Someone New [Hardcover]

In this companion story toI'm New Here, three elementary schoolers--who aren't new--begin to understand and embrace three immigrant students.

Are you new here? Do you know someone new? InI'm New HereandSomeone New, young readers explore the immigrant experience through both windows and mirrors. InI'm New Here, readers meet three recent immigrants trying to adjust to a new country and school. InSomeone New, the same story is told from the perspective of the students who welcome the newcomers. An honest and heartwarming look at diversity, inclusion, and friendship.

Informative and genuine —Kirkus Reviews(starred review)In I'm New Here(2015), O'Brien told the story of three new immigrants from their perspectives. Here, she tells the same story from the perspectives of the peers who welcome them. Jesse, Jason, and Emma are struggling to connect with their new peers—Maria from Guatemala, Jin from South Korea, and Fatimah from Somalia—who seem so different from them. Jesse, a white boy, sees Maria watching his team play soccer. He wonders if she even knows how to play, thinking, Our team is already great as it is. I don't want to mess it up. Jason, a black boy, wants to share his comics with Jin, but since Jin can't read or write English, Jason wishes he had a superpower to help him. Emma, a white girl, tries to explain to Fatimah, who wears hijab, what's happening in class, but Fatimah does not understand. Each student uses a talent of theirs (soccer, writing, and drawing) to connect with their new classmate and make a friend. O'Brien's watercolor-and-digital illustrations again make effective use of white space to positively depict the students who are already home moving through discomfort and confusion to welcoming their new classmates. The author includes a note discussing intergroup anxiety, how to overcome it, and strategies for dissolving barriers. Informative al³"