Home+of+the+Brave



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__A brief summary: __ Eleven-year-old Kek, a Sudanese refugee has faced horrific tragedies in his homeland of Africa. His father and brother were murdered and he was separated from his mother before he immigrated to America. He tries to keep hope alive that he will someday be rejoined with his mother. Kek moves to Minnesota, a land of ice and snow, to live with his aunt and cousin. Everything is so new and different and Kek often feels lost and lonely in this strange new world and finds it difficult to adjust to this new life. A neighbor girl befriends him and he finds a job taking care of a cow, which is what he was accustom to in Africa. The story is beautifully told through free verse with frequent use of similes and metaphors. It is a quiet, introspective tale that makes the reader wish they could choose their own words as beautifully as Kek does.

__What you should know about Kek's country: __ In Sudan, the largest African country, a civil war has been raging for decades, inflicting fear and terror into its people since 1955. Soldiers attack villages killing at random and leaving thousands of children orphaned. This conflict continues to be one of the most horrifying tragedies in world history. Kek is a fictional character, but his story reflects the reality experienced by real children. Kek has been relocated to a land filled with ice and snow that is nothing like his African home.

Pre-Reading Assignment (Brave)

Section One

Section Two

Section Three

Section Four

Section Five

Section Six

Section Seven

Section Eight

Section Nine

Resources:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Purchasing Information]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Book Trailer]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Katherine Applegate Biography]