“They offer five languages, AP classes, the Harkness method, lacrosse, crew…”
“What’s crew?”
“What’s the Harkness method?”
“I have no idea, but they sound wonderful.”
In the graphic novel's opening scene, Jordan's mother, Ellice, swoons over the Riverdale Academy Day School website. Meanwhile, Jordan winces and his father furrows his brow, neither of them understanding the significance of the school's features. In this humorous exchange of dialogue, Ellice admits she also doesn't know what "crew" (team rowing) or "the Harkness method" (an educational model where students discuss topics while sitting at the same table) are. Ultimately, the exact meaning of the words isn't important to Ellice because they amount to elite shibboleths Jordan will soon learn about.
“Are you gonna try out for the team?”
“No. I’d rather play Alexander Hamilton in The George Washington Musical… Or at least play cello in the orchestra. But I do kinda like squash. Do you?”
“Nah, I’m more of a broccoli guy.”
One day after school, Jordan attempts to befriend Maury, one of the few Black students at RAD. However, the two quickly learn that they have little in common, as Maury doesn't play video games and Jordan doesn't even realize that squash is a sport often played by the wealthy. The exchange is significant because it shows that Jordan and Maury both being Black does not necessarily mean they have an easy time relating to each other. Instead, Maury's family's extreme wealth has resulted in him having elite tastes that are alienating to Jordan.
“How are you fitting in?”
“Okay, except they keep calling me and Drew by the wrong names.”
“I wouldn’t read anything into it. I’m sure it’s only because you’re new.”
Microaggression is a term used to describe language and behavior which—whether intentional or not—can be perceived as racist in nature by the person impacted. A common form of microaggression in schoolrooms is when teachers—especially among those who haven't been exposed to much cultural diversity—routinely call a student belonging to a minority group by the name of another student within that group. In this exchange, Jordan expresses his frustration to Mr. Garner, one of the few Black members of the faculty. While Garner tries to convince Jordan not to read into it, in the very next panel, an older white man walks past Garner and mistakes him for the school's Black coach, proving Jordan's point.
"In order to be successful in corporate America, you have to know how to play the game.”
“But not everyone can play that game, Ellice. Nor should they have to! That’s why I left that life.”
After attending parent-teacher night, Jordan's parents come home and discuss what his teachers said about his engagement and performance. The conversation devolves into an argument that shows the divide between Chuck and Ellice. While Ellice wants Jordan to adjust to life at RAD because it will teach him "the rules" needed to succeed in a corporate landscape dominated by the white and wealthy, Chuck is more sympathetic, believing Jordan ought to pursue art if it's what he wants. This exchange is significant because it shows how Jordan's schooling becomes a proxy for a more complex conflict between each of his parents' attitudes toward ambition and assimilation.
“What are you talking about? I’m not angry, I even kinda like it here.”
“I beg to differ. This book is a polemic against everything this school stands for. And me.”
When Ms. Rawle finds Jordan's sketchbook, she reads through it with no regard for his privacy. She then confronts him about the "anger" she detects in his satirical comics about life at RAD. In this exchange, Jordan bristles at being misinterpreted as an angry young Black male when his comics are simply an expression of an opinion, like one would see in an editorial cartoon. Rawle doubles down on her accusation, however, treating Jordan's private drawings as an affront to the school and her authority. The exchange is significant because it shows how Rawle treats Jordan with the same condescension and mistrust that she does Drew. Neither student can ignore how she comments on their behavior far more judgementally and uncharitably than she does when dealing with white students such as Andy.
“Oh, I see… It’s okay that this stuff happens to us… It’s just not okay for us to complain about it. … Would you teach at a school in my neighborhood? You know, so you could be special?”
In this passage, Jordan stands up for himself against Rawle's assessment that he is too angry and ought to accept that he only stands out at RAD because he is "special." Jordan points out the coded messages in Rawle's statements, which imply that he should put up with microaggressions without complaint, simply accepting the school for what it is so that it may accept him back. To end the conversation, Jordan challenges her to see things from his perspective, pointing out that she wouldn't feel very comfortable coming to teach in his neighborhood, a middle- and working-class ethnically diverse area.
"What are you anyway?"
Upon meeting Andy, Jordan realizes quickly that he is an attention-seeker. He also gets his first taste of Andy's tendency to ask questions and make comments that needlessly bring up the racial background of students of color. In this passage, Andy casually slips in a question about "what" Jordan is, suggesting that Jordan's light-brown skin tone is confusing to him. Andy's desire to racially categorize Jordan also speaks to the way he sees the world.
"Jordan, this is amazing!"
"It is?"
"Sure, the way that some colors blend. While others clash. It's like, beneath this calm exterior lies this storm. It's so you, Jordan!"
In art class, Jordan reluctantly accepts Ms. Slate's challenge to paint something that isn't figurative. While making his composition, Jordan thinks about the frustrations he has dealt with as a student at RAD. The resulting painting is an expressionistic encapsulation of his emotional state. In this exchange, Slate praises the painting, seeing it as a "so" Jordan because it matches his mix of a calm demeanor and conflicted, sometimes bitter emotional state.
"Whatever it is, you look like a new kid."
"You know, I feel kinda like a new kid."
On his last day of his first year at RAD, Jordan is excited to start the summer having made genuine connections with several important people. When his parents pick him up, they comment on the positive change in his demeanor. In this exchange, the book's title gains new meaning: No longer the new kid starting at an unfamiliar school, he is a "new kid" in the sense of being reborn as a more confident and content person than when he started at RAD.
“My grandpa always says that friends are like training wheels for a bike. They always keep you from falling down. That’s a metaphor. I learned about them in English.”
"Actually, Jordan, that's a simile."
“C’mon, ‘Private School,’ everybody knows that!”
On the last page of New Kid, Jordan reconnects with his neighborhood friends and goes off to play basketball. In this exchange, Jordan expresses his appreciation for his oldest friends, likening them to bicycle training wheels because they perform a similarly supportive function. However, he mistakenly identifies it as a metaphor. He points it out like a know-it-all, prompting his friends to point out that, as a private schooler, he should know it's a simile. The passage is significant because it shows that despite having good enough grades to attend an elite private school on financial aid, Jordan has friends who stay in the neighborhood's public school system and are not necessarily any less intelligent than he is.
