There's no doubt Jason Reynolds is great; he is a refreshing voice on the J/YA scene. I enjoyed this one, but it dragged a little compared to his others. It's unfair to compare As Brave As You to Reynold's other children's book from 2016 (Ghost) - they are two completely different stories that require two different paces (a story about kids running track will naturally be a little more fast-paced than a story of two brothers picking peas every morning). The day-by-day acclimation of Brooklynites Genie and Ernie to their grandparent's small-town southern living was interesting to follow, I just wonder how many kids will lose interest (as I almost did). But when it comes to characterization, Reynolds still showed his mastery. Genie was the star, and his innocently hilarious/poignant question notebook made me love him a whole lot. His admiration for his older brother Ernie, and Ernie's obvious love for Genie, was also a shining part of the book for me. 
 Side note: This was one of my favorite book covers of 2016.