struggles with trying to fit into these two different personae his old life and new school are demanding of him.

Class Act, the sequel to New Kid, follows Jordan’s friend, Drew. Drew knows that because of the color of his skin, he must work harder than any other student at his school. As the year progresses, he struggles with his fellow students and even his closest friend, as they take everything in their lives for granted.

New Kid is the winner of the Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature.

Booklist called New Kid “possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year” and Kirkus Reviews said it was “an engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America.”

Registration is required for this live Zoom program. See this page for more information.

Arrangements for the appearance of Jerry Craft made through HarperCollins Speakers Bureau, NY, NY.