Four very different kids experience Hurricane Harvey, the devastating tropical storm that hit the city of Houston in August of 2017.

The chapters rotate among the characters. They include:

Yasir Manzoor who hopes to become the next soccer captain of his middle school team. Dad passed away and his mom is struggling financially.

Mona Jennings-Shah is a talented artist and has a growing interest in mythology about floods. She often takes care of her younger brother Omar while her parents are away working in other states.

Cody Bevin is the current captain of the soccer team and has a terrible attitude, treating Yasir in unkind ways. His personality matches his fathers, a person he is scared to be around.

You see them all on the front cover after they are forced to work together in hopes of surviving the catastrophe. Each of their personalities comes across in memorable ways as we get to know each child. Their fears and the unique abilities combine to make them heroes. Weather updates and warnings are added in between many of the chapters to bring even more meaning to the devastation occurring.

It’s a compelling look at how a disaster can change lives both in a bad way but also the positive. HOUSTON STRONG became the label that helped the recovery. Through it all we see how a new beginning for each child and their family come about. SOME OF US ARE BRAVE is a compelling read and one you won’t want to put down.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: Feb. 10, 2026 PAGE COUNT: 336

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: SOME OF US ARE BRAVE by Saadia Faruqi

1. We often take it for granted but here we learn how parents are the rock of support for a family. If that rock crumbles like it does for Yasir, Mona, and Cody, you see the importance of what a loving and supportive family can mean.
2. The unlikely friendship that develops between the kids and their understanding of each other. Yasir and Cody, Yasir and Mona, along with Cody and Mona, all change and readers will experience their well done character arcs.
3. The relationship between Yasir and the younger Omar brought smiles to my face. It shows how characters of different ages who are not related can come together and be supportive for each other.
4. You not only experience what the storm was like while it was happening but also the aftermath when the kids are able to return to their homes. The story came full circle.
5. The interesting inclusion of flood legends and myths. Many were new to me as they will be for most readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author and interfaith activist. She writes the popular children’s early reader series Yasmin and other books for children, including award-winning middle grade novels, chapter books, and graphic novels. Her 2025 novel The Strongest Heart, depicting mental illness and its effect on families, received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist and the Horn Book. In 2024, The Partition Project, highlighting the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan, won the South Asia Book Award. Her 2023 graphic novel Saving Sunshine, about animal conservation and biodiversity, was a finalist for the Eisner award, a Kirkus Best Book, and a New York Public Library Best Book. Additionally, A Place At The Table (co-written with Laura Shovan) was a Sydney Taylor Notable in 2021 for its heartwarming friendship story between a Muslim and Jewish girl. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose, and was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a difference in her community. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and children. (Author’s web site)

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