Being a fan of the artwork from Awkward, I was excited to obtain a copy of Brave. This is yet another book I wish existed when I was in middle school. The approachability of the content matter in regards to bullying and how everyone fights their own battles in school is refreshing and incredibly appreciated. Being all too familiar with what it’s like to be a Jensen in middle and high school, Brave shows just how many flavors of bullying exist and how they can be addressed and combated.
I was amused by the sunspots sideline, but greatly appreciated the breakdown of just what bullying can be, and from what I remember of middle school, it’s a worthwhile lesson to detail. The approachable nature of content is encouraging considering the target reader of middle school readers. And it makes me want to check out Awkward to see just what came before this one. I highly recommend checking out Brave or sharing it with your middle school readers.
Author: Svetlana Chmakova
Where to find her: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr
Published: 2017
Publisher: Yen Press
Where to purchase: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Kindle/Comixology/iBooks/Google Play
In his daydreams, Jensen is the biggest hero that ever was, saving the world and his friends on a daily basis. But his middle school reality is VERY different–math is hard, getting along with friends is hard…Even finding a partner for the class project is a huge problem when you always get picked last. And the pressure’s on even more once the school newspaper’s dynamic duo, Jenny and Akilah, draw Jensen into the whirlwind of school news, social-experiment projects, and behind-the-scenes club drama. Jensen has always played the middle school game one level at a time, but suddenly, someone’s cranked up the difficulty setting. Will those daring daydreams of his finally work in his favor, or will he have to find real solutions to his real-life problems? The charming world of Berrybrook Middle School gets a little bigger in this highly anticipated follow-up to Svetlana Chmakova’s award-winning Awkward with a story about a boy who learns his own way of being brave!