I wanted to share a new children’s book you will find inside our Christmas Gift Guide 2025 J vs. K by Kwame Alexander (Author), Jerry Craft (Author, Illustrator). We received a copy of the book in exchange for a review.
I had J vs. K sitting on my desk the other day when my sister Debbie was visiting. She said this is the type of book my nephew Jason likes to read. I had thought about giving the book to her as his Christmas present.
Charlie texted and I asked Charlie if he knew who the Authors were and he said yes, and he and his friends listen to them. I ‘ve decided to keep J vs. K to give to Charlie and once he and B finish reading the book they can give it to Jason if they decide to.
For me as a parent J vs. K was a #teachingmoment because I hadn’t heard of either of the Authors Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft which would have been a new lesson plan for us when we were #Homeschooling Charlie full time.
Once we have a chance to read J vs. K as a family, I will be back to share our thoughts with you. If you have Middle Schoolers, you may want to pick up a copy of the book as a Christmas Gift for the children on your shopping list because it’s like a Graphic Novel which most children are into.
About the book:
A New York Times and IndieBound bestseller!
Created by real-life rivals and #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft this hilarious illustrated story features two talented fifth graders going head-to-head in a competition for the ages.
J and K are the most creative fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School (DAPS). J loves to draw and his wordless stories are J-ENIUS! K loves to write and his stories are K-LASSIC!! Both J and K are determined to win the DAPS annual creative storytelling contest or at least get in the top five. And when they find out that they are both entering The Contest, it’s the beginning of one of the most intense rivalries the world has ever seen.
It’s artist vs. writer with plenty of shady double crosses as J and K plot their way to the top. This epic match-up from Newbery medal winners Kwame Alexander (The Crossover) and Jerry Craft (New Kid) celebrate comics, creativity, and the magic of collaboration.
Meet the Author: Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times Bestselling author of 35 books, including BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI (co-authored with James Patterson), SOLO, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, The Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and, his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER.
A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award.
In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that aims to Change the World One Word at a Time.
Kwame’s most recent book is LIGHT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE: A THOUSAND WORDS ON RACE AND HOPE. Find out more info on Kwame and where he’ll be at www.KwameAlexander.com.
Meet the Author: Jerry Craft
JERRY CRAFT is an author and illustrator. New Kid is his middle grade graphic novel that has earned five starred reviews, including one from Booklist magazine, which called it “possibly one of the most important graphic novels of the year.”
Kirkus Reviews called it “an engrossing, humorous, and vitally important graphic novel that should be required reading in every middle school in America. ”He is the creator of Mama’s Boyz, a comic strip that was distributed by King Features Syndicate from 1995-2013 and won five African American Literary Awards.
Jerry is a co-founder of the Schomburg’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. He was born in Harlem and grew up in nearby Washington Heights. He is a graduate of The Fieldston School and received his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
