Some of Us Are Brave

In this pulse-pounding novel, Faruqi (The Partition Project) reflects on Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Houston, where she resides. Finances are strained for 12-year-old Yasir Manzoor and his single mother. To offset the cost of soccer camp, he helps coach younger players at the community center in exchange for time on the field. The tween finds he enjoys coaching, especially seven-year-old Omar Jennings-Shah, whose older sister, Mona, attends Yasir’s school. Disregarding worsening weather conditions brought about by an approaching hurricane, Yasir, having found his coach’s car keys on his way home after camp, returns to the community center. There, he encounters insufferable bully Cody Bevin, whose tense home life has driven him to seek shelter in the community center shed. Meanwhile, Mona and Omar flee their flooding house in a canoe. When the siblings serendipitously meet up with Yasir and Cody, the children join forces to navigate the rising waters and their own fears. It’s a simultaneously timely and nail-biting reflection on environmental change as well as a moving exploration of resilience, friendship, forgiveness, and courage. Intermittent radio broadcast transcripts and depictions of myriad flood myths, pulled from various cultures including Greek, Nigerian, and Sumerian, heighten tension. Final art not seen by PW. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Kari Sutherland, KT Literary. (Feb.)