Some of Genie’s Questions:
What exactly are grits?
Does the flea market actually sell fleas?
The rooter to the tooter is stupid. Why not, the yapper to the crapper? Or the thinker to the stinker?
Where is Sam Hill?
What does it mean to be brave?
Here’s a Key Alert: We’ve finished As Brave As You. The polls show that Jason Reynold’s book about two Brooklyn brothers who visit their grandparents in rural Virginia for an eye-opening summer month is a legitimate winner. Luke put this read in his top three for the year. Jonah debated the tippy-top nomination, but cast his vote for the story about guilt and forgiveness and consequently, fear and bravery in his top five. In other words, reading this rich middle-grade novel was a grand old party.
Reynolds creates an unforgettable, quirky character in 11-year-old Genie Harris. He’s filled to the brim with pressing questions—they bubble up out of him. Google is his go-to, but in the back-internetless-woods, he feels comfortable consulting his blind grandpop. Their tender relationship is the beautiful force behind this story—as the blind man ultimately helps his grandson see what real bravery looks like and what real empathy feels like. I love a young adult book with wonderful substance. The not-so-silent majority will definitely lobby for this read.