Review: The Brave

 The Brave by James Bird
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Debut author James Bird has written a lovely novel of magical realism in which Collin, a young man with OCD who counts letters when people speak to him, relocates from California (and his father) to Minnesota in order to live with his mother's family (a complicated family, at that) on the Ojibwe reservation near Duluth (presumably Fond du Lac). Luckily, his one support, his dog Seven (whose real name is Numbers, but well, that's 7 letters right there...) travels with him. For Collin, who has suffered from bullying for years and the feeling of continually disappointing his father and grandparents because of his OCD, life among the Ojibwe is a complete change. From the fact that there is far less speaking and more just doing, to the friendship he forms with Orenda, a girl who lives next door and who seems unfazed by his counting, Collin's home life is the most supportive he's ever had. (School, which isn't on the rez, is still a work in progress, however.) Collin is still confused about some things that go on around him. Like Orenda saying she's changing (how? into what?), and his grandmother keeps disappearing with Seven. Collin slowly starts to find a different side of life, and a different way of perceiving life, living with his Ojibwe family. Ultimately, he finds himself.

This is a beautiful novel for middle grade and young adult readers. In fact, I have it on my list of nominees for the Lodestar Award.

The audiobook, narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett, is beautifully read.

I received a digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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