The Good, the Bad, and the Meh…

Our team from ABM chose the books New Kid and Me and Sam Sam Handle the Apocalypse as our first reads and, as usual, had several disagreements when we met to Smack.

First the good: 

Sam Sam is written by Susan Vaught. She is a neuropsychologist who also happens to be neurodiverse. Most of us agree that there is enough good in this book that we would put it in our classroom libraries. Kids who are neurodivergent are often depicted as not being able to live independently, but Jesse has more life skills than anybody would expect her to have. We also love the strong female role model presented by Jesse’s mom. She is on the bomb disposal unit with the U.S. Army and is serving in Iraq. She is a calming force in Jesse’s often tumultuous world — even if it is always over a screen. It isn’t often that women are seen in this kind of role, and we think many girls would appreciate a step outside of the normal gender roles for women. Vaught also does an excellent job of explaining some of the sensitivities of being neurodiverse, such as Jesse’s brain itching and Jesse fighting her compulsion to count at inopportune moments. There is lots to like about this book, particularly for those kids trying to understand neurodiversity. 

New Kid by Jerry Craft is a great middle-school graphic novel that is accessible to all students in the class. Jordan is an art-loving kid who wants to attend art school, but his parents enroll him in a prestigious academic school where he is one of a few kids of colour. This book can be used as a gentle opening to discuss systemic racism in the U.S. as Jordan finds himself torn between two worlds -- and not really fitting into either one. The artwork, especially the two-page spreads, were enjoyable and often impactful. Although some of us think the racism is too subtle in this book, others believe that this is how most racism occurs — when people are not even aware of how their actions are perceived by others. The book does a solid job showing how stereotypes can hurt and confuse people. Other themes present include the desire to fit in and the toll that inequity of wealth takes on young people. As adults, It is easy to forget the pressures that exist during this time of life. Craft reminds us how important it is to ask real questions about what is going on in the lives of kids. He also, through Jordan, shows kids that change can be okay, not perfect, but that in the end they can reflect and see personal growth. 

And now? The bad.

As stated earlier, some of us are not happy with how subtle the racism is presented in New Kid. If students surface-read the novel (as so many do with graphic novels), they might even miss the racism that is presented. But really, that is about the only weakness found in this book. 

Sam Sam, on the other hand, presents several red flags. For some of us, the book just didn’t hold our attention. Others found there is just way too much going on. Extreme bullying, tornadoes, potential imprisonment of a parent, a gambling addiction, a neurodiverse character, a mystery that needs solving — too much! We feel the book would have been better if it could have focused on one issue, such as neurodiversity and bullying. But even the bullying, as written, is too much. The kids who were the bullies were totally out of control, both in and out of school, even though Jesse’s father was a long-time teacher there. Everyone in the school turned a blind eye to the torture that was going on. Yep. Too, too much. 

Finally, the meh. Although we will all put these books in our classroom libraries, neither of these books strike us as outstanding. But based on the weaknesses of Sam Sam, New Kid moves forward.