As Brave as You

Two African American brothers spend their summer in rural Virginia while their parents navigate a rough patch in their marriage. Genie, 11, and Ernie, 13, get to know their blind grandfather who has a special room filled with plants and songbirds. I identified with Genie, a worrier who likes to pose questions in his notebook. As the two brothers respond differently to their grandfather’s announcement that a brave man learns to shoot a gun at 14, Reynolds is also asking readers to consider what it means to be brave and how we should define family. I loved the themes and… show more.

Over the course of a summer with his grandparents and his big brother Ernie in the country, the ever-curious Genie learns more about his family history—including parts the adults don’t like to talk about—and ends up reimagining what bravery really looks like. As you’d expect from award-winning author Jason Reynolds, this book is moving, full of humor, and it will linger with you long after you close the cover.