Home of the Brave

Applegate, K. (2007). Home of the Brave. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Lexile Score: N/A

Summary: Kek is a young boy who comes from Africa where he lived with his mother, father, and brother, but only he and his mother have survived. Now she’s missing and Kek has been sent to a new home in Minnestota. He slowly makes friends: a girl in foster care, an old woman with a rundown farm, and a sweet, sad cow that reminds Kek of home. As he waits for word of his mother’s fate, Kek weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in his new friendships, strength in his memories, and belief in his new country.

Evaluation: Home of the Brave has an excellent storyline with highs and lows. Throughout the story, Kek wonders if his mother is alive. The reader doesn’t find out until the end, so it’s this long journey that the reader gets to take with Kek and you’re constantly wondering where his mother is and what happened to her. It’s extremely intriguing.

Women and men both have equal amounts of leadership roles which is also a positive. The characters in this story represent different cultures and different backgrounds, which gives children a more diversified read. The cultural differences between Africa and Minnesota are tremendous and this story shows that. It’s a realization of the culture shock a child from Africa would go through having to now live in the cold Minnesota, which is why the cow, Gol meant so much to him. It was a piece of his home.

This story will definitely encourage discussions about the different cultures, the different characters backgrounds, and you could even discuss how you might feel if you were Kek. Children are also exposed to multiple perspectives and values both good and bad. There are many lessons to be taken from this story, especially the lesson of never losing hope.

Literary Elements: First person point of view- One place the narrator tells us his thoughts is on page 26. “I make a big grin so that my new friend Dave will not worry. I wonder if he can tell it is a pretending smile.” He tells us that he is putting on a happy face so that Dave will not worry about him.

Characterization- The many different characters (Ganwar, his aunt, Hannah, Dave) help shape Kek and help him grow as a person from Sudan now living in Minnesota.

Setting- This is also a huge part of the story because kek is constantly asking questions about his new life in Minnesota. He’s never even seen snow before let alone a school bus. He has a lot to learn at his new home.

Mini lesson: Have your class evaluate the author’s choice of point of view. Ask, “Why do you think she chose Kek to tell the story? How would the story be different if another character were telling it?” After your class writes down their own thoughts, have them share with a partner and discuss.

Target audience: 3^rd grade+ because it is a quick and easy read due to the free verse format. It is an engaging book for adults/college students as well. I personally really enjoyed this book.