Home of the Brave

by Katherine Applegate

Bestselling author Katherine Applegate presents Home of the Brave, a beautifully wrought middle grade novel about an immigrant's journey from hardship to hope. Kek comes from Africa. In America he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He's never walked on ice, and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter – cold and unkind. In Africa, Kek lived with his mother, father, and brother. But only he and his mother have survived, and now she's missing. Kek is on his own. Slowly, he makes a girl who is in foster care; an old woman who owns a rundown farm, and a cow whose name means "family" in Kek's native language. As Kek awaits word of his mother's fate, he weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in his new friendships, strength in his memories, and belief in his new country. Home of the Brave is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Poetry, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Africa

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2007

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate has written many books for young readers, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal.

Katherine’s picture books include THE BUFFALO STORM, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion Books); THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF IVAN, THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Clarion Books); SOMETIMES YOU FLY, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion Books); and ODDER: AN OTTER’S STORY, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Feiwel & Friends).

She’s written or co-written three early chapter series for young readers: ROSCOE RILEY RULES, a seven-book series illustrated by Brian Biggs (HarperCollins); DOGGO AND PUPPER, a three-book series illustrated by Charlie Alder (Feiwel & Friends). With Gennifer Choldenko, she co-authored DOGTOWN and MOUSE AND HIS DOG, illustrated by Wallace West (Feiwel & Friends).

Books for middle-grade readers include HOME OF THE BRAVE (Feiwel & Friends); THE ONE AND ONLY series, illustrated by Patricia Castelao, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, THE ONE AND ONLY BOB, THE ONE AND ONLY RUBY, and THE ONE AND ONLY FAMILY (HarperCollins); the ENDLING trilogy (HarperCollins); CRENSHAW (Feiwel & Friends); WISHTREE (Feiwel & Friends); WILLODEEN (Feiwel & Friends); ODDER (Feiwel & Friends); and the forthcoming POCKET BEAR (Feiwel & Friends).

With her husband, Michael Grant, Katherine co-wrote ANIMORPHS, a long-running series that has sold over 35 million books worldwide. They also wrote two other series, REMNANTS and EVERWORLD, and a young adult novel, EVE AND ADAM (Feiwel & Friends.)

Katherine’s work has been translated into dozens of languages, and her books have won accolades including the Christopher Medal, the Golden Kite Award, the Bank Street Josette Frank Award, the California Book Award Gold Medal, the Crystal Kite Award, the Green Earth Book Honor Award, the Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award, and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Many of her works have appeared on state master lists, Best of the Year lists, and Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and New York Times bestseller lists.

Katherine lives in Nevada with her husband and assorted pets. She is represented by Elena Giovinazzo at Heirloom Literary and Mary Pender at WME.

Reviews

[Yoonmee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have some reservations about the book. For starters, I think I should start a tag called something like, "Books about refugees and/or people of color from war torn countries written by white women" because for some reason lately I have been coming across more and more books that would fall under this genre (The Breadwinner author, I'm looking at you).

While I found the book compelling, my big complaint about it is that the reader doesn't learn Kek is from Sudan until maybe about halfway through the book. I found an interview with Applegate addressing this where she responds with, "Although I did very specific research, it seemed to me that many aspects of the refugee experience are universal. The loss and fear, the struggle to belong, the hopes for the future: that’s all part of the process, no matter where you’re from." (http://www.sandhyanankani.com/wordpre...)

While it's a nice sentiment to believe feelings of loss, fear, the struggle to belong, etc. are universal, I find it somewhat offensive she refers to Kek's homeland simply as Africa for much of the book. Because, hey, it's all Africa! Who cares which country or which tribe Kek is from? It's all Africa! It's all exotic and different! And can't we all relate to feelings of loss, the struggle to belong, and hopes for the future... as a refugee brand new to America, as someone who saw his parents murdered? Can't we all relate to that? Hey, we're all in this together! Let's all hold hands now and sing kumbaya.

Admittedly, that was pretty harsh, but I wanted to get my point across. Yes, the book is incredibly moving and many, many people are going to love it, but it seems to be more about what we Americans want the refugee experience to be like, rather than what it actually is.

I would have also preferred the author to have included more contextual background as to what happened in Sudan that caused Kek to come to America

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a young Sudanese boy, one of the "Lost Boys," who comes to the U.S. to live with his aunt and cousin and tries to adjust to life in a new land. Things like snow and American food are new, he barely knows the language, and, above all, he's anxious that they find his mother in a refugee camp and send her to be with him.

I think anyone reading this book is bound to come away with a new appreciation for the courage it takes to emigrate to a new place, especially after experiencing war and trauma. I don't think I'll ever look at the ESL students in our college the same way. They need to be made to feel welcome, and helped to adjust, not laughed at and scorned as some of the students in the school in this book did. We take our freedoms and the abundance of food and other necessities here for granted. This book lets us see all of it through the eyes of someone who had so little. I HIGHLY recommend this book to young and old!

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of books in verse in general and that was the first problem. The greater problem was my concern with the portrayal of a young Sudanese refugee as naive to the modern world in the extreme.I find it hard to believe a young man having spent time in refugee camps has never heard of jeans and calls television a "TV machine." At best it was an unsuccessful attempt at telling the story in broken English and at worst poorly researched and first-world, white bias on Katherine Applegate's part.
Middle grade readers, especially fans of books in verse and sad stories, might appreciate this book. It may serve to introduce kids to the plight of global refugees and immigrant experiences in general, though I have a hard time imagining myself recommending it to someone. I would have loved to see an author's note at the least.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching beginning. One feels for Kek right away.

Finished and so glad I read this story. Kek's courage, love of life and sorrow for his family is felt on every page.
This book is a wonderful story of what it must be like to emigrate to America after a life of war and camps. Kek braves both his home and his new home, never losing hope that Life will somehow be alright, even while he mourns and hopes for his lost mama.

A humbling story, reminded me of how much I have and how much I haven't had to live through. My heart goes out for all the Keks of the world and I hope they all find a welcoming new home.

A beautiful, heartwarming story.

[Shuk Pakhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

আপনি আমি বাংলাদেশের আলট্রা স্মার্ট পাবলিক না হইলেও কিছুমিছু স্মার্ট আছি। জগতে চলে খেতে পারবো। ভাবুন একবার আফ্রিকায় গরু চড়ানো এক ছেলে চলে গেল দুনিয়ার সবথেকে স্মার্ট পাবলিকদের দেশ মার্কিন মুল্লুকে।

তার দশাটা কি ঘটবে!
কত কতত কতততততত কিছু তাকে শিখতে হচ্ছে এমনকি মায় ভাষাটা পর্যন্ত। সেই ছেলে কাপড় ধোয়ার ওয়াশিং মেশিনে থালাবাসন ধূইতে দিলে কি কওন যায়!
চকোলেট মিল্ক খেয়ে যদি অবাক হইয়া জিগায় কোন গরুতে এমন দুধ দিছে কি কমু তারে!
স্কুলে নিজের চেয়ার-টেবিল পাইয়া যদি কয় সে ঐখানে বইতে পারবে না কারন তার কোন গরু নাই! (আফ্রিকাতে গরু মানেই টাকা। গরুর মালিকানা দিয়ে ধনী নিরুপন হয়)... বই পড়ে হাসিও পাচ্ছে আবার এইছেলের জন্য মমতাও লাগতেছে।

[Sherrie Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I would read a novel in verse. Somehow the concept made me think of William Wordsworth or Burt Bacharach. Or Dr. Seuss. And to be honest, I didn't want to read anything written by those people for 200 pages or more.

But last year someone gave me Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. I ignored it for a while, let it sit on the shelf. But let me tell you, when I finally opened it, I couldn't put it down. I was blown away.

So this year I was actually excited when I got my hands on Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate. I had seen positive reviews from people and the story sounded interesting enough: Kek, a ten-year-old boy from the Sudan, is shipped off to Minnesota in winter after his father and brother are killed and his mother disappears. But like other books I enjoy, it isn't just the story that pulled me in. It's the writing.

Kek moves in with an aunt and older cousin who had escaped the refugee camp earlier. He has so much to discover in Minnesota: snow, English, grocery stores. The words are written beautifully, but the book is funny, too. This passage with Kek and his cousin Ganwar before his first day of school made me laugh out loud.

That night,
I try on the school clothes
in the box Dave has brought for me.
I pick a button shirt with flowers on it
and soft red pants,
but Ganwar rolls his eyes.
Thos are pajamas, he says.
You wear them when you sleep.

I try again.
Ganwar shakes his head.
The kids will eat you alive, he says.

This is bad news,
since I didn't know that America people
like to eat each other.


Home of the Brave won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction, it's an SLJ Best Book of the Year. Of course, if you're like me, awards don't mean you want to read the book.

What I'm really enjoying about this book is seeing how the author can get a point across with very few words. If two people are talking outside in the cold, she doesn't say It's cold. She writes

His laughter makes little clouds.

Isn't that great? Here's a kid who has never experienced winter and what does he notice? Laughter makes little clouds. Brilliant!

Whether or not you enjoy novels in verse, if you are a writer, I highly recommend that you read one. Home of the Brave and Because I am Furniture are great choices, but there are plenty of others out there. I think Lisa Schroeder will be next on my list. Look at how the authors use language, how they say so much with so little. Then think about how you can apply that to your own writing.

We're not all going to write novels in verse. But learning to be more economical with words is a lesson we can all use.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book in today's environment. It is a beautiful look at the experiences of a young refugee whom moves from Africa to Minnesota. It is a reminder of humanity. A story of loss and hope and love and discovery. A little glimpse into a life of someone who went through so much and is discovering how different things can be. A little reminder that sometimes we have no clue about what others have gone through, and maybe we need to remember to treat people with kindness.

I got through this book quickly as it really is written for a younger audience. I look forward to reading it out loud to my kids and discussing the beautiful prose and story.

I really like Katherine Applegate. I enjoy reading her books with my daughter, who is also a fan.
4.5/5 stars.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Katherine Applegate puts words together creating beautiful images. Dave is a an American helping Kek, a Sudanese refugee, settle in Minnesota with his cousin and aunt. Kek thinks Dave's partial use of Dinka and English sounds like "...a song always out of tune, / missing notes / To help him, / I try some English / but my mouth just wants to chew the words / and spit them on the ground." She captures what it is like to be new to a country. To not understand the language. To know this new place is not home. To desperately long to return to what is comfortable and familiar. Humor is balanced with tragedy through the eyes of Kek, who tries to see the good in life. When he gets a job helping on a farm, it reminds him of back home when he helped take care of the village cattle.

There is a Kirkus review that criticizes this book for Kek's character being stereotyped and not fleshed out enough. I didn't notice this when reading the book, but that could be because I have worked with Sudanese boys and my brain already knows about their culture and plight. I agree that Kek might lack some authenticity and there are didactic moments, but I did like how the author has him deal with grief and life in a new land. I thought the criticism somewhat harsh and not as extreme as the reviewer felt. Perhaps Kek's school interactions might be showing too much how people should act toward immigrants versus what Kek was really going through. You'll have to read it yourself to decide.

Some things did not always seem spot-on for me, but other things did. Such as when the cow stops traffic and everyone in the cars are mad. Minnesotans are overly polite in their cars and helpful. Someone would have stepped out to help. Yes, people would have honked and some annoyed, but I can guarantee at least one person would have stepped out of their car to help some kids with a stubborn cow in the middle of a busy intersection. Some observers would have thought it funny. But that's really minor and I only know this because I spent 40 years living in this state. What I particular liked was how the author has Kek think about how there are many tribes in America and that they live side-by-side without fear. When working with the Sudanese students at our school, that was the one thing they marveled at the most. Many times they said, "You have many tribes but you get along. And you don't kill the leader if you disagree with him." While some readers might see this as unalloyed enthusiasm for America, it was something I heard many times from the refugees.

Maybe Kek is too nice and positive for some readers. Yes, he could have more characteristics explained such as his language and looks. But I was able to put a clear picture in my head even if the free verse lacked details. Of course, my personal experience dealing with Sudanese boys needs to be considered. It's easier to picture something when you have background knowledge. The students I worked with had to deal with injuries from camp just like Kek's cousin. No one was missing a hand, but one was missing an eye and another had serious back problems. These four of the kids lived together and three of them worked additional jobs to pay for their apartment. It was not easy for them.

Trying to write a story about a different culture when the author is not from it is always going to be tricky. The pitfalls of stereotyping is one issue, as well as, a lack of authenticity. While this book falls short in some spots I didn't think it should be written off. It did speak to me as a foreigner living in a different country. I could empathize with Kek's culture shock and I didn't think he was quite as two dimensional as other readers thought. Like I said, you'll have to decide for yourself.

[Tejas]

Home of the brave is a very inspiring and sad book. It is silly too, the way Kek talks sometimes and humorous. It is a amazing book 10/10 and I think any reader would enjoy it unless they don't like a bit of sadness. The author Katherine Applegate has vivid descriptions and very good humor.

[Kym Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. -African Proverb

Whenever I read a novel about the struggle immigrants have while trying to adjust to a new country, it simply tugs at my heartstrings. Kek, a Sudanese young man, loves cattle and his family are herders. When he arrives in Minnesota, the weather is bitter cold, and he has difficulty adjusting to the ice and snow. The snow is like claws on his skin.

In school, many of the words and idioms are strange to him. He tries to process and remember the lessons he learns in school. He becomes friends with a girl in his class named Hannah. She helps him learn and understand some of the new things that at times confuse him.

Kek finds a job on a farm maintained by a lady named Lou. Her husband died the previous year. There, he meets a cow he adores and names the cow Gol, which means family. Gol, the cow, symbolizes both his family and his search for manhood. A cow is God with a wet nose. In Sudan, you can know a person's wealth by counting his cattle.

When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion. -African Proverb

When he thought about running away to find his mother, his cousin Ganwar follows him and finds him hiding in a tree he climbed. As Ganwar teased him, he begins climbing up the tree to join Kek. Kek thinks about Ganwar telling him, if you're going to give up then he would do the same. Ganwar lost a hand but he climbed that tree better than Kek had. At that moment, he remembers something his mother once told him, "If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance."

Gol, the cow is older, and Hannah, Kek, and Ganwar take her to the local zoo so she wouldn't be alone, and people can come pet and scratch her behind her ears just how she likes it. Later, Kek meets the airplane where his mother arrives from their homeland. He looks over and tells his mother, "Welcome home."

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gosh! Where do I begin? It has been two months, so I have forgotten a lot, like that I even read this book.

I understand that the book was written in the broken/awkward English it was in to show that this boy is newly immigrated from a terrible event. We are in his head, so we should hear how he thinks. I know that he is not from America, we understand by the events that happen to him while he is here.

The parts of him and the cow are a bit ridiculous, even more so when they bring it to the zoo. I understand that many things in America is foreign to him, but I just cannot imagine a kid will throw dishes into the washing machine and think he is doing something correct. Why not ask anyone for help? Don't think I've ever been in a wash room, or seen a washing machine that did not have pictures of clothes somewhere. Sure, you probably don't understand the language, but you sure as hell can look at a picture!

This is yet another book of a white person giving an unrealistic voice to a person of color. This kid did not receive any blatant racism other than the bus driver and a few people? No one bullied him at school or lunch for having an accent/not knowing English, just being Black in a rural area? It is very hard to write about the Black experience( or any other race religion, demographics) if you never actually sit down and speak to a person of that sec. Highly disappointing.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

First: My love for cows has been rejuvenated.

Second: This is one of the best books about identity that I've ever read, and at no point did I ever feel like this was A Book About Identity. Applegate seemed to effortlessly and subtly weave a story about family, friendship, loss, connection, kindness, and the immigrant/refugee experience without thrusting anything upon the reader. I felt like I recognized Kek from the first page. I cheered for him when he was hopeful, and sometimes my heart would break for him even as I was shaking my pom-poms. More than any other time in the book, I felt this when Kek expressed his excitement for "being an American" and his cousin said, "You'll never be an American. They won't let you."

Educators -- read this! Home of the Brave should be a classroom resource at your fingertips. I certainly plan on using poems from it this year.

[Christina Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a tall boy,
like all my people.
My arms stick out of the coat
like lonely trees.
My fingers cannot make
the gloves work.
I shake my head.
I say, This America is hard work.
•
My first book of 2018 did not disappoint. Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate was a beautifully written novel in verse about Kek and his struggles to fit in, learn a new language, and make America feel like his native home of Sudan. This book would pair up great with A Long Walk to Water. I’m definitely making this one an option for students to read for our next round of classroom book clubs.

[Meredith Stalions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Aloud @ Work
I really enjoyed this book and the layout of poetry. Some heavy topics for 5th graders for sure.

[Imari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever went to a public library or school library, trying to look for a common book? Well today is your lucky day, My book is called Home of the Brave. The genre is Realistic Fiction.My opinion on this book is I liked it, at first I took it because it had short words and paragraphs. But once i started reading it I was starting to get the hang of it. I liked how the author described the way the character Kek was talking because he was not from the country. When he arrived to America, he called a airplane a flying boat. Kind of interesting eh?

The setting of my book is Minnesota/America.The setting is relevant because that is where the story starts and where the conflict starts.
Kek is a young boy who wants to fit in and be known with everyone else. But he is from a different country, so its kind of hard to fit in with people you do not know. His father and brother had been killed, so Kek is staying with his aunt and cousin who has been in America longer than him. He meets this lady name Lou who lives on a farm with her cow. Kek falls in love with the cow, the cow reminds him of his home. Then Kek meets this girl from a foster care, and becomes her friend. She shows him around and teaches him new things. With all the help and love he gets something still brings Kek down.He still hopes for his mom to come to America.The conflict is person vs. society because he has to learn new things and fit in because he is foreign

A theme for this book would be ¨dont give up on hope¨ because even though Kek was not going to be able to see Gol (The cow), he got to have him. I like this theme because it reminded me of me. I don't really believe in luck but I believe in hope. One time my great grandmother was in the hospital, and I never gave up on my hope for her to come home. Now we are all blessed and thankful. I was moved by how he explained that his father and brother passed. I have a father and brother of my own, and to know that if something so sad and hurtful happened I would lose my soul. Thats exactly how much love i have for my family and I know Kek feels the same way. The conflict is person vs. society because he has to learn new things and fit in because he is foreign.

The main character problem is being from a different country and not being able to fit in with the Americans. He has to learn how to speak a different language. He has to adapt to the different nature. Like when he first came to America he didnt know what snow was. He said "What is all this white? I whisper. Where is all the world?" From my perspective i got the hint that he had to be from another country. My favorite part was when i found that kek got to keep the cow. I do not know why but i was excited for him because i knew that the cow reminded him of home. I know because my family likes to collect pictures of each other and keep it in this big book that we have, it reminds us of how much we respect and love each other.

On a scale from 1 to five i rate this book 4.3 because i made a lot of connections as you can see in my two paragraphs and also because i never took the time to read a book like this usually i would read girly and romantic books. I recommend this book to people who like modern world books and can relate to the people in the book. Now that you have read this i know your like oh my god i really want to check this book. I know trust me i know im so awesome. Stop by that library now!

[Phil J · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's true that the narrator- a fifth grade Sudanese refugee- talks way too much like Tonto from the old Lone Ranger movies, but that's not the biggest problem with this book.

When you write a book in verse, there ought to be a reason for it. Most other books written that way seem to grasp this. Worlds Afire used it to create a staccato aesthetic, Brown Girl Dreaming used it to widen the setting and shift ideas, and Out of the Dust used it to depict the mental state of the narrator. In this book, it does nothing in particular.

In fact, "nothing in particular" applies to most of the book. In the first pages, we are introduced to a narrator who is scared of his new life, missing his mother, and disconnected from his jaded older cousin. From that point, everything that happens is exactly what you would expect to happen. Bleh.

And still, I keep coming back to the way he talks like Tonto. This whole book is written as an internal monologue, and yet the whole way through, he insists on calling airplanes "flying boats" and helmets "second heads." Really? This guy never saw a helmet or an airplane in the Sudan, and he never came up with a word for them? It just keeps slapping you in the face, page after page.

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book! A tender story about a young African refugee to America struggling to not only learn our strange language, customs and changing patterns, but also cope with a bitter Minnesota winter, the violent deaths of his nuclear family and growing up in a foreign country. And yet despite the sorrows of Kek's young life, it is positive, hopeful and joyous story. His analogies for everyday things like airplanes, snow, and even beards is what makes Applegate's story so poignant and page-turn-able. I could hardly put this book down--or when I did--I didn't want to. Pessimists and realists would probably call it predictable or a 'feel good' story, but that's what I loved about it. I believe in good kids like Kek. Having read about the tradegies in Rwanda and Sudan, it is good to see intelligent children's books like this dealing with the subject so well.

Highly recommended!

Thanks Krista for the recommendation!

[Dest · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I go to write this review, I'm reminded of Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, which I reviewed pretty negatively because I was distracted by its literary shortcomings as I was reading it. A lot of other goodreads reviewers told me I completely missed the point of Out of My Mind. They told me that it was such an important book for throwing light on a kind of life most kids don't know much about it. How could I criticize it so harshly?!

Well, that's kind of how I feel about this book. I've read some negative reviews, and I know it's not perfect, but it was a very beautiful story to me. I didn't see its shortcomings as I read. I thought Katherine Applegate was able to convey a lot of meaning in short, simple poems.

[Sarah Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kek, a ten year old boy from war-torn Sudan, arrives alone in Minnesota. His father and brother were killed when their village was attacked and his mother is missing. Kek must be strong and adapt to this cold and strange world where everything from toilets to jeans is unfamiliar - and the English is just so tiring and difficult. But Kek's optimism helps him forge a new path and a new community with an eclectic group of friends and a weary, old cow.

It's been a few years now since I last read this exceptional story. Enough time for me to fall in love with it all over again. As an EL teacher, this book speaks to me on so many levels, and the immigrant students with whom I'm now sharing it, see themselves and each other in its pages. The short, lovely chapters in verse are also very accessible to English language learners. Thank you Katherine Applegate!

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved The One and Only Ivan so decided to read Home of the Brave. A poetic and powerful look at the life of refugees forced to leave their war-torn homes. Seeing the hardships and atrocities through a young narrator will hopeful cause readers to view refugees in a new way. So many parts I enjoyed, like Kek experiencing snow for the first time and running from the car to hug a cow. Kek was so very thankful and appreciated the smallest of things and conveniences, something we often forget in our daily lives. A moving story of hope and the connectedness to family and home.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always impressed by authors who can speak in the voice of a non-english speaker, and still make the story clear and strong. Kek is a boy who can find the sun on a cloudy day and his words are those of an African boy using the world he knows to describe a world that is foreign to him. Both the characterizations and descriptions of America are crisp and clear. Applegate invokes all the sadness of the attrocities in Sudan, and also keeps the story accessible to children.

[isobel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a relic of an older time. A time when the stories of African refugees were written by rich white women. For this and many subsequent reasons, this book does not age well. If only this country welcomed Sudanese refugees as easily and dewily as Katherine Applegate imagine it does.

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story about a young refugee coming to America. You might need some Kleenex for this one!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it.

Well written book in verse.

*Review coming soon. (I lost the book but well... I might have to reread)

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Home of the Brave was a really good book. Home of the Brave is about a boy named Kek and he is from Africa. Kek just came to America so he has no idea what anything is. He has no idea what snow is or french fries are. Kek had to come to America because all of his family has died it was just him and his mother who had to wait a long time to come to America. Kek has to live with his aunt who lives in Minnesota with her family. This whole book is just about Kek learning new things and going through life in a new place and in his new chapter. I really enjoyed this book because of the way the story goes. I like how the author used her poetry into the book I think it really added something that not a lot of books have. I liked seeing how someone who is new to a country would be in their new environment it added some funny things like how he reacted to snow I would never think of that because I live with snow and that is normal so if there was no snow I would be confused. There were a couple of spots where I got kinda bored but then it was all made up after a couple of pages. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to try a new style of reading a book. Also would recommend it to anyone who likes realistic fiction

[Janet | purrfectpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kek is a young refugee who’s forced to live with extended family in America after tragedy strikes his village. In the attack, both his father and brother perish. Separated from his mother, Kek still hopes that one day they will be reunited. But with every day that passes, Kek’s hope diminishes a little bit more.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Kek tries to make sense of his new surroundings. Suddenly he’s immersed in a new culture, a new language, and experiencing an abundance of firsts including snow, school, and self preservation. But the more Kek grows acclimated to America, the more he struggles with reconciling the rewards of his new environment, with the difficulties of the world he left behind.

Home of the Brave was a novel I experienced for the first time as I read it aloud to my fifth grade classes. However, I was instantly taken in by its beautiful prose and heartbreaking story of imminent immigration. Although the book has a decidedly somber tone, there are moments of levity as Kek attempts to fit in to his new world. Still, you know this story was a powerful one when my fifth graders clapped as we finished reading.

I don’t tend to read as much middle grade literature, but I’m thankful my career introduced me to this beautiful story and served as an introduction to the immensely talented, Katherine Applegate’s works-of which I plan to read more of in the future.

[Jess Quindlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this beautiful story!!!

[Lillian Weigand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very good book. I really enjoyed reading it. In the story, there is a boy whose name is Kek. A couple of years ago, Kek's family died in a refugee camp. His, dad and older brother died. People think that Kek's mom could still be alive, but missing. Then, Kek was taken to his aunt's house to now live there. Kek also lives with his cousin Ganwar. Kek's life with his aunt and cousin is completely different than his life in Africa. Kek does make a friend and her name is Hannah. Hannah is a really nice girl and helps Kek transition to a different lifestyle. Also, Kek gets a job at a farm to help a lady with a cow. Kek likes cows because, in Africa, the word cow means FAMILY. Kek becomes great friends with the cow and takes great care of it. The end of the story was the best because, in the end, Kek finds his mom. His mom did end up surviving the war at the refugee camp. This story was a great story. I loved reading it and I would definitely recommend it.

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the age of "own-voices" I'm not sure I'm allowed to like this as much as I did. It is very Applegate, full of hope, kindness, and joy. Young readers will walk away feeling more connected to humanity.

I do hope to find more representation of refugee stories, coming from the source.

[Lara Lillibridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the books I've read by Applegate are melancholy and hauntingly beautiful and this was no exception. It's fast read yet a deeply immersive experience. You will fall in love with Tet, a boy new to America, who misses his family and homeland, and his friends and family. It's truly remarkable.