Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Home of the Brave
    Unavailable
    Home of the Brave
    Unavailable
    Home of the Brave
    Audiobook2 hours

    Home of the Brave

    Written by Katherine Applegate

    Narrated by Dominic Hoffman

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Read the ebook instead

    About this audiobook

    Kek comes from Africa. In America, he sees snow for the first time, and feels its sting. He's never walked on ice, and he falls. He wonders if the people in this new place will be like the winter-cold and unkind.

    In Africa, Kek lived with his mother, father, and brother. But only he and his mother have survived, and now she's missing. Kek is on his own. Slowly, he makes friends: a girl who is in foster care, an old woman who owns a rundown farm, and a cow whose name means "family" in his native language. As Kek awaits word of his mother's fate, he weathers the tough Minnesota winter by finding warmth in his new friendships, strength in his memories, and belief in his new country.


    From the Compact Disc edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateDec 18, 2007
    ISBN9780739362204
    Author

    Katherine Applegate

    Katherine Applegate is the Newbery Medal-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including the One and Only series, the Endling series, Crenshaw, Wishtree, the Roscoe Riley Rules chapter books series, and the Animorphs series. She lives with her family in Nevada.

    More audiobooks from Katherine Applegate

    Related to Home of the Brave

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Family For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Your Page

      Jan 4, 2024

      I love reading the letters on Your Page. When someone mentions a particular story they loved, I think, “Oh, I remember that one”, or if it’s one I missed, I’ll go back and find that issue and read it. I enjoyed Mary Refalo’s letter in the recent Chri

      5 min read

    • Article

      Space And Time

      Nov 1, 2023

      Space And Time
      4 min read

    • Article

      Your Page

      May 24, 2023

      Our dear mother passed away recently at nearly 93. She bought Country Style for as long as I can remember, and when Mum developed dementia, my sister gave her a subscription every year. Even as she slowly declined, your lovely magazine still brought

      5 min read

    • Article

      All I Want For Christmas

      Dec 16, 2020

      IT was more than an icicle. More like an icy boulder, oversized and murkily white, faceted like a cartoon jewel and, shortly, dripping. It had lurked beneath a low stone bridge at the bottom of the wood, where sycamore thickets bald for winter gave w

      18 min read

    • Article

      To Build a Fire

      Apr 17, 2020

      To Build a Fire
      2 min read

    • Article

      Life After Death

      Oct 28, 2022

      Life After Death
      5 min read

    • Article

      Come Stay

      Jan 16, 2024

      Come Stay
      23 min read

    • Article

      Every Day Is Like Sunday

      Dec 23, 2021

      Every Day Is Like Sunday
      12 min read

    • Article

      Music Made With Love!

      Nov 30, 2022

      Music Made With Love!
      7 min read

    • Article

      Music Made with Love!

      Nov 30, 2022

      Music Made with Love!
      7 min read

    • Article

      Your Page

      Sep 15, 2021

      My Country Style always arrives on a day I need it most – it reminds me to sit in peace, drink a hot cup of tea and devour all the delights the magazine has to offer. As an avid op-shopper, I’m always prowling the pages for cost-effective ways to use

      5 min read

    • Article

      On The BEST Day Of CHRISTMAS

      Dec 1, 2020

      Anstey Harris lives in Kent. For me, Christmas Eve is about the stockings: the anticipation of that weight on your covers when you wake up; that woollen crunch as you move your legs. For us, everything in the stocking is wrapped except the walnuts,

      4 min read

    • Article

      Your Page

      Feb 29, 2024

      I acquired my love of Country Style at age 16. My mum loved op-shopping on Saturday mornings – one weekend the store had a trolley out the front full of 50c magazines. The front covers were stunning and, just like that, in my arms I had someone’s ent

      5 min read

    • Article

      Your Letters

      May 14, 2020

      Your Letters
      4 min read

    • Article

      Longing For A Crowded House

      Nov 10, 2021

      Longing For A Crowded House
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Letterbox

      Apr 1, 2022

      Dear Cricket, Your magazine was first given to me by an older friend of mine, and now I’ve bought a subscription for another friend’s birthday. Your magazine will now bring joy to three people through a chain of giving—wow! I just wanted to thank you

      7 min read

    • Article

      A Rake’s Progress

      Sep 1, 2018

      A Rake’s Progress
      2 min read

    • Article

      Family Legacy

      Jun 25, 2020

      The brilliant blue skies and misty violet High Peaks framed the backdrop of North Elba cemetery in Lake Placid last summer—a lovely and fitting scene for a special memorial. A group had already assembled at the grave site and, for the first time ever

      3 min read

    • Article

      Handmade From The Heart

      Sep 21, 2021

      When I was young, we lived in a wonderful, rambling Victorian. I loved my bedroom at the top of the stairs, with its hardwood floors, gabled ceiling, and tiny Juliet balcony. My mother sewed beautifully, but arthritis made it too difficult for her to

      6 min read

    • Article

      Your Page

      Sep 14, 2023

      Every month, I walk up to our local newsagent and get the latest issue of Country Style. I find myself excited for that moment of calm when I get to sit down with a cup of tea and flick through the glorious pages, reading stories and gaining inspirat

      5 min read

    • Article

      Your Page

      Jul 10, 2019

      When a new issue comes out I make myself a coffee at about 5.30am and sit and read this beautiful magazine from cover to cover in the peace and quiet of a new dawn. To my delight, this weekend I awoke to rain after months and months without a drop. I

      3 min read

    • Article

      Cowboy Carols

      Nov 1, 2023

      Cowboy Carols
      5 min read

    • Article

      Simply Summer

      Dec 17, 2019

      Simply Summer
      16 min read

    • Article

      The BEST Day Of CHRISTMAS

      Oct 24, 2019

      For me, Christmas Eve is about the stockings: the anticipation of that weight on your covers when you wake up; that woollen crunch as you move your legs. Everything in our stockings is wrapped except the walnuts, apple and satsuma that mark the end o

      4 min read

    • Article

      Drifting Thoughts

      Nov 26, 2019

      Drifting Thoughts
      5 min read

    • Article

      Your Page

      Dec 7, 2022

      I’m stuck at home trying to recover from COVID and I’ve read all my books, and watched too much TV. With the urge to cook something, I asked my best friend Carol to grab some supplies. She dropped off the essentials to make orange cornflake biscuits,

      3 min read

    Reviews for Home of the Brave

    4.5/5

    201 ratings26 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      "Home. What a heartbreaking word that is, when you don't have one."
      Kek comes from Africa where he lives with his mother, father and brother. After his father and brother are killed, he is sent to a Refugee Resettlement Center in Minnesota in the middle of the winter. He gets there traveling on a flying boat, (airplane), and is given a fat shirt, (coat), and soft things like hands, (gloves.) The only thing familiar is an old geriatric cow in a field as he travels by on the way to a new home. He convinces Dave to stop. He pets the cow and feels sorry for the lonely creature. Kek manages to find his way back to this little farm and Lou a widow, hires Kek to take care of the farm which means he gets to spend time with the cow, whom he names Gol, (Gol means family in Kek's language.) He also befriends a girl in his building who is living in a crowded apartment with a foster family. She helps Kek make his way through the American ways. He makes many blunders such as putting on pajamas to wear to school. He doesn't understand the Western Clothes. And if a washing machine is for washing, why shouldn't you put the dishes in there to be cleaned? When he visits the library, Kek wonders why they would let him take one of these magical presents home.
      As Kek makes finds his way in this cold Minnesota town, he wonders if he will ever see his mother again. The powers that be have promised to look for her in the other refugee camps, but so far she has not shown up.
      Kek states at one point that maybe he wil learn to like living in America. Another refugee tells him, "yeah, thatr's what I thought, too. but you'll never really feel lie an American, you'll see."
      This is a sad but actually a very sweet story written in the style of prose.
      to further experience Kek's point of view, visit these websites.
      AGAINST ALL ODDS:
    • 5/5
      This story, written in verse, is about a Sudanese refugee boy, Kek, , who has just come to Minneapolis to live with his cousin and aunt after his refugee camp was infiltrated. Very moving story that allows you to get an understanding for what it is like for people of different cultures to be plopped down in a new land, not knowing the language, customs, or goods. Well worth the read.
    • 5/5
      I love this book! It is a lovely story of Kek, an African refugee, surviving in America. I enjoyed the way it was written as it flows nicely; I really felt as if I understood how difficult it was for Kek to be without his family. Wonderful use of metaphors!I would use this book to help students understand cultural differences, see how hard it could be to move to a new country, or to understand some of the political problems in Sudan.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing. A novel in verse, this one made me chuckle and filled me with warmth. Themes include hope, making a new home, starting over, being unfamiliar with one's surroundings, etc. I highly recommend this to anyone: Grades 4 and up, I'd say.
    • 4/5
      Kek is so hopeful and optimistic about his new life in America even as he misinterprets daily life and is homesick for his missing mother and African homeland. Another nice addition to the genre of the immigrant/refugee experience in America.

      Kek is a young African refugee who settles in wintry Minnesota with his aunt and teenage cousin Ganwar. (Their country of origin is never
      specified.) With their help, and that of caseworker Dave and a girl named Hannah who lives in the same apartment building, Kek tries to acclimate to his new surroundings. He is hopeful and optimistic even as he misinterprets daily life: He puts the dirty dishes in the washing machine only to destroy the set but he finds a job helping an elderly woman with her small farm and uses the money to buy new dishes. He is also hopeful that his mother will be found and will join him in America although Dave and the others are less optimistic. There are also the dark clouds: nightmares of the killings of his father and brother, homesickness, and the overwhelming confusion of American life. By the following autumn, in an epilogue, Kek's mother reunites with the family.
    • 5/5
      This is a children's book written in verse. It tells the story of a young boy, Kek, from Africa who has come to America from a refugee camp to live with his Aunt and cousin. Kek has lost his father, brother, and possibly his mother.
      Kek has a pretty difficult time, as you can imagine, adjusting to life in America and dealing with his feelings about everything he has gone through. His cousin Ganwar has also lost a lot and is having difficulties. The two boys begin work on the farm of an older woman tending to her land and animals, including an old cow, who Kek names Gol (meaning Family). Kek also meets a wonderful little girl who becomes his friend.
      This is a truly remarkable book, and Katherine Applegate is quickly becoming one of my favorite children's authors.
    • 4/5
      I love Kek, with his love of cows and his ability to find the sun through clouds. Powerful story, wonderful language.
    • 4/5
      A sweet first-person juvenile about a Lost Boy from Sudan learning to find his place in Minnesota, with too much winter and too few cows. The book is laid out in free verse form, which works surprisingly well with the simplified sentences and introspective ruminations of Kek, the main character. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Listened to this on a day trip with the kids -- just the right length. Enjoyed by young and old. Former Caudill nominee, this is a beautiful story about Keck, a Sudan refugee, who comes to Minneapolis, MN in the dead of winter to join an aunt and cousin. His mother is unaccounted for in a camp somewhere and his father and brother were killed in the violence in his village. How he adapts to his new life is a story of courage, hope, and wonder. If it had been written for young adults or adults it could've been much more traumatic, but this is spot on and age-appropriate. Perfect way to examine what "home" means.
    • 4/5

      Surprisingly easy to read and enjoyable.  Of course it's a big deal for Kek to have lost most of his family, and his home, and be shipped 1/2way around the world, but it doesn't have to be a bleak & depressing story, and in Applegate's hands it's not.  Don't think she's a hack just because she's written Animorphs and other series.  This is actually the most heartfelt and graceful free verse immigrant story I've read lately,* and it rates pretty high up there in all modern MG realistic fiction I've ever read, too.  

      *I'm comparing it, offhand, to The Weight of Water and Inside Out and Back Again.

      Upon meeting his teacher in Minnesota:

      I'm ready to begin
      my learning, I say,
      and she tosses out a loud laugh
      like a ball into the air..."

      Upon reflecting about the MN cow that has made him less homesick for his father's herd:

      "You can have your dogs and cats,
      your gerbils and hamsters
      and sleek sparkling fish.
      But you will have lived
      just half a life
      if you never love a cow."

      I especially admire the way the author uses a limited vocabulary and shows us a bewildered child at the beginning of the book, but uses more advanced words and ideas as the boy learns more English and grows more confident and comfortable in his new home.

      "
    • 5/5
      life in the United States from the point of view of an orphan from Sudan - beautifully told in free verse. I loved this book!
    • 5/5
      I listened to this on audio, and I was crying as I was driving. It's really good. I gave it to Andy to read after. Tt's nominated for a Maine Student Book award, and while I wish it would win, I think that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is going to end up the champion. I'm not sure I will ever look at cows the same way again.
    • 5/5
      Katherine Applegate uses free verse writing to tell the story of Kek and his journey into American culture. The free verse captures the simplicity and innocence of Kek's thought process and how he learns through the trials and tribulations. The story opens the eyes of the reader to the experience of an immigrant, allowing them to understand what it is like to be in a new place without any information. As Kek recalls his life in Sudan, he introduces readers to the rituals boys experience before becoming men. It also speaks to the reader about the simplicity in the things that could be taken for granted in other countries - a desk, supplies provided at school, etc. The story also touches on the loss and grieving for family members, whether it is through death or unstable home in the case of Kek's friend Hannah. A beautiful story targeted towards 4th and 5th grade.
    • 4/5
      Sudanese refugee in Minneapolis struggles with new home and guilt over missing mother. Plausible challenges, lovely writing, a little optimistic--especially the end.
    • 4/5
      Home of the Free tells the story of Kek, a Sudanese refugee who moves to Minnesota. Back home he had a whole family, but only his mother has survived and they were separated before Kek arrived in the United States. Kek struggles with life in America, such as grocery shopping and snow, but he makes friends with a foster girl in his building, and finds friendship with Dave from the Refugee Resettlement Center, an older woman named Louise who lets him look after her cow. He names the cow Gol, which means family in his language. It took a little bit of getting used to the style of writing in this book, as it is written in poetic style verse, but it represents Kek's learning of English. This book touches on many issues related to immigrants, and I think that it is a good read to help kids understand some of the issues that recent newcomers undergo.
    • 4/5
      Written in prose this fast read tells the story of a young boy displaced to America after the his parents are killed in war torn Africa. Happy ending
    • 5/5
      The story of Kek, a Sudanese refugee boy in America. Funny, heartwrenching, inspiring. Told in the prose style of "Love That Dog". An easy and compelling book that will prompt readers to think about and discuss serious topics like refugees and racism.
    • 4/5
      Make that eighteen more Bluebonnets to go. Home of the Brave is book two. Kek escapes from his warring homeland in Africa to live with family in icy cold Minnesota. Kek sees America with fresh eyes and bravely starts to make a new life here, quickly befriending a foster girl and a thin cow, hoping his mother has survived and will be reunited with him. Told in free verse (a device which serves well to reflect Kek’s real voice).
    • 5/5
      This was a wonderful and touching book about a boy Kek who comes from Africa to winter in Minnesota because his father and brother have been killed and his mother is missing. He tries to adjust to life in the US where there is such abundance of everything while knowing back in Africa people are dying and starving. It's beautifully written and I cried at the end. It's one of those juvenile novels that is just a pleasure for adults as well. I highly recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      Kek describes his experience arriving in America after leaving a relocation camp in Sudan. His dad and brother were killed in the violence and his mom is missing. Kek tries to understand this new country after arriving in Minnesota during the middle of winter. Written in verse, the language is poetic and beautiful. Fifth grader Kek remains optimistic and has a way of connecting with people, carving out a new life for himself in spite of heartbreaking and nightmarish experiences endured in his young life. This book is touching and poignant. I loved it!
    • 3/5
      I know this book is talked about as being one of the greatest of last year, but I found it contrived. The verses are so adult as to lose the feel for the teenager writing them. Some of the scenes are incredibly vivid, however, and the premise is both relevant to our times and moving.
    • 5/5
      This is the story of a young boy from Sudan who comes to the United States as a refugee. His father and brother have been killed and his mother is missing, and he’s been staying at a refugee camp until he comes to Minnesota to live with his aunt and cousin. The poetry format is perfect for this book—it illustrates the cultural and language differences that Kek struggles with, as well as the emotional trauma he is going through. It’s enlightening to look at one’s own culture through the eyes of someone outside of it, and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmingly grateful after reading this book for all the blessings we have. Above all, this book is about finding home after your old one has been lost, and it’s about hope and how hard, but important, it is to find hope when it seems like there is none.
    • 4/5
      Kek comes from an African refugee camp. The country is not indicated. He travels to live with his aunt and cousin and Minnesota. He misses the cattle that were a large part of life in his country and he connects with a cow on a small farm. Eventually, he begins to work for the widow lady who still lives on the farm. Throughout the book, he hopes that is mother will be located in a refugee camp and he will be reunited with her. The story is told in poetic format and flows beautifully and Kek tries to adjust to his new strange, cold life in his 5th grade class in minnesota.
    • 5/5
      A touching, uplifting story. Kek gives us a view of what American's take for granted, and how strange it is to much of the world.
    • 5/5
      This book may have a rather strange-looking cover, but inside is one of the finest books I have read this year. It tells the story of Kek, a refugee from the Sudan. His father and brother were killed, and he lost his mother during an attack on the refugee camp where they were staying. Now he has arrived in Minnesota in the winter - a strange place that is colder than anything he could have imagined. Fortunately, Kek has an aunt and cousin to live with, understanding teachers and social worker, and a new friend named Hannah. The story is told by Kek himself. His words are simple, but his thoughts are deep. He holds on to the hope of reuniting with his mother when no one else seems to believe she is alive. It is a painful, difficult time, but Kek is resourceful, bright and a real charmer. Recommended for kids in grades 5 and up. This would make a great classroom read-aloud.
    • 4/5
      Kek is a ten-year-old refugee from Sudan coming to live in America. He's staying with his aunt and cousin in Minnesota and everything is strange. Snow covers the ground, everyone speaks a language he doesn't know, and everyone here has so much while his people in Africa have so little. Kek's waiting for his mother to be found; they were separated as they fled from shooters in Sudan. Life is cold and tough here in this new country where he's not sure he belongs, but Kek "finds sun when the sky is dark" and he won't lose hope.The story is told in verse and I thought it was really interesting to see immigration from a refugee's point of view. It's funny at times and sad at times and the story is ultimately hopeful. Unfortunately, there is no author's note included. I'm disappointed, as I would have liked to know what inspired Katherine Applegate (author of the Animorphs series) to write this book and how she researched it. The lack of author's note knocked it down to four stars from five. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if this one got a bit of Newbery action, although I haven't heard any buzz thus far...