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    Home of the Brave
    Home of the Brave
    Home of the Brave
    Ebook210 pages1 hour

    Home of the Brave

    By Katherine Applegate

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    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 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.

    Home of the Brave is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateDec 23, 2014
    ISBN9781466887831
    Author

    Katherine Applegate

    Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal–winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the One and Only series, the Endling series, Crenshaw, Wishtree, the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter books series, and the Animorphs series. She lives with her family in Nevada.

    Read more from Katherine Applegate

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    Reviews for Home of the Brave

    4.5/5

    224 ratings30 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title amazing and would definitely recommend it. The book is really interesting and has a mix of sad and happy moments. Some parts may be a bit boring, particularly when the protagonist is at school, but overall it is an amazing book. It also explores how different perspectives can change the world around us.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I love how it made me feel, like closed my eyes and listened to the audio and it felt so real!!!
    • 4/5
      The book was really interesting, it gets sad in parts but then gets happy two chapters later!
      The only things I don't like about this book is that in some parts it went boring like when Kek was at school and just talking about himself at ESL. Otherwise this book was amazing and would definitely recommend this book.

      Aliya, 9
    • 5/5
      Listened to this on a day trip with the kids -- just the right length. Enjoyed by young and old. Former Caudill nominee, this is a beautiful story about Keck, a Sudan refugee, who comes to Minneapolis, MN in the dead of winter to join an aunt and cousin. His mother is unaccounted for in a camp somewhere and his father and brother were killed in the violence in his village. How he adapts to his new life is a story of courage, hope, and wonder. If it had been written for young adults or adults it could've been much more traumatic, but this is spot on and age-appropriate. Perfect way to examine what "home" means.
    • 4/5
      I love Kek, with his love of cows and his ability to find the sun through clouds. Powerful story, wonderful language.
    • 4/5
      It makes me think of
      How different perspectives change the world around us.
    • 5/5
      where did the audio version go? meh! it is so good and it used to be on here.
    • 5/5
      "Home. What a heartbreaking word that is, when you don't have one."
      Kek comes from Africa where he lives with his mother, father and brother. After his father and brother are killed, he is sent to a Refugee Resettlement Center in Minnesota in the middle of the winter. He gets there traveling on a flying boat, (airplane), and is given a fat shirt, (coat), and soft things like hands, (gloves.) The only thing familiar is an old geriatric cow in a field as he travels by on the way to a new home. He convinces Dave to stop. He pets the cow and feels sorry for the lonely creature. Kek manages to find his way back to this little farm and Lou a widow, hires Kek to take care of the farm which means he gets to spend time with the cow, whom he names Gol, (Gol means family in Kek's language.) He also befriends a girl in his building who is living in a crowded apartment with a foster family. She helps Kek make his way through the American ways. He makes many blunders such as putting on pajamas to wear to school. He doesn't understand the Western Clothes. And if a washing machine is for washing, why shouldn't you put the dishes in there to be cleaned? When he visits the library, Kek wonders why they would let him take one of these magical presents home.
      As Kek makes finds his way in this cold Minnesota town, he wonders if he will ever see his mother again. The powers that be have promised to look for her in the other refugee camps, but so far she has not shown up.
      Kek states at one point that maybe he wil learn to like living in America. Another refugee tells him, "yeah, thatr's what I thought, too. but you'll never really feel lie an American, you'll see."
      This is a sad but actually a very sweet story written in the style of prose.
      to further experience Kek's point of view, visit these websites.
      AGAINST ALL ODDS:
    • 4/5
      Kek is so hopeful and optimistic about his new life in America even as he misinterprets daily life and is homesick for his missing mother and African homeland. Another nice addition to the genre of the immigrant/refugee experience in America.

      Kek is a young African refugee who settles in wintry Minnesota with his aunt and teenage cousin Ganwar. (Their country of origin is never
      specified.) With their help, and that of caseworker Dave and a girl named Hannah who lives in the same apartment building, Kek tries to acclimate to his new surroundings. He is hopeful and optimistic even as he misinterprets daily life: He puts the dirty dishes in the washing machine only to destroy the set but he finds a job helping an elderly woman with her small farm and uses the money to buy new dishes. He is also hopeful that his mother will be found and will join him in America although Dave and the others are less optimistic. There are also the dark clouds: nightmares of the killings of his father and brother, homesickness, and the overwhelming confusion of American life. By the following autumn, in an epilogue, Kek's mother reunites with the family.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing. A novel in verse, this one made me chuckle and filled me with warmth. Themes include hope, making a new home, starting over, being unfamiliar with one's surroundings, etc. I highly recommend this to anyone: Grades 4 and up, I'd say.
    • 5/5
      This is a children's book written in verse. It tells the story of a young boy, Kek, from Africa who has come to America from a refugee camp to live with his Aunt and cousin. Kek has lost his father, brother, and possibly his mother.
      Kek has a pretty difficult time, as you can imagine, adjusting to life in America and dealing with his feelings about everything he has gone through. His cousin Ganwar has also lost a lot and is having difficulties. The two boys begin work on the farm of an older woman tending to her land and animals, including an old cow, who Kek names Gol (meaning Family). Kek also meets a wonderful little girl who becomes his friend.
      This is a truly remarkable book, and Katherine Applegate is quickly becoming one of my favorite children's authors.
    • 5/5
      I love this book! It is a lovely story of Kek, an African refugee, surviving in America. I enjoyed the way it was written as it flows nicely; I really felt as if I understood how difficult it was for Kek to be without his family. Wonderful use of metaphors!I would use this book to help students understand cultural differences, see how hard it could be to move to a new country, or to understand some of the political problems in Sudan.
    • 4/5
      A sweet first-person juvenile about a Lost Boy from Sudan learning to find his place in Minnesota, with too much winter and too few cows. The book is laid out in free verse form, which works surprisingly well with the simplified sentences and introspective ruminations of Kek, the main character.

      Highly recommended.
    • 4/5

      Surprisingly easy to read and enjoyable.  Of course it's a big deal for Kek to have lost most of his family, and his home, and be shipped 1/2way around the world, but it doesn't have to be a bleak & depressing story, and in Applegate's hands it's not.  Don't think she's a hack just because she's written Animorphs and other series.  This is actually the most heartfelt and graceful free verse immigrant story I've read lately,* and it rates pretty high up there in all modern MG realistic fiction I've ever read, too.  

      *I'm comparing it, offhand, to The Weight of Water and Inside Out and Back Again.

      Upon meeting his teacher in Minnesota:

      I'm ready to begin
      my learning, I say,
      and she tosses out a loud laugh
      like a ball into the air..."

      Upon reflecting about the MN cow that has made him less homesick for his father's herd:

      "You can have your dogs and cats,
      your gerbils and hamsters
      and sleek sparkling fish.
      But you will have lived
      just half a life
      if you never love a cow."

      I especially admire the way the author uses a limited vocabulary and shows us a bewildered child at the beginning of the book, but uses more advanced words and ideas as the boy learns more English and grows more confident and comfortable in his new home.

      "
    • 5/5
      This story, written in verse, is about a Sudanese refugee boy, Kek, , who has just come to Minneapolis to live with his cousin and aunt after his refugee camp was infiltrated. Very moving story that allows you to get an understanding for what it is like for people of different cultures to be plopped down in a new land, not knowing the language, customs, or goods. Well worth the read.
    • 5/5
      life in the United States from the point of view of an orphan from Sudan - beautifully told in free verse. I loved this book!
    • 5/5
      I listened to this on audio, and I was crying as I was driving. It's really good. I gave it to Andy to read after. Tt's nominated for a Maine Student Book award, and while I wish it would win, I think that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is going to end up the champion. I'm not sure I will ever look at cows the same way again.
    • 5/5
      Katherine Applegate uses free verse writing to tell the story of Kek and his journey into American culture. The free verse captures the simplicity and innocence of Kek's thought process and how he learns through the trials and tribulations. The story opens the eyes of the reader to the experience of an immigrant, allowing them to understand what it is like to be in a new place without any information. As Kek recalls his life in Sudan, he introduces readers to the rituals boys experience before becoming men. It also speaks to the reader about the simplicity in the things that could be taken for granted in other countries - a desk, supplies provided at school, etc. The story also touches on the loss and grieving for family members, whether it is through death or unstable home in the case of Kek's friend Hannah. A beautiful story targeted towards 4th and 5th grade.
    • 4/5
      Sudanese refugee in Minneapolis struggles with new home and guilt over missing mother. Plausible challenges, lovely writing, a little optimistic--especially the end.
    • 4/5
      Home of the Free tells the story of Kek, a Sudanese refugee who moves to Minnesota. Back home he had a whole family, but only his mother has survived and they were separated before Kek arrived in the United States. Kek struggles with life in America, such as grocery shopping and snow, but he makes friends with a foster girl in his building, and finds friendship with Dave from the Refugee Resettlement Center, an older woman named Louise who lets him look after her cow. He names the cow Gol, which means family in his language.
      It took a little bit of getting used to the style of writing in this book, as it is written in poetic style verse, but it represents Kek's learning of English. This book touches on many issues related to immigrants, and I think that it is a good read to help kids understand some of the issues that recent newcomers undergo.
    • 4/5
      Written in prose this fast read tells the story of a young boy displaced to America after the his parents are killed in war torn Africa. Happy ending
    • 5/5
      The story of Kek, a Sudanese refugee boy in America. Funny, heartwrenching, inspiring. Told in the prose style of "Love That Dog". An easy and compelling book that will prompt readers to think about and discuss serious topics like refugees and racism.
    • 4/5
      Make that eighteen more Bluebonnets to go. Home of the Brave is book two. Kek escapes from his warring homeland in Africa to live with family in icy cold Minnesota. Kek sees America with fresh eyes and bravely starts to make a new life here, quickly befriending a foster girl and a thin cow, hoping his mother has survived and will be reunited with him. Told in free verse (a device which serves well to reflect Kek’s real voice).
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful and touching book about a boy Kek who comes from Africa to winter in Minnesota because his father and brother have been killed and his mother is missing. He tries to adjust to life in the US where there is such abundance of everything while knowing back in Africa people are dying and starving. It's beautifully written and I cried at the end. It's one of those juvenile novels that is just a pleasure for adults as well. I highly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      Kek describes his experience arriving in America after leaving a relocation camp in Sudan. His dad and brother were killed in the violence and his mom is missing. Kek tries to understand this new country after arriving in Minnesota during the middle of winter. Written in verse, the language is poetic and beautiful. Fifth grader Kek remains optimistic and has a way of connecting with people, carving out a new life for himself in spite of heartbreaking and nightmarish experiences endured in his young life.
      This book is touching and poignant. I loved it!
    • 3/5
      I know this book is talked about as being one of the greatest of last year, but I found it contrived. The verses are so adult as to lose the feel for the teenager writing them. Some of the scenes are incredibly vivid, however, and the premise is both relevant to our times and moving.
    • 5/5
      This is the story of a young boy from Sudan who comes to the United States as a refugee. His father and brother have been killed and his mother is missing, and he’s been staying at a refugee camp until he comes to Minnesota to live with his aunt and cousin. The poetry format is perfect for this book—it illustrates the cultural and language differences that Kek struggles with, as well as the emotional trauma he is going through. It’s enlightening to look at one’s own culture through the eyes of someone outside of it, and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmingly grateful after reading this book for all the blessings we have. Above all, this book is about finding home after your old one has been lost, and it’s about hope and how hard, but important, it is to find hope when it seems like there is none.
    • 4/5
      Kek comes from an African refugee camp. The country is not indicated. He travels to live with his aunt and cousin and Minnesota. He misses the cattle that were a large part of life in his country and he connects with a cow on a small farm. Eventually, he begins to work for the widow lady who still lives on the farm. Throughout the book, he hopes that is mother will be located in a refugee camp and he will be reunited with her. The story is told in poetic format and flows beautifully and Kek tries to adjust to his new strange, cold life in his 5th grade class in minnesota.
    • 5/5
      A touching, uplifting story. Kek gives us a view of what American's take for granted, and how strange it is to much of the world.
    • 5/5
      This book may have a rather strange-looking cover, but inside is one of the finest books I have read this year. It tells the story of Kek, a refugee from the Sudan. His father and brother were killed, and he lost his mother during an attack on the refugee camp where they were staying. Now he has arrived in Minnesota in the winter - a strange place that is colder than anything he could have imagined. Fortunately, Kek has an aunt and cousin to live with, understanding teachers and social worker, and a new friend named Hannah.

      The story is told by Kek himself. His words are simple, but his thoughts are deep. He holds on to the hope of reuniting with his mother when no one else seems to believe she is alive. It is a painful, difficult time, but Kek is resourceful, bright and a real charmer.

      Recommended for kids in grades 5 and up. This would make a great classroom read-aloud.
    • 4/5
      Kek is a ten-year-old refugee from Sudan coming to live in America. He's staying with his aunt and cousin in Minnesota and everything is strange. Snow covers the ground, everyone speaks a language he doesn't know, and everyone here has so much while his people in Africa have so little. Kek's waiting for his mother to be found; they were separated as they fled from shooters in Sudan. Life is cold and tough here in this new country where he's not sure he belongs, but Kek "finds sun when the sky is dark" and he won't lose hope.

      The story is told in verse and I thought it was really interesting to see immigration from a refugee's point of view. It's funny at times and sad at times and the story is ultimately hopeful. Unfortunately, there is no author's note included. I'm disappointed, as I would have liked to know what inspired Katherine Applegate (author of the Animorphs series) to write this book and how she researched it. The lack of author's note knocked it down to four stars from five. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if this one got a bit of Newbery action, although I haven't heard any buzz thus far...

    Book preview

    Home of the Brave - Katherine Applegate

    PART ONE

    When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

    —AFRICAN PROVERB

    SNOW

    When the flying boat

    returns to earth at last,

    I open my eyes

    and gaze out the round window.

    What is all the white? I whisper.

    Where is all the world?

    The helping man greets me

    and there are many lines and questions

    and pieces of paper.

    At last I follow him outside.

    We call that snow, he says.

    Isn’t it beautiful?

    Do you like the cold?

    I want to say

    No, this cold is like claws on my skin!

    I look around me.

    Dead grass pokes through

    the unkind blanket of white.

    Everywhere the snow

    sparkles with light

    hard as high sun.

    I close my eyes.

    I try out my new English words:

    How can you live

    in this place called America?

    It burns your eyes!

    The man gives me a fat shirt

    and soft things like hands.

    Coat, he says. Gloves.

    He smiles. You’ll get used to it, Kek.

    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.

    His laughter makes little clouds.

    OLD WORDS, NEW WORDS

    The helping man

    is called Dave.

    He tells me he’s from the

    Refugee Resettlement Center,

    but I don’t know what those

    words are trying to say.

    He isn’t tall

    like my father was,

    and there is hair on his face

    the color of clouds before rain.

    His car is red

    and coughs and burps

    when he tries to make it go.

    Doesn’t much like

    the cold, either, he says.

    I smile to say I understand,

    although I do not.

    Sometimes Dave speaks English,

    the tangled sounds

    they tried to teach us

    in the refugee camp.

    And sometimes he

    uses my words.

    He’s 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.

    We are like a cow and a goat,

    wanting to be friends

    but wondering if it

    can ever be.

    QUESTIONS

    We drive past buildings,

    everywhere buildings.

    Everywhere cars.

    Everywhere dead trees.

    Who killed all the trees? I ask.

    They’re not dead, Dave says.

    This is called winter,

    and it happens every year.

    In spring their leaves will come back.

    You’ll see.

    He turns to smile.

    His eyes are wise and calm,

    the eyes of a village elder.

    Your family will be happy

    to see you, Dave says,

    but he doesn’t mean my truest family,

    my mother and father and brother.

    I don’t answer.

    I reach into my pocket

    and feel the soft cloth

    I carry with me everywhere.

    Blue and yellow,

    torn at the edges,

    the size of my hand,

    soft as new grass after good rain.

    Dave asks, When did you last see

    your aunt and cousin?

    A long time ago, I say.

    Before the camp.

    I can tell that Dave

    has many questions.

    I wonder if all America people

    will be so curious.

    My mouth is going to get very sore,

    stumbling on words all day long.

    We stop at a light

    hung high in the air,

    red and round

    like a baby sun.

    How was the airplane trip?

    Dave asks in English.

    When I don’t answer, he tries again,

    using my words:

    Did you like the flying boat?

    I liked it very much, I say.

    I’d like to fly such a boat

    one day myself.

    When Mama comes,

    we’ll take a flying boat

    around the world.

    Dave turns to look at me.

    You know, Kek, he says,

    we aren’t sure where your mother is.

    His voice has the soft sting of pity in it.

    We don’t know if she is—

    She’s fine, I tell him,

    and I look out the window

    at the not-dead trees.

    She will come, I say,

    and this time

    I use my words,

    my music.

    WHAT THE HECK

    We drive down a long road

    with many fast cars.

    Still there are buildings,

    but sometimes not.

    I see a long fence

    made of old gray boards.

    And then I see the cow.

    Stop! I yell.

    I feel regret in my heart

    to use such a harsh sound

    with my new helping friend.

    Please stop, I say,

    gently this time.

    What? Dave asks.

    What’s wrong?

    Did you not see her?

    The brave cow

    in the snow?

    Dave glances

    in the looking-back glass.

    Cow? Oh, yeah. That used to be

    a big farm. Lot of land around here’s

    getting sold off now.

    But that farmer’s hanging on.

    I don’t understand his words,

    but I can hear that he doesn’t

    love cattle as I do,

    and I feel sorry for him.

    I twist in my seat.

    The don’t-move belt across my chest

    pulls back.

    Oh, what the heck? Dave says.

    I have not yet learned

    the meaning of heck,

    but I can see that

    it’s a fine and useful word,

    because he turns the car around.

    GOD WITH A WET NOSE

    We park by the side

    of the fast-car road.

    Walking through the snow

    is hard work,

    like wading across a river

    wild with rain.

    The cow is near a fine,

    wide-armed,

    good-for-climbing tree.

    To say the truth of it,

    she is not the most beautiful of cows.

    Her belly sags

    and her coat is scarred

    and her face tells me

    she remembers sweeter days.

    My father would not have stood

    for such a weary old woman in his

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