Home of the Brave

Written by Katherine Applegate

An African boy navigates a harsh new world, searching for his missing mother and finding unexpected warmth.

4.3 Goodreads · 13,363 ratings

267 pages· 21,702 words· Est. 2.5 hour read· ~530L

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Bookroo's summary

Kek, a young immigrant from Africa, faces the biting cold of Minnesota and the uncertainty of his mother's fate. Alone in a foreign land, he wonders if the people will be as harsh as the winter. Yet, amidst the chill, he discovers warmth in unexpected friendships—a girl in foster care, an elderly woman with a dilapidated farm, and a cow that evokes memories of home. As Kek waits for news of his mother, he learns to find strength in his past and hope in his new surroundings. Will he find his place in this unfamiliar world?

From the publisher

A man I helped to settle here taught me a saying from Africa. I’ll bet you would like it: A cow is God with a wet nose. Kek 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 America, he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter—cold and unkind. But slowly he 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.