A review by litknitsugi
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

5.0

In this story, Kek, a delightfully optimistic Sudanese boy, arrives in Minnesota after witnessing the death of his brother and father, and being separated from his mother. Told in verse, the writing beautifully illustrates Kek's discovery of a new language in a new world. Although Kek's past has some material that my students may find uncomfortable, I think they will be swept away by the vivid details Applegate weaves into the story, and come to have a new respect for the daily courage that someone like Kek must have, to work so tirelessly to build a new life, when they can't quite let go of the one they left behind.