As Brave As You

As Brave as You

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade realistic contemporary
• Originally Published: 2016
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 750L; grades 6-8
• Structure/Length: 21 chapters; approx. 410 pages; approx. 7 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Brothers Genie and Ernie spend the summer in Virginia at their grandparents’ farm. Being away from Brooklyn is a learning experience in itself, but Genie learns even more as he observes his grandfather’s struggle with blindness. Genie’s experiences lead to conclusions about bravery and courage.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of family member; blindness; divorce; suicide

Jason Reynolds, Author

• Bio: Born in 1983 in Washington, DC; inspired to begin poetry writing through interest in rap; became an award-winning writer of middle grade and young adult fiction and verse novels; honors include National Book Award finalist, a Newbery Honor, a Printz honor, and a CILIP Carnegie Medal
• Other Works: When I Was the Greatest (2014); The Boy in the Black Suit (2016); Ghost (2016); Long Way Down (2017); Patina (2017); Sunny (2018)
• Awards: Kirkus Prize (2016); NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen (2017); Schneider Family Book Award (2017); Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Bravery and Masculinity
• Guilt
• The Effect of Marital Problems Upon Children

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Explore the impact of family estrangement and parental conflict on children to increase their background knowledge and understanding of Genie Harris’s character and the theme of The Effect of Marital Problems Upon Children.
• Read and study paired texts and brief resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to Bravery and Masculinity, Guilt, and The Effect of Marital Problems Upon Children.
• Demonstrate their understanding of how Genie’s ideas about masculinity change by drawing “before” and “after” portraits of the character.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as irony, symbolism, setting, and characterization, and construct essay responses tying these elements to the novel’s underlying meaning.