Like I'm Falling (Simile)
New Kid opens with an image of Jordan falling through space, his limbs flailing. Jordan narrates, saying, “This is how I feel every single day of my life, like I’m falling without a parachute.” While Jordan adds that he is not actually falling but is using a metaphor, his statement is in fact a simile, as the comparison uses the word "like." Jordan uses the simile to emphasize how he feels like he is in an anxiety-inducing situation he is powerless to change.
Dead Fish (Metaphor)
Jordan keeps a graphic novel–like diary in his sketchbook, recording his take on aspects of his life. In one, he explains his father's advice for delivering firm, commanding handshakes. Jordan says, "And the most important rule of all: never, ever give someone a dead fish!!!" In this metaphor, Jordan emphasizes the unpleasant sensation of shaking a limp, clammy hand by referring to it as a lifeless fish.
General Tso's and Pepper Steak (Metaphor)
Jordan and his grandfather are eating Chinese food at his grandpa's favorite restaurant. When Jordan discusses how he likes Drew and Liam but has never hung out with both of them at the same time, Jordan's grandfather reminds him he used to eat only shrimp lo mein. Over time, however, Jordan discovered the joys of eating pepper steak and General Tso’s chicken. A few days later, Jordan realizes his grandfather was speaking metaphorically, using Chinese dishes to stand in for friends. In his own metaphor, Jordan says, "I decided to see if General Tso’s chicken could get along with pepper steak," a humorous way of saying he wants to see if Drew and Liam will get along with each other.
Off to Pollinate Her Flowers (Metaphor)
Late in the book, Jordan comes up with a way of spreading the truth about the burn on Alexandra's hand, which she covers with a sock puppet out of embarrassment. After Jordan tells Ashley, a notorious gossip, about Alexandra's hand, he says, "And just like that, Ashley was off to pollinate her flowers with her own sweet, sweet brand of gossip!" In this metaphor, Jordan likens Ashley's compulsion to tell gossip to her friends to a bee who flies from flower to flower, spreading pollen.
Like Training Wheels (Simile)
At the end of the graphic novel, Jordan reconnects with his neighborhood friends and goes off to play basketball with them. He tells them that "friends are like training wheels" because they prevent you from falling down. When Jordan suggests that this is a metaphor, his friends point out that it is actually a simile—a comparison that uses the word "like." This simile emphasizes the degree to which Jordan recognizes that he depends on his friends' emotional support when he feels he is falling into despair.
