April 2017 - As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds

“#460: POOP.  POOP IS STUPID.  STUPID POOP.  STUPID.  POOPID.  POOPIDITY.  IS POOPIDITY A WORD?

Genie stood a few feet away from Samantha’s shabby old doghouse, scribbling a mess of words in his notebook.  His older brother, Ernie, was luring the mutt to a cleaner spot in the yard with a big pot of leftover chicken, bacon, grits, greens, and whatever else was for doggy breakfast.

‘Okay, that should keep her busy for a few minutes,’ Ernie said, successful.  He walked over to the side of Grandma and Grandpop’s house, grabbed a rusty shovel, then came back to Genie and started scooping up crusty piles of dog poop.

‘What I wanna know is what you ‘bout to do with that mess?’ Genie asked …

‘You watchin’?’ Ernie called out …

Ernie flashed a sly grin, one that worked perfectly with his dark shades. Then, without giving any kind of warning, he cocked the shovel back and flung it forward.  The poop flew into the air and out into the woods, slapping against the trees and exploding. …

Genie gaped, his mouth falling open as Ernie came back to scoop up more dog crud.  ‘You just gon’ stand there, or you gon’ get in on this?’ …
No way was Genie going to miss out on slinging poop.  On poopidity? No. Way. How often does anybody get to catapult doo-doo into a forest?” 

pg. 1-3 – As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds

Genie’s got questions, lots of questions, but when he and his older brother, Ernie, go to spend a month with their grandparents (whom Genie has never met) in the hills of Virginia, Genie’s questions really start to pile up.   Especially when he figures out that his Grandpop is blind. How can Grandpop pour ice tea without spilling and get dressed each morning in matching clothes?  Grandpop answers some of his questions, but some of them he leaves unanswered and Genie begins to think that his Grandpop must be one of the bravest guys he’s ever met.  But as the month goes along and Genie and Ernie have adventures and misadventures around their Grandparents house, Genie’s idea of bravery and who is brave starts to change.

This is a great story about family, bravery and telling the truth, but it’s also full of laughs.  If you enjoy a good audiobook, I highly recommend listening to As Brave as You, narrator Guy Lockard, does a fantastic job bringing Jason Reynolds’ story to life!