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4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
[4.75/5 stars]
Sweet, easy read that touched to my third-culture-kid heart.
Story of the small joys and great difficulties of moving away from one‘s home country and trying to create a new sense of home after trauma.
Definitely written for a younger audience, but I really enjoyed the verse!
Sweet, easy read that touched to my third-culture-kid heart.
Story of the small joys and great difficulties of moving away from one‘s home country and trying to create a new sense of home after trauma.
Definitely written for a younger audience, but I really enjoyed the verse!
Kek, a refugee from Africa adjusting to life in the US. He is living with his aunt and his cousin Ganwar, who lost a hand when Kek's brother and father were killed. He does not know where his mother is but lives in hope that she will be found and join him. He misses cows and finds work helping an older woman with her one, until she has to move. Slowly he makes his way. Excellent short novel in verse, especially when our country is one again finding it difficult to accept refugees.
Love, loved this book about Kek, a refugee from Sudan who is trying to figure out life in America and come to terms with the loss of his home and family. This verse novel made me laugh and cry (both happy and sad tears)! Thanks to Tina for the book & recommendation!
I wasn't expecting
The truncated lines
Of a story told
In verse
But Kek drew me in
With words
Not quite his
To see for a time
Through another's window
And that was a gift
So if you want to see
How a cow can be comfort
This story might be
Worth your while
You might even find
A reason to be grateful
For all the simple things
The truncated lines
Of a story told
In verse
But Kek drew me in
With words
Not quite his
To see for a time
Through another's window
And that was a gift
So if you want to see
How a cow can be comfort
This story might be
Worth your while
You might even find
A reason to be grateful
For all the simple things
Beautiful!! A verse novel told by Kek, a recent refugee to the snowy US from war torn Sudan. As he tries to understand his new country and make a new life for himself, he communicates such hope. Some parts are funny in his misunderstandings, but there is real insight into the difficulties faced, especially through the character of his cousin. Lovely!!!
Katherine Applegate is a wonderful children’s writer and she has done it again with Home of the Brave. Much like The One and Only Ivan, she uses some made up words such as flying boat (airplane) and comedic misunderstandings such as a mix up with the dishwasher/washing machine, to add humour while offering us the opportunity to see the world through someone else’s eyes. This book tackles serious issues, such as refugees, racism, and the foster care system, in a way that is appropriate for her target audience of middle grade readers, but also offers many opportunities for discussion and further learning.
As I go to write this review, I'm reminded of [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732] 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 [b:Out of My Mind|6609765|Out of My Mind|Sharon M. Draper|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347602096s/6609765.jpg|6803732]. 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.
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.
Of all the things I didn't know
about America,
this is the most amazing:
I didn't know
there would be so many tribes
from all over the world.
How could I have imagined
the way they walk through the world
side by side
without fear,
all free to gaze at the same sky
with the same hopes?
Hope is a thing made only for people,
a scrap to hold onto
in darkness and in light
about America,
this is the most amazing:
I didn't know
there would be so many tribes
from all over the world.
How could I have imagined
the way they walk through the world
side by side
without fear,
all free to gaze at the same sky
with the same hopes?
Hope is a thing made only for people,
a scrap to hold onto
in darkness and in light