For eleven-year-old Genie and his older brother, Ernie, spending a month of summer in rural Virginia with their grandparents is a world away from life in Brooklyn. Constantly curious Genie has a lot questions— especially about his grandfather. Through spending time with Grandpop, he learns family secrets and how the residual effects of Jim Crow have taken their toll. Filled with joy, pain, and an abundance of humor, As Brave as You (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy, $16.99) is Coretta Scott King and Walter Award winner Jason Reynolds’s debut middle-grade novel. Beautifully written with a sense of place and rich characterization, this is an epic to be savored long after the last days of summer. Ages 10-13.