The New Kid: The Carver Chronicles, Book Five

The Carver Chronicles #5

by Karen English, Laura Freeman (Illustrator)

Third-grader Gavin and his friends aren’t sure what to make of the new boy in their class, Khufu. He sure doesn’t look or act like the other kids . . . and they suspect that he stole Gavin's bike! Meanwhile, Gavin’s great-aunt Myrtle is coming to stay with his family again, and Gavin is sure she’ll be teaming up with his big sister to boss him around the whole time.

Offering spot-on storytelling, relatable characters and situations, and plenty of action, this gently humorous story about a diverse group of elementary-schoolers shows that even someone who seems strange can turn out to be a good friend, if you give them a chance.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

128 pages, Paperback

Published December 18, 2018

About the author

Karen English is a Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winner and the author of the Nikki and Deja and The Carver Chronicles series. Her novels have been praised for their accessible writing, authentic characters, and satisfying storylines. She is a former elementary school teacher and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Leah]

Cool Kids!

As my first from The Carver Chronicles series of chapter books for young readers, The New Kid has inspired me to read them all! The story's really quite simple—a few days in the lives of [George Washington] Carver elementary school friends and their families, along with too quick perceptions or misperceptions (judgments?) about objects and happenings from both kids and grownups. Bicycles are the central subject of confusion and concern—how apt is that, in a world full of urban small boys?

New kid in the classroom Khufu is sufficiently different from and very much more studious than the other kids to puzzle them; even the teacher doesn't seem to quite understand everything about Khufu. Without including a spoiler in my review I'll mention several kids and a grownup parent both make similar mistakes that get amicably resolved; by the end of the book, even the new kid finds a comfortable place in his third grade class in his new school. Some very well done black and white illustrations by Laura Freeman enhance this book.

[Anthony]

When the new kid, Khufu, joins Ms. Shelby-Ortiz's class, Gavin and his friends aren't too sure about him. When Gavin's new bike disappears from the school yard, and Khufu shows up the next day with a bike just like the one Gavin had, spray painted a bright orange, suspicions are raised. Plans are put into place to get back what Gavin thinks is his property, but all is not as it seems once Gavin does a little more investigating. Gavin and his friends learn a valuable lesson about jumping to conclusions before all the facts are in.

[Mary Beam]

Realistic fiction with realistic characters. African American main character doesn't like to eat vegetables or do what his teacher says. Has a mix up with his bike and tries to solve the problem himself, leading to more trouble.

[Brenda]

This is another great addition to the realistic series. Talk about moral dilemmas. This book is packed full of them - the series is as well. I'm going to talk this series up.

[Sarah Valdez-Tate]

I am 7 years old and I liked this book. I like the characters and I like that it was a good mystery. I enjoyed the book. It was an exciting mystery.

- Dorian

[Fabiano]

4 ⭐

[Mathias]

cool