[book cover]

Book Review:
Hey, New Kid!

by Betsy Duffey
Illustrated by Ellen Thompson
Reviewed by Christopher Essex


Published 1996 by Viking, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. $13.99 (hardcover).
Hey, New Kid! is a chapter book about Cody Michaels, an imaginative nine-year-old boy who is facing a situation that more and more children deal with in our increasingly mobile society--starting all over again at a new school. Speaking from personal experience, I know that this can be a traumatic and exciting event. For Cody, it is both.

The book opens as Cody's mother is trying to coax him out of the car in front of the school, but Cody resists. He looks out the window at the other children going into the building, and says, "You told me never to speak to strangers. That's what those are, Mom." A few minutes later, as he waits outside the principal's office while his mother signs the necessary papers, Cody realizes something that most kids who have a chance to start over at a new school or day care center or summer camp discover: nobody knows them at this new place, so they can be--or at least try to be--anybody they want. Most of us have utilized these opportunities for "image repair" over the years. But of course, Cody goes too far. By the time the school day is half over, Cody realizes that this "New, Deluxe Cody" is a complex person:

He was from Alaska.
He had lived in an igloo.
His father was an F.B.I. agent.
His mother drove a red Jag.
His pet was a shy emu.
He had won trophies for skating.
And he was smart, super smart.

And now Cody has to keep his teacher and his two new friends, Chip and Holly, from discovering that he may not be as "new" and "deluxe" as he claims.

[Cody] Illustration by Ellen Thompson. Not to be reproduced without permission.
The book is written in a light, humorous style that is sure to appeal to children of Cody's age group. Very nearly every page evokes a noise from the reader--either a chuckle at some bit of funny dialogue or a groan as Cody makes the situation worse for himself. Betsy Duffy has written many previous books of children's fiction, including How to Be Cool in the Third Grade and Puppy Love, and she is an accomplished and engaging storyteller. Illustrations by Ellen Thompson--black-and-white reproductions of watercolors--are sprinkled throughout the book. For the most part, they provide realistic snapshots of Cody's adventures, with an occasional cartoony page that just emphasizes words from the text like "Super Deluxe New Kid" or, more ominously, "GIRLS' BATHROOM."

The message of this book is spoken by Cody's mother: "Be yourself." Hey, New Kid! will be enjoyed by most children, but particularly those that are facing entering a new school this coming fall. All in all, an entertaining book about an all-too-common experience that is sure to delight elementary-school-age children.

PCTO Rating:

(4 of 5 stars)

Return to the Table of Contents