The New Kid Welcome: Welcome the New Kid: A Flip-It Story by Suzanne Slade, Nicole Miles
Published by Rodale Kids on July 1, 2022
ISBN: 0593426320
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

Plot twist! Or rather, book twist! Two different stories, two different outcomes, same words. This palindromic narrative literally turns the moment and thoughts around newcomers into the community on its head. The stories are told back-to-back, in first person plural, (the “we” voice), creating a powerful sense of control about the outcome for its readers. Text from The New Kid Welcome, “Check them out. So different from me – and my friends.” becomes “They’re not so different from me – and my friends. Check them out.” in Welcome the New Kid.

The illustrations of The New Kid Welcome depict a group of unsmiling children with different skin tones, differently abled, excluding the “new kid” (a White girl) from activities while Welcome the New Kid, the illustrations show the same children, smiling and inclusive, interacting with the same new kid. Illustrations play with “right-side up/upside-down” concepts as well.

The New Kid Welcome, the less charitable story, is the front cover (Welcome the New Kid includes the ISBN on its cover) and provides a less interesting arc than if it were the “second” story, but provides a happier ending this way. Readers will find this form engaging and will be excited to point out where and how the narrative flips. A helpful layout in the center of the book shows the text of each story side-by-side. Pair this with Someone New by Anne Sibley O’Brien.

Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, Young School Library, Saco