New Boy

New Boy
by Julian Houston

NEW BOY by

Category: Contemporary

Age Recommendation: Grades 9+

Release Date: 1/14/08

Publisher: Graphia

Reviewed by:

Rating: 4 Stars

It’s the 1950s, the time when segregation was still taking place. Even though his parents, especially his mother,

tried to

protect him from the harshness and unfairness that was still present, Rob Garrett knew that his parents

wouldn’t be

there to watch out for him forever. And his parents knew that, too.

That time came too quickly when Rob was awarded a scholarship to Draper, a prestigious private school in

Connecticut, where he would begin his sophomore year. There he would be the only African American to attend

-- and

also the first. Without his parents there he knew he would have to fend for himself, to take this

opportunity and make

his parents proud.

While there, most of the boys were very welcoming; some were even wondering if he wanted to play on the

sports

teams, something he would never have been able to do if he had continued school back in Virginia. But

Rob wanted to

keep to himself so nothing troublesome would occur.

Back at home, though, a battle on segregation was taking place, and those affected by it were not going to stand

around and let it happen. For instance, a local restaurant would not wait on African Americans, and many

students

were not happy about it, wanting to protest. Rob, passionate about making a difference, wanted to go

along, too, but

how can he when he is all the way in Connecticut trying to make the honor roll?

But there at the school, too, Rob witnesses segregation when an Italian student is made to be separated from the

rest of

his classmates, because some of them didn’t want him around. And Rob’s new friend is treated the same

way, teased

and made fun of because he is Jewish. Attending Draper, Rob knew that there would be problems

-- he just never

knew that it could happen to any ethnicity. Will Rob be able fight the segregation both at school

and at home?

Beautifully written, NEW BOY is a powerful story that deals with an act that was once among us, which affected

people than most would have thought. The events and actions that evolve in the story realistically takes us

back into that

time. Rob is a strong character with passion who acts on what he believes, making the reader feel

for him and respect

him. And his friend, Gordie, lets us witness that not everyone had reformed to the idea of

segregation. NEW BOY is a

novel that will intrigue and satisfy any reader.