Some of Us Are Brave
Saadia Faruqi
Quill Tree Books
Published February 10, 2026
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Some of Us Are Brave
From the acclaimed author of The Strongest Heart comes a stirring new novel from the perspectives of three very different kids who are navigating the waters of fear and friendship through the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
It’s a humid summer in Houston, Texas, and Yasir is dreaming of being soccer team captain—if only he could get the team bully, Cody, off his back, and maybe impress his sort-of-crush, Mona. Meanwhile, Mona is turning her nightmares into art, and Cody’s home life feels as tense as the storm literally brewing down the coast.
When Hurricane Harvey makes landfall, the three kids could hardly be called friends. But as their regular lives fall apart and rising floodwaters pull them together, Mona, Cody, and Yasir will need to work as a team if they want to survive. The hurricane will churn up their deepest fears and cement their bond forever—if it doesn’t tear them apart.
My Review
My sister moved to Texas right after Hurricane Harvey passed through, but I hadn’t realized how devastating this storm was for many people living in Houston. This happened in 2017, which, it’s hard to believe, was almost nine years ago.
Writing about a hurricane and keeping the story middle grade level must have been challenging. Yet, so many children experience natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes every year. Still others wonder what that would be like.
In this book, the young characters remain at the center of the story, making decisions and facing their fears. The story alternates between Mona, Cody, and Yasir’s perspectives. Each one faces a fear of some kind, from Cody’s fear of the dark to Mona’s recurring nightmare about being trapped by a flood, to Yasir’s paralyzing fear of the water after his near-drowning the previous summer.
The storm brings these three unlikely allies together, and a tentative friendship forms. They learn to trust one another and lean on each other for support. As the storm overhead clears, they realize the work of recovery has just begun, and new opportunities emerge for them to help and support one another.
I loved the way that Faruqi uses ordinary childhood activities, like playing soccer and attending summer camp, to put the three narrators into the same orbit. I loved that Mona explores her fear of being trapped by a flood through exploring myths and faith stories about a massive flood. Her experience, and later, the boys’ experiences, model approaching fear with curiosity. I thought that was really cool.
All in all, this is a great book for young readers curious about what it’s like to survive a hurricane or for readers interested in stories about characters facing their fears.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Occasional use of faux swear words, like “frakk.”
Romance/Sexual Content
Two characters have a crush on each other.
Spiritual Content
Mona learns about flood stories from different faiths and mythologies. Yasir prays with another Muslim family in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to child abuse and adult abusive behavior. (A parent locks a boy in an outside shed overnight to punish him. References to physical violence – not shown on scene.) Reference to hurricane survivors waiting for rescue in flooded homes. A news report notes the total number of deaths resulting from Hurricane Harvey.
Drug Content
None.
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