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Official Biography
Jerry Craft is the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal winning author of the graphic novel, New Kid. His second graphic novel, Class Act, publishes on October 6, 2020. Craft is also the creator of Mama’s Boyz, an award-winning comic strip which won the African American Literary Award five times. He is a cofounder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts.
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Photos of Jerry
Photo credit: Hollis King
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Photo credit: Hollis King
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Awards & Recognition for New Kid
Winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal
Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Award
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature
Finalist for Audie Award – Middle Grade Book of the Year
San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller
Indie Bestseller for Early & Middle Grade Readers
One of Publishers Weekly’s Best Middle Grade Books of 2019
New England Independent Booksellers Association Best Children’s Book of 2019
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association 2019 Book of the Year for Middle Readers
Top 10 Spring 2019 Indie Next List Pick
Amazon Best Book of the Month, Ages 9-12
2019 Harvey Award for Best Children’s Book Nominee
One of Booklist’s 2019 Top 10 Diverse Fiction for Youth
One of Publishers Weekly’s Most Anticipated Children’s Books, Spring 2019
#1 Indie Comics & Graphic Works Bestseller
One of the Best Graphic Novels of 2019 – School Library Journal
One of the 5 Best Fiction Books of 2019 – Washington Post
One of the Best Graphic Novels of 2019 – Washington Post
2020 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children – Honor Book
One of the Best Books of the Year – Time.com
Best Books of 2019 – New York Public Library
Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2019 – Chicago Public Library
25 Best Children’s Books of 2019 – New York Times
Best Multicultural Children’s Books of 2019 – Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature
The Best New Gift Books for Kids – People
Additional Recognition
- Pioneer Lifetime Achievement Award from the East Coast Black Age of Comic Convention
- The Offenders: Saving the World While Serving Detention! chosen by PACER.ORG as one of the best middle grade anti bullying books
- Junior Library Guild Honoree for The Zero Degree Zombie Zone
- 2013 Glyph Award Winner for Best Comic Strip
- African American Literary Show Open Book Award “Best Comic Strip” (2013, 2012, 2011, 2009 & 2004
- Mama’s Boyz: The Big Picture 2010 S’Indie Award for Best Children’s Book
- Jerry Craft named on BET’s Top Graphic Artists
- Profile Magazine Award of Excellence (2009)
- DC Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy “Conversation Starter Award” (2007)
- American Diabetes Association ADA Outstanding Supporter Awards
- National Cartoonists Society Award Nominee (2000)