The Brave Year

By Joanna Garcea

Sometimes being brave isn't about being the loudest voice in the room-it's about finding the courage to try again.

For fifth-grader Nila, everything is changing. After moving from North Carolina to Maple Wood, Florida, she must navigate a new school, a new home, and the ache of her stepfather's deployment. As a student on the autism spectrum, Nila often finds that her words get "tangled up" inside, making the noisy hallways of Dolphin Bay Elementary feel like an overwhelming storm.

But Nila isn't alone. Alongside her new friends-Sophie, a "chaos tornado" with ADHD, and Noah, a quiet detective-in-training-Nila begins to discover that her differences are actually her strengths. Together, the "Mystery Solvers" learn to support one another through classroom challenges, from standing up to bullies to protecting a rare octopus at a summer marine camp.

The Brave Year is a heart-warming middle-grade novel that explores:

Neurodiversity & Inclusion: Authentic representation of students with autism and ADHD navigating the ESE classroom.

Communication: The use of communication devices and the power of finding one's "quiet" voice.

Emotional Growth: Themes of self-advocacy, empathy, and leadership.

Military Family Life: The unique challenges of moving and deployment.

Perfect for fans of realistic fiction, The Brave Year is the first book in The LEAD Squad Series, a collection dedicated to encouraging middle-grade readers to lead with Leadership, Attitude, Motivation, and Brilliance.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0985684542
• ISBN13: 9780985684549
• Release Date: March 2026
• Publisher: DBA Lamb Publishing
• Length: 82 Pages
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.1" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7