Common Sense Media Review
By Jasmine Baten
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Kids survive hurricane, find friendship in suspenseful tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
SOME OF US ARE BRAVE is about three middle school classmates—Yasir, Cody, and Mona—forming an unlikely team to get through Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. Yasir has a plan: He wants to be the eighth grade soccer team captain and get hired as a coach to a junior team so he can make money to help his mom. He'd also like to know why Cody, the current team captain, is so angry at him all the time. Cody is angry that the brown boy on his team is trying to take his spot, but he's got another problem: He's planning to run away from home, where his dad's hitting and shouting makes every day scary. Mona's professor parents have left her to take care of her little brother so that they can attend an academic conference. Yasir, Cody, and Mona are just trying to make it through the week when Hurricane Harvey hits Houston, and suddenly their problems are both bigger and smaller than they were before. Without any adults around, the kids find each other and figure out how to escape the floodwaters filling the streets and get to safety. They have to be compassionate, courageous, and humble in ways they've never been before if they're going to make it, learning the importance of supporting each other and asking for help.
Is It Any Good?
This novel is a heartwarming and suspenseful survival and friendship story with endearing characters. Some of Us Are Brave's trio of bright kids and dynamic perspective shifts give the story momentum while letting readers in on what everyone is thinking and how they're learning, providing a unique, insightful read. Yasir stands out as an inspiration for his kindness and determination to be compassionate. The story shows what it might have been like for kids to survive Hurricane Harvey while providing important facts about the real event. Readers may find it concerning that Cody is encouraged to give his father another chance at the end of the story despite his previous abuse. While family situations can be complicated, Cody is a child and should not have to shoulder his father's mental health needs. Aside from this issue, this is a great pick for middle grade readers who are interested in survival stories and unlikely friendships and for learning about social issues that make natural disasters harder for some people than others.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Cody's bias in Some of Us Are Brave. As the story progresses, he realizes that the racist beliefs he was taught about immigrants aren't true. What does Cody's experience show us about getting to know people who are different from us?
The main characters have different relationships with their parents. Why do you think some parents struggle with caring and supporting their children, and others even abuse their kids? What can be done to help kids in tough family situations?
What is the purpose of main characters mentioning so many real-world people, places, items, and brands?
The author encourages readers to look up how Hurricane Harvey is related to Houston zoning laws, local government action, and climate change. How do we see those connections show up in the story? What parts of the city are most impacted by the flooding waters? What racial groups live there? What are the income levels of neighborhoods that flooded vs. those that stayed dry? How did emergency services respond?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Humility , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Quill Tree Books
- Publication date : February 10, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 335
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : May 6, 2026
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