In the late 1950s, Virginian Rob Garret is the first boy of color to attend his Connecticut boarding school. He is glad to have a break from the segregation of his hometown, but he also witnesses the mistreatment, humiliation, and isolation of a friend by other students. He gets his first look at Harlem, views other types of prejudice, and considers the social changes that are in the making. He is torn between continuing in Connecticut and returning to Virginia to participate in the young people's movement to stop segregation.

New Boy is an excellent book. Rob is a character with intelligent, insightful observations about what he sees and experiences. He encounters many new and varied events with a mixture of wonder, excitement, hope, frustration, and anger.
related-boarding school, Harlem, 1950s, African Americans, Jews, sit-ins
RL=YA