8th Grade is such a walk in the park… Class Act Discussion Questions and Book Review

Class Act Discussion Questions and Class Act Parent Review written by the Hobbit on 1/19/21. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.

Know Before You Read Class Act

Book: Class Act
Author and Illustrator: Jerry Craft (Find the author’s website here)
Genre:  Graphic Novel, Coming of Age, Middle School stories
Pages: 250
Published: October 6th, 2020
Age Suggestion: 13+
Themes: Acceptance, doubt, discrimination, identity, stereotypes
Warnings: N/A

Quick Summary of the Class Act Book

The story started in New Kid continues as the characters navigate eighth grade. And, since the characters are a year older, the topics covered in the book are edged up a notch. While the story still is about Jordan, Class Act brings Drew front and center. Middle school years are tough years, and accepting yourself and others is a lesson that is being learned by all kids that age (and is one that we all can use).

Class Act Review
*No Spoilers*

The characters from New Kid are ready for another year at RAD – Riverdale Academy Day School. Although a few of the issues from New Kid are still there, Jordan, Drew, Liam, and their friends have a lot of new issues to confront. And while Jordan is still our primary narrator, Drew’s internal conflicts are highlighted. While many of these flow from racial inequality within the story, the struggles Drew has are emblematic of the struggles many kids at this age have in comparing themselves to others and ultimately accepting themselves.

Class Act deals more directly with issues of systemic racism head on (Jordan, Drew, and Jordan’s father being pulled over for a traffic stop and looking at the dad’s reaction was a reminder for me). While it does so seriously, it also has a lot of humor, and I believe most kids that age will relate to the characters and situations.

The artwork is incredible and I love the little background pieces dropped throughout the story. And the chapter titles – “Sketch Diary of a Shrimpy Kid” and “Affinity War” are two of them – show you the humor. The book is serious but has a great light side!

    Class Act should appeal to any kid in middle school. It is a fun and engaging read to help them survive middle school. It also confronts issues of systemic racism head on. It is also a great way for parents to look at the issues their kids may be facing, and would be a great book to discuss at home.

Continue reading for the Class Act Discussion Questions

Class Act Discussion Questions
**SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT**

Chapters 1 and 2:

• Jordan is experiencing one of the biggest issues of middle school – the many physical changes that happen. In his case, it is his height and his lack of “big boy stink”. How does your body changing impact your self image?
  
• Drew has several people come up and touch his hair. While usually not intended badly, it is wrong.  Have you ever had someone do something in a well-meaning way that made you uncomfortable?

Chapters 3 and 4:

• Andy really believes that he is better than a lot of other people. Do you have any “Andy’s” in your life?
  
• Andy has to live with literally being green, and even says that “it is not cool to tease someone because of the color of their skin.” How did Drew react? Although there was the possibility of change for both, does this experience change either one of them?

Chapters 5 and 6:

• The visit from the “sister school” Cardi De Academy points out some of the huge disparities between schools that are well funded and those that are not well funded. What surprised you? Did you know there were that many differences?
  
• Research idea – Look into the disparities that exist and research why they exist. https://uncf.org/pages/K-12-Disparity-Facts-and-Stats would be a good place to start.
  
• There is a short comic “I Lost the Bet” that is a humorous look at generational differences. Have you ever had a discussion like this with your parents (or your kids?) What were some of the differences that came up?

Continue reading for more Class Act Discussion Questions

Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10

• Drew reacts to spending time with Liam at Liam’s house by ghosting Liam (for parents, ghosting is stopping contact with someone without warning). Why did Drew do this? Is part of the reason because Drew is having difficulty accepting himself? How does his conversation with “Pigmund Freud” help him?

Chapters 11 and 12

• Mr. Roche has, throughout the book, made lots of missteps. Can people who are genuinely trying to be inclusive and to change the system make missteps? Mr. Roche is willing to learn from his mistakes. Does that make a difference?

Chapter 13

• What has Jordan learned about himself by the end of Class Act? What has Drew learned about himself? How do these apply to you (if you are that age) or to your kids (if you are a parent)?

Final Thoughts on Class Act
*No Spoilers*

I am looking forward to Craft continuing to explore these characters as they move into ninth grade, and I hope he will. New Kid and Class Act have reminded me not only of the huge systemic issues in our society, particularly in education, but also how incredibly hard middle school is. As I said above, this would be a great conversation starter for any parent with a kid in middles school.

If you enjoyed our Class Act Discussion Questions and Class Act Review, check out our other posts:

–New Kid: The Companion book of Class Act by Jerry Craft

–Dog Man reviews:
–Lord of the Fleas
–Fetch 22
–Brawl of the Wild

–Unicorn Rescue Society

What graphic novels are you reading right now?! Take a second to share this please, and let us know what you’re reading below!

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