Response to Reconsideration

To whom it may concern,

I appreciate your concern regarding the materials we hold in our library, especially for our middle school students. I understand that there is a request for reconsideration regarding New Kid by Jerry Craft. As a librarian at Carter Middle School and in the Dale Independent School District we work to ensure all student’s freedoms and intellectual rights are protected. While you may feel that New Kid does not have a place in our library, others may feel it does. All books chosen for the library go through a rigorous process before they are purchased and shelved for our readers. I would like to share with you a few reasons why New Kid was purchased in the first place and also what value it continues to have.

When we begin to select our books, we like to look at books that have won awards or were nominated for awards. New Kid actually won two very prestigious awards- 2020 Newbery Medal and 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Award. The Newbery Medal “is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children,” (ALA, 2021). The Coretta Scott King Book Awards for Authors “are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values,” (ALA, 2021).

Another method we evaluate books is through professional reviews. New Kid received positive reviews from Booklist, Horn Book Magazine, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal among several other professions review companies. In one professional review by Megan Rupe, she states, “Public and school libraries in particular will want to make sure to have it on the shelves as it is a great book for young people, and educators will be excited to know that there is a teaching guide to use in the classroom,” (2020). With these awards and professional views, we will not be removing New Kid from our library.

Furthermore, graphic novels are such an important part of our library. Graphic novels can help readers to learn about other cultures as well as their own, and in turn, learn about themselves. Graphic novels can help our teen readers to navigate and explore their own identities. This is possible because, “They provide previously unimaginable opportunities to gain perspective on and empathy for "the other" because they make experiences of individuals from different races, genders, sexual orientations, faith experiences, available in new ways,” (Aguilar, 2011). This is important for our young students as they work through their own identity.

In addition to the exploration of self and others, graphic novels often help readers to understand society and the world in a different light. Some may see graphic novels as silly comics that hold little value, but what is true is that, "many graphic novels are more complex than the superheroes found in comic books and address many of the same issues and concerns found in more traditional types of literature,” (Bucher & Manning, 2004). Because of this value, graphic novels are encouraged in our library.

Thank you for reaching out to us with your concerns, we hope that there has been some alleviation regarding the inclusion of the graphic novel New Kid in our library, as well as a better understanding for why we encourage graphic novels in general. If you have any further concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us again.

Thank you,

Kirsten Cermak

References

Aguilar, J. (2011). Exploring identities through graphic novels. California English, 16(4), 12-13.

American Library Association. (2021). John Newbery Medal. Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newbery.

American Library Association. (2021). The Coretta Scott King Book Awards. Round Tables. http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/cskbookawards.

Bucher, K. T. & Manning, M. L . (2004). Bringing graphic novels into a school's curriculum. The Clearing House, 78(2), 67-72.

Craft, J. (2019). New kid. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.