Wonderful | Home of the Brave | Katherine Applegate

WOW! | Home of the Brave | Katherine Applegate

books:


	• Home of the Brave Katherine Applegate Feiwel & Friends, 2007 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A moving, beautiful middle grade novel

Author Katherine Applegate's novel HOME OF THE BRAVE is memorable and haunting. In spare verse filled with detailed imagery, she introduces us to Kek, an African refugee struggling to come to terms with the loss of his immediate family and his new life in America. On his trip from the airport to the Minneapolis home of his aunt, he spots a tired old cow on a tiny farm. He names the cow, Gol, and she becomes both his link to the past and his hope for the future.

Kek stays in the home of his aunt and his older cousin, Ganwar, who has lost a hand in the fighting in the Sudan. Kek makes new friends: young Hannah (a foster child), an older woman named Lou who owns the cow Gol, and his new ESL teacher, Ms. Hernandez. He refuses to stop hoping that his missing mother will be found, even though his immigration supervisors tell him she is most likely dead.

There are so many things to love about this story. It's very readable and the action moves quickly, so even reluctant readers will find themselves caught in the story. We see America through the heart and mind of a young immigrant. Kek comes alive for us, and soon we are seeing the world through his eyes. He faces both small and large challenges, but he takes action by finding a job on Lou's farm and urging his older, embittered cousin to join him. He helps his friend Hannah reconnect with her lost mother, and ultimately finds a new home for the cow, Gol, when Lou decides to sell her farm.

There are no wasted words in this story. Every page moves the story forward, and every word paints a vivid picture of Kek's world. By the end of the novel, I felt I'd gained a renewed respect for the idea of America as the "home of the brave."

I recommend this story to readers at all levels. Teachers will find many cross-curricular uses for the novel in the classroom. Young readers will enjoy the story on their own as well. The character Ganwar will catch the attention of high school readers, and adults will find this story a rich and meaninful experience. At a time when immigrant issues are much-debated, this novel provides a personal and heart-rending viewpoint that is sure to provoke a thoughtful response.

An outstanding novel, sure to become a classic.

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Wonderful

Beautifully written, fast-paced, and moving, this book is a winner. Applegate has created a strong, admirable character in Kek, a recent Sudan immigrant to Minnesota, who bravely faces his new and often strange life. An ideal book for class discussions, both young people and adults will also enjoy it as a memorable story. Like many of the best books, it widens my understanding of others while also providing a good story. I'm not surprised it was recommended to me by several friends; I'll be recommending it to many others.

WOW!

WOW! This is what I said when I reached the end of HOME OF THE BRAVE; full of emotion and admiration for Katherine Applegate's amazing writing talent.

This verse novel is a gentle, wise page-turner. It's an insightful window into the experience of an immigrant and a subtle lesson on appreciation for being an American. It's also a story of family, friendship, honor and bravery. All told in lyrical language.

WOW. I now know what book I'm rooting for as a Newbery choice in 2009.

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Life Affirming Book

My daughter will be teaching 'Home of the Brave' to her 4th and 5th grade class this year. She recommended this book after she took a class on teaching this book. When I first looked at the reviews on Amazon, I was put off by the subject matter. Don't be. It is like a written tone poem. Katherine Applegate's use of language is delightful.

My favorite part of the book is: "You can have your dogs and cat,
your gerbils and hamsters
and sleek sparkling fish.
But you will have lived
just half a life
if you never love a cow."

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A Novel in Verse that will appeal to boys AND girls

Katherine Applegate's HOME OF THE BRAVE is another novel in verse that will appeal to boys as well as girls. It may help that plenty of middle grade readers already know Applegate from the ANIMORPHS series, but this book has a completely different feel to it.

HOME OF THE BRAVE is about Kek, a Sudanese immigrant who recently arrived in America after witnessing the death of his father and brother. He left his mother behind and wonders every day if she is alive. The poems that explore Kek's emotional state are poignant and accessible to young readers, and the more traumatic scenes are set alongside lighter stories of Kek adapting to life in America and experiencing new things, from snow to washing machines.

This is a kid-friendly story (those who love animals will have an additional connection) that explores a dramatic issue in current events in a manner that is personal, sensitive, and hopeful.

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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 friends: 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.

Bestselling author Katherine Applegate presents a beautifully wrought novel about an immigrant?s journey from hardship to hope.

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reviews: page 1, 2

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