Talkhani, Zeba. The Most Exciting Eid. Illus. by Abeeha Tariq Feb. 2024. 24p. Scholastic, $7.99. ISBN 9781338877816. Grades PreK – 2
In this Eid story, Safa and her family, cued as having Pakistani heritage, see the new moon marking the end of Ramadan. Knowing that it is now Eid ul-Fitr, Safa looks forward to all the things her family will do. There is decoration of their home, henna decoration for hands, and preparation for the next day which will bring a family party with new outfits, delicious food, and presents. In her prayers Safa asks Allah for a new bicycle, and is delighted when she gets it, but when her cousin Alissa asks if she can have a turn on the bicycle, Safa does not want to share.
Though it is during the party, Safa’s mother calls her into the kitchen telling her that this year she is now old enough to help to bring food to their neighbors and visit with them. While on their visits, Safa spends time thinking about how they make their neighbors happy and how sharing makes her feel connected to others. Finally, Safa and her mother stop at her grandparents’ house. She is happy to see them, but there is no explanation as to why her grandparents are not at the family party. Returning home, Alissa tells Safa that she had been looking for her, and later pages show them riding bicycles. Readers may wonder why the narrative wanders in its sequence, but the celebration of Eid and discussions of sharing and the spirit of giving may help families introduce their children to Eid, Islamic phrases, concepts, and practices while also observing interwoven aspects of Pakistani Muslim culture.
Mannaert, Wauter,; Illustrated by Wauter Mannaert; Translated By Montana Kane. Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic. Jan. 26, 2021, 160pp. First Second, $14.99. (9781250622044). Grades 3-6
Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic, a graphic novel by Belgian artist Wauter Mannart and translated by Montana Kane, follows 11-year-old aspiring chef Yasmina. Yasmina and her father Omran live in an apartment in Brussels, Yasmina preparing their vegetarian meals to eat at home and for Omar to take to his work at a frites shop. A photograph of a woman wearing hijab implies that Yasmina’s mother has passed away and that the family is Muslim, but there are no indicators of specific racial, ethnic, or cultural identity of the family. Yasmina’s cooking is delicious, their limited budget supplemented by Yasmina’s resourceful foraging and friends running community gardens. Still times are tight, and despite her initial reservations, Yasmina finds herself occasionally sneaking onto the lush rooftop garden of her mysterious upstairs neighbor to pilfer ingredients.
When a big potato corporation buys up farms in the city and its outskirts things change for Yasmina. The company wants to monopolize the potato market with genetically modified crops, engineered to be irresistibly addictive, so much so that the populace start displaying bizarrely gluttonous, aggressive zombie-ish behavior. Yasmina no longer has access to as much fresh produce and her visits to the rooftop garden increase. While Yasmina is discovered she also find out that her elusive neighbor has a surprising link to this disturbing corporate potato scheme. Rallying her friends, Yasmina embarks on a daring (and silly) mission to expose the truth, take down the corporation, and restore balance to her community.
Mannaert’s narrative is fun and charming, but also visually engaging, employing sequential vignettes along with traditional panels to propel the story forward with dynamic action sequences, and find balance between words and illustrations. Older readers or those reading with children can approach the narrative with surface level fun or ask deeper questions around healthy eating, access to fresh produce, and even genetically modified foods. Still, it is up to the readers to engage in nuanced conversation about food access as well as the costs and benefits of GMOs, corporate interests, and food insecurity and shaming of food choices in the context of access and the privilege in food waste, particularly for readers in the United States. Still, this graphic novel raises awareness of access to food in a way that is fun, celebrates joy in cooking, and community.
Faruqi, Reem Illustrated by Ani Bushry. Do You Even Know Me? May 7, 2024, 40pp. HaperCollins (9780063206182). Grades Prek-2nd
Do You Even Know Me? By Reem Faruqi and illustrated by Ani Bushry, addresses bullying and Islamophobia in a picture book for young readers that is both gentle and powerful. When elementary student Salma hears the word Muslim coming from a news anchor on tv, she is disturbed by the expression on the woman’s face, which is one of anger. Salma states that she is a Muslim, and that both her name and religion mean peace. She tells readers of how she is a peacemaker at home, between her siblings, to ants, and in the lunch line at school. She and her best friend Skye do everything together, but on a day that Skye is absent, another classmate, Luke, asks where Skye is and that “probably no one will ever sit with you or your people anymore.” Salma is upset but can’t react in time, and Luke continues his bullying, bumping into Salma on the playground with an insincere apology.
Salma gets advice from her siblings and friends, but after a classroom read-aloud about bullies results in Luke positioning himself as an anti-bully to their classmates and teacher, she does not know what to tell her teacher. Luke’s bullying becomes more and more prevalent, and Salma sits with the discomfort of her feelings over both the bullying and her inability to act. But when in the lunchroom Luke whispers “Muzzlim” to her, Salma is propelled to ask the titular question. When Luke responds by saying ”I know all about Muzzlims from TV,” Salma asserts her identity as a Muslim and tells him “what you see on TV is not who I am.” Observed by her teacher and classmates, Salma is able to recount everything that has happened and Luke faces consequences for his actions.
In the days following Luke does not interact with Salma, but later attempts to brush his bullying under the rug. Salma does not let him do this, telling her how he made her feel, and he apologies, this time with sincerity. But when Luke’s best friend is absent one day, Salma remembers how that felt and reaches out, hinting at a future of friendship and understanding.
Faruqi’s narrative addresses bullying and Islamophobia with nuance and complexity, considering childhood friendships and the weaponization of prejudice and its impact, alluding to the impact of media portrayals of Muslims on a national level on a personal every day one. Salma’s instances of standing up for herself model pathways towards resolutions with restorative practices and accountability.
Accompanying the text are Bushry’s illustrations, which speak volumes in their simplicity and warmth. The soft colors and rounded shapes complement the story’s gentle yet profound message, by focusing on the everyday in Salma’s life–from pictures decorating the family home and endpapers to friend and family dynamics–deliberately humanizes Muslim children to emphasize both commonality and the responsibility of knowing real people.
Backmatter enriches the reading experience, with both author and illustrator notes that provide valuable insights into real-world issues such as the Muslim ban, the dangers of misinformation, and emphasis on human connection. Anti-bullying resources include links to the Islamic Networks Group (ING) and Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), empowering readers to navigate complex topics with understanding and compassion and to learn. It is important to note that negative media images directly impact Muslim students. An 2020 ISPU report found in a survey of Muslim families just over half (51%) with children in K-12 public schools reported a child of theirs had been bullied for their faith in the past year. One-third of those bullied report that a teacher or school official was the bully.
Do You Even Know Me? resonates asa timely reminder of the importance and deliberate work of inclusivity, acceptance, and restorative practice. Through Salma’s journey, young readers are encouraged to embrace their identities, stand up against prejudice, and foster empathy in their communities.
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We are now projecting that our Favorites list will be posted in January 2024 and include titles from both 2022 and 2023. Our release calendar continues to be updated with more regularity. As our membership and roles transition, we hope for a return to normal reviews and activity, insha’Allah.
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Mafi,Tahereh. This Woven Kingdom. Feb. 2022, 512 pp. HarperCollins, $19.99. (9780062972446). Grades 9 – 12
In the world of This Woven Kingdom, once powerful Jinn are living as second-class citizens to humans.
Alizeh is a Jinn; alone in the world at a young age, she works laborious jobs for humans in order to survive. Because of the actions of Iblees, who eventually became Shaytan (the devil), her people are collectively demonized, even at a truce with human beings, their powers are reduced, and they are subject to constant exploitation and threats of violence. Alizeh is additionally set apart from her people by the ice runs in her blood and identifies her as part of a larger prophecy that could lead to the liberation of jinnkind or the destruction of mankind. She lives in hiding and constant fear of being killed or used.
Heir to the kingdom of Ardunia, currently led by his grandfather, King Zaal, Kamran encounters Alizeh by chance. Immediately attracted to each other they grow close, but as plots are uncovered and more is revealed about Alizeh, their situation grows increasingly complicated and each must make irrevocable decisions.
Mafi’s prose is deliberately paced to build tension and intensity while building a rich fantasy world based on Islamic folklore and the Persian Shahnameh epic. Intended to be a multi volume series, Mafi skillfully builds the foundation for a tale that promises adventure, romance, and political intrigue. Alizeh is a formidable protagonist and readers will find themselves emotionally invested in her happiness.
The world of This Woven Kingdom is predicated on Islamic stories of jinn and the creation of humankind, with jinn having the same moral capability of humans to exercise free will and thought in which they choose to worship Allah. However, in many cultural contexts, jinn are associated with evil, and Mafi’s use and tying of the actions of Iblees and the properties of jinn and their abilities to the status of jinnkind is both intriguing and validating, moving this story beyond common tropes or retellings of western fairytales. Iblees moved into a villain role devoid of religious context still very much works for the story, while also having the reader examine and reflect on the irony of the lack of freewill the characters have at times, and the structures of power upon a subjugated people. Elements of Islam, Islamic practices, and culture (i.e. miswak used for oral hygiene) throughout the book are instantly recognizable to those familiar, though religion itself is never mentioned in the world. Instead, Mafi translates these religious concepts of Islam to a fantasy world setting impeccably and respectfully. This Woven Kingdom is an outstanding fantasy novel that feels fresh and swoonworthy, in a world accessible to any reader.
An image of the author from her website: ayakhalil.com
Aya Khalil is the author of award-winning picture book, The Arabic Quilt (illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan), Egypt (illustrated by Magda Azab), upcoming books The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale (with Anait Semirdzhyan, August 2023), and The Night Before Eid (illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh) released on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Along with her work as an author in children’s literature, Khalil is a freelance journalist and holds a master’s degree in Education with a focus in teaching English as a second Language. She is involved in a variety of organizations — co-founder of Kidlit in Color, a Muslim Highlights Foundation Storyteller, and serves as a mentor for PBRising Star 2022, Kweli 2022 and DVDebut 2022.
Interview Questions were compiled by Hadeal Salamah and Ariana Hussain.
If you feel comfortable with this question, how do you identify? (i.e. nationality, ethnicity, etc.) Sure! I am Egyptian. I was born in Zagazig (yes that’s the real name), Egypt and immigrated to the U.S. when I was one.
When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer? What inspired you to become a writer?Growing up I loved writing, anything and everything. I loved writing in my journals, poetry, notes and letters to friends and cousins. In high school I fell more in love with it after my English teacher praised my writing and often shared my essays in class. I majored in English literature and communications and worked as a journalist for a few years. I enjoyed that, but I went on to get a master’s degree in education and taught for a little bit. I was getting frustrated with the lack of picture books with Muslim and/or Arab characters so I decided I would learn and write kidlit!
We talk a lot about windows and mirrors for marginalized readers/reader’s of color. Where and when did you first see yourself in literature? We recognize that identity is intersectional, so please do list multiple titles, if applicable, that coincide with your identity. In high school we read some work by Muslim authors, but not American Muslims. I also read Umm Zakiyyah’s novels If I Should Speak and A Voice both of which I remember came out in the early 2000s. I really enjoyed them. I don’t remember ever seeing or reading a children’s book with characters who looked like me out and about. My parents would get us some books from Egypt in the summer, but they were either too difficult to read (in Arabic) or not interesting enough. It was when Reem Faruqi and Hena Khan’s books came out that I knew how important these books were to children, especially seeing them at libraries, schools and bookstores.
We absolutely loved The Arabic Quilt, it was one of our favorites from 2020, and we are thrilled to see The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story. What has been the most meaningful reaction to your book from a reader? Thank you so much! I can’t believe The Arabic Quilt has been out for three years it’s still doing so well. I still get messages from teachers, parents and readers thanking me for writing it and how it made them feel seen. I actually got an email a few weeks ago from an adult reader and writer who came across my book at the library displayed on the top shelf. She said she was filled with joy to read a book about an Egyptian girl (she is Egyptian too) and said her heart was filled with recognition. I love when children say they enjoy my books, but I feel even more grateful when adults or young adults enjoy it because they never saw such books when they were young.
We understand that editors/publishers pair authors and illustrators together. Was it a surprise to be paired with Rashin Kheiriyeh as an illustrator for The Night Before Eid? What were elements of her illustrations that captured your story best? I love her illustrations and was so excited to be working with her. She captured everything so well, and I especially loved the facial expressions throughout, because there are so many emotions from teita and Zain. She captured the love and tenderness between Zain and teita so well! I also absolutely love the cat she added throughout the book because it makes reading it out loud so much fun.
How important was it for you to include the character of Zain and his relationship with (and gentle teaching of) his Teita? Can you tell us more about your inspiration for Zain and their relationship? I feel like part of my author brand now is intergenerational relationships! A big part of Egyptian culture (and Arab and Muslim culture) is respect and kindness towards elders. In this picture book, there is kindness towards teita, but also so much respect is shown to the boy. He’s given tasks to do, he struggles, he comes up with a solution and in the end he feels empowered. Teita explains the history of the special cookies to Zain, and Zain loves listening to her, and in the end, they enjoy this beautiful intimate moment drinking tea and eating left over cookies. It’s such an emotional and beautiful scene that Rashin brought to life with her beautiful illustrations. I have fond memories of baking with my grandma when she visited from Egypt and also I love watching my own mother and my children bake and spend time together.
Though we have some books about Eid, more are always welcome and needed. The focus of your story is very unique and affirming, and goes beyond eidiya and new clothes to focus on family tradition and generational stories and ancestral ties. What was the most important thing that you wanted to include in this narrative about Eid? There are so many layers in this picture book, from traditions to history to food to sharing. I started writing this in 2019 but I completely revised when the world shut down in March 2020. I wanted readers to feel like they’ve been given a big hug that they had missed during the beginning of the pandemic. So it was important to have these sweet intimate moments with teita and Zain and also the history of ka’ak was so interesting when I was doing research for this story so I felt like I had to include it! There are many traditions sprinkled in like henna, eidiya and Eid songs, but the most important thing is spending special moments with loved ones during the holidays and of course sharing delicious treats during those times.
You also included a detailed author’s note about Eid, photographs of your family and your celebrations and a recipe for Ka’ak, and khayamiya. Did you feel like you had to include more back matter? We thought that this really enriched the experience of reading the book and gave it a very culturally specific (loved the Egyptian dialect!) and individual lens to an Eid celebration of your family, that emphasized the diversity of Muslim communities. Was this important for you to include in addition to the book? Thank you so much! I wanted to include more information about Eid in the back matter, as you know there’s only so many words you can write in a picture book. I wanted to add that personal note about me growing up and celebrating Eid and how it’s so different now because it was also part of the reason I wrote this book. Because I never read Eid books with my parents growing up or read Eid books in the classrooms. Eid culture in America now is so different than Eid culture decades ago and I hope that this book will continue to be part of Muslim family’s Eid traditions.
Both The Arabic Quilt and The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story have important lessons, affirmation and agency for Muslim children, their families, non-Muslim readers and educators. You capture Zain’s excitement and pride in being able to share ka’ak with his classmates. What are some effective ways that families and educators can create more awareness and deliberate joy around Muslim holidays and identity? I love this question. I grew up in public schools most of my life and there was very little out there for educators and for Muslim families. I mean, now, if you search Eid and Ramadan decor, it’s so overwhelming with all of the choices. Me and author/illustrator Huda Fahmy made a Practical Guide for Educators for Ramadan that’s been popular over the past few years. For the most part, teachers and administrations are very welcoming of ideas, tips and Eid/Ramadan book donations and read alouds. Last year I created a Ramadan basket for the fasting students in my kids’ school and they had the choice to stay in the library and read or use those kits or go outside for recess. The Muslim families also got donuts for the whole school and things like this really mean so much for all of the kids!
We noticed that the text has ka’ak being made with a mixer, but it is made by hand in the backmatter. Both Hadeal and Sara have said that their families believe this is an absolute, non-negotiable no-no and that specific hand mixing must be used. Just for fun, are you team hand mixing or team mixer? You can also plead the 5th. Definitely hand-mixing, but the onomatopoeia for the mixer made more sense 😂. But they could have used the mixer at the beginning and finished off hand mixing – so a little bit of old and new traditions ☺️
Do you have a favorite shape or design for the ka’ak? I just love the classical ones that my aunt and mom do – with the Egyptian ka’ak tweezers.
We know that animals can be a strong visual device for young readers and Zain’s cat is no exception. Is the cat based on a real cat in your life or just a fun addition to the story? So I have no pets, and didn’t include a cat in my manuscript, so when I was the cat in the sketches I e-mailed my editor and told her it was a brilliant idea from Rashin! I read my author copy to my daughter’s preschool class, and they had so much fun with the cat. I asked them to name the cat, and then I told them every time they see the cat to raise their hands, so it was very engaging, especially for that age group (3-5).
How do you hope your work can impact the Muslim community? How do you hope your work can impact perceptions of Muslims? I hope when Muslim kids see this book displayed in libraries, bookstores, classrooms and Target (absolutely dream come true), they will feel empowered and proud of who they are. Also, to continue to be unapologetic Muslims and never ever feel ashamed of who they are. I hope everyone else learns about our diverse cultures and traditions. I also hope my work reaches wide audiences, from children to adults, and hopefully remind them not to stereotype Muslims and know that Muslims are very diverse. I hope my work starts conversations in classrooms and within families about the different topics in my books raging from immigration, to holidays, to book bans.
Are there any words of wisdom that you would like to pass on to young writers? Write as much as you can and find friends who also like to write. Read each others’ works, ask for feedback and submit your work to contests!
What is something that you would like your readers to know about you? I love everything about Eid and Ramadan, especially the traditions, food, books, gifts, family and friends. So writing this picture book and seeing it come to life has been an absolute dream and I couldn’t have done it with my amazing agent, Brent Taylor, editor Jessica Anderson who was so excited about this book from day one and continues to show so much passion for it, super talented illustrator Rashin and the whole team at Little, Brown/Christy Ottaviano. There’s so much behind the scenes people on the team like designers, copy editors, the school and library team, marketing/publicity and I am forever grateful for all of their hard-work.
Can you tell us anything about what you are working on next? Are there other genres or age groups that you would be interested in writing about/for? I have a few other picture books in the works and hoping to announce one soon because it’s so special. I am also writing a middle grade novel. I have two other picture books coming out this year one is called The Great Banned Books Bake Sale illustrated by Anait Semiridzhyan and the other is My First Book Arabic Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Arabic Language and Culture illustrated by Chaymaa Sobhy.
Images from The Night Before Eid are from the egalley provided to Hijabi Librarians courtesy of Little, Brown/Christina Ottaviano Books.
Rachel Lynn Solomon. We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This, June 8, 2021. 336p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99. (9781534440272). Grades 9-12.
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon is an opposites attract romance set in the world of weddings and wedding planning with much needed conversations about mental illness.
Protagonist Quinn Berkowitz grew up watching her family (her parent’s and older sister) help create their clients’ dream weddings and happily ever afters, despite seeing her parents go through rough patches in their own relationship. Now eighteen and working part-time for their wedding planning company Borrowed & Blue, Quinn couldn’t be more cynical about love and marriage. Fear of upsetting the family dynamic keeps Quinn from being honest with her family about the expectation of her joining the family business after she graduates college. As Quinn starts to feel the suffocating pressure of the future, she finds an opportunity to do something she actually enjoys and must decide if she will follow her parents’ wishes or share her true feelings with them.
Quinn’s viewpoints on love do not stop her from falling for Tarek, the uber romantic son of the Mansours, wedding caterers that often work with Borrowed & Blue. Tarek’s romantic gestures seem fake and over the top to Quinn; while Tarek can’t understand how Quinn can be so cynical. Despite this friction their growing attraction is undeniable. Both protagonists are also diagnosed with different mental illnesses, Quinn with OCD and Tarek with depression. Solomon seamlessly weaves in Quinn’s OCD and her inability to stop this compulsive behavior–she repeatedly checks her bag for her keys or checks to make sure she locked her car. In one instance Quinn is mocked by a passerby as she engages in this behavior and her internal monologue is one of shame and embarrassment. Though Tarek appears to ghost Quinn after her confession of love, she finds later that this is due to his depression, and that his life is starting to unravel. Along with repairing their relationship Quinn learns to question her assumptions, give a person the benefit of the doubt, and to look outside herself rather than center her own experience and hardship.
It is not until further into the narrative that Tarek and his family’s religion is mentioned. Tarek speaks about being Muslim and the ways in which observance differs within his own family. For example, Tarek’s mother drinks alcohol while his father does not. This conversation between Tarek and Quinn feels natural; Tarek’s explanation provides a relatable example for young adult readers in discussing religion without judgment. After this moment, Tarek’s religion is not brought up again, and in general religion does not play a significant role in the story, either as a point of conflict or interest. Quinn’s religion (Judaism) is mentioned sporadically throughout the book. Though her family is not religiously observant, she notes her older sister becoming more religious as a result of being in a relationship, and Quinn reflects on how practicing religion can vary for each person.
Realistically flawed, Quinn sometimes veers into self-destructive, immature behavior, and Solomon handles her growth deftly, making her relatable, sympathetic and real, leading readers to root for her, and ultimately find her own way. We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This is a solid read, and more than adequately addresses topics of mental illness and transitions into adulthood.
Cooke, Stephanie and Costa, Mari. ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse, July 2021. 240pp. Etch/Clarion Books, $19.99. (9780358168997). Grades 3 – 7.
Stephanie Cooke’s ParaNorthern (illustrated by Mari Costa) is a humorous and heartfelt graphic novel fit for any age group. When young witch Abby Morgan accidentally opens a portal in the magical realm of North Haven unleashing a horde of chaos bunnies, her initial instinct is to keep the problem to herself. When she realizes that these destructive hares are too big of a job to take care of on her own she must look beyond her worries and accept the help of her family and friends.
With a consistent theme of adolescent independence and relying on others, Abby’s struggles can be relatable to many middle grade readers. Though first resistant to receive help, Abby’s friends–werewolf Gita, pumpkinhead Silas, and ghost Hannah–support her through her fears to help her find the confidence in her witch powers. Costa’s engaging illustrations and palette of fall-like hues of orange, purple, and red complement the dialogue and flow of the narrative. With no real introduction to the characters or setting, the novel reads like a second volume. Readers may find it necessary to read the first volume in order to have foundational knowledge of the world.
The characters of Paranorthern are quite diverse, ethnically and by paranormal standards. Many of the characters appear to have brown skin. Gita is a werewolf and presents as female, and there seems to be a mutual crush between her and Abby. Silas is a pumpkinhead boy trying to convince the other paranormal creatures to stop ingesting pumpkins. Hannah is an undead ghost from another dimension. In a realistic portrayal of the observance of hijab, Hannah wears a headscarf whenever she is outside her own home and does not wear it inside her house. However, though Hannah’s hijab is normalized in illustrations and not constantly called out, she is never explicitly named as Muslim. Throughout the book, Hannah mentions how she and her family are ghosts from another dimension, Hannah is seen chatting with her grandmother through the computer, and magically she needs a charm to be physically present in North Haven’s dimension. These elements hint that Hannah may be part of a diaspora community, living away from her home dimension. But though this parallels real life SWANA diaspora communities in North American or European countries, Hannah’s ethnicity is also never specified, though usage of language implies that they are Arab but terminology is incorrectly used.
With heartwarming, fun, and laugh-out-loud moments, Paranorthern celebrates the power of friendship in a paranormal world. Readers will cheer for Abby and her friends as they work together to return the Chaos bunnies back to their realm.
Sarsour, Linda. We’re in This Together: A Young Readers Edition of We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders
Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Nov. 2022. 240. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781534439290.
In this Young Readers’ edition of her 2020 memoir We Are Not Here To Be Bystanders, Linda Sarsour narrates and reflects upon the events that shaped her into the person and activist she is today. Outlined in chapters, Sarsour makes connections to her life experiences and her work with a multitude of communities that she is a part of and influenced by, her role as co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington and continuous fight for people’s rights.
Recalling her summer visits to Palestine, and her family’s village of El Bireh, she expresses a deep generational, sensory, and spiritual connection to its people, history, and land. Particularly rich are the depictions of tastes and smells, and the strong sense of memory, belonging, tradition, love, and loss. It is through this framing that she discusses her parents’ sacrifice as immigrants to America, and who herself as a Palestinian American, from a young age often had to assert the legitimacy and existence of her people. Often perceived as Latinx or Italian, this racial ambiguity often led Sarsour to feel “almost invisible.”
As a student at John Jay High School in Brooklyn, Sarsour first makes the connection between the Occupation in Palestine and similar over-policing excessive force experienced by her Black and Brown peers. “For all my life up to that point, I had trusted the police, but the more I discussed the situation with my Black and Brown classmates, I learned that most feared the police and had experienced injustice at the hands of the cops”(69). Though a young Linda sees elements like padlocked and bars on windows at John Jay, she admits that she did not learn that this was not the case in high-performing, white, or suburban schools until she was an adult.
It is after 9/11 that Sarsour witnesses the surveillance of the Muslim community, and becomes an advocate for social services with the Arab American Association of New York, in the footsteps of her mentor Basemah Atweh, and whose passing shaped Sarsour’s broader community organizing, activism, and collaborating with other organizations advocating for change, particularly for communities of color.
Linda’s memoir is easy to understand, accessible and full of emotions—loss, joy, belonging, change. Sarsour shares many powerful memories of coming into her multifaceted identity. One such moment is when she chose to wear the hijab—”Finally, I appeared to the world exactly how I felt on the inside: generous, courageous, humble, compassionate. Unapologetically Muslim.” Sarsour weaves in information about notable activists and civil rights leaders, and through her own experiences, addresses and guides readers through shaping their own activism and processing trauma, grief, and healing. Backmatter includes a glossary of Arabic terms and endnotes.
Khan, Sabina. Zara Hossain is Here. Scholastic Inc. Apr. 2021. 256p. Tr. $19.95. ISBN 9781773214900. Grades 7-12.
Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan tells the story of Zara, a queer Muslim Pakistani high schooler as she navigates family, love, and racism in Corpus Christi, Texas. Having been in the United States since she was three years old, Zara and her family are comfortable and integrated in their community. However, their lack of green card status keeps her from feeling truly secure. And when Zara speaks out against racism and harassment at the hands of a classmate Tyler, she must deal with the fallout, which quickly escalates to violence against her family.
Themes and issues explored in the book are important to the overall YA canon, specifically in relation to complex and diverse Muslim representation and all of its intersections–violence against the Muslim community, queerness, inadequacies of the immigration system, and the plethora of other intersecting issues and identities– with varying levels of success. In terms of Muslim representation Zara’s family practices Islam “culturally,” as examples, not fasting during Ramadan nor observing the five daily prayers. Zara’s parents are understanding and supportive of her bisexual identity and relationship. She experiences backlash from their Pakistani community and her girlfriend Chloe’s Christian family. Phrases in Urdu and Arabic and used throughout the book and the larger cast of characters is equally diverse.
Unfortunately the novel suffers in pacing events and clunky writing, with character development feeling stunted, and lacking emotion and feeling that fails to connect the reader to Zara’s story. Zara’s shifting of thoughts on life impacting decisions, such as moving back to Pakistan, feels flat and not overly contemplative. Zara’s relationship with Chloe feels abrupt in its beginnings and the quick intensity of their feelings comes across as inauthentic. These intense events occur within the first hundred pages, are dragged out in the remainder of the novel, and are too neatly resolved to be believable. Overall a disappointing read that checks the boxes without any real singular impact.
Mafi,Tahereh. This Woven Kingdom. 
If you feel comfortable with this question, how do you identify? (i.e. nationality, ethnicity, etc.)
We absolutely loved 
We understand that editors/publishers pair authors and illustrators together. Was it a surprise to be paired with Rashin Kheiriyeh as an illustrator for The Night Before Eid? What were elements of her illustrations that captured your story best?
Thank you so much! I wanted to include more information about Eid in the back matter, as you know there’s only so many words you can write in a picture book. I wanted to add that personal note about me growing up and celebrating Eid and how it’s so different now because it was also part of the reason I wrote this book. Because I never read Eid books with my parents growing up or read Eid books in the classrooms. Eid culture in America now is so different than Eid culture decades ago and I hope that this book will continue to be part of Muslim family’s Eid traditions.
Cooke, Stephanie and Costa, Mari. ParaNorthern: And the Chaos Bunny A-hop-calypse, July 2021. 240pp. Etch/Clarion Books, $19.99. (9780358168997). Grades 3 – 7.
narrates and reflects upon the events that shaped her into the person and activist she is today. Outlined in chapters, Sarsour makes connections to her life experiences and her work with a multitude of communities that she is a part of and influenced by, her role as co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington and continuous fight for people’s rights.
Khan, Sabina. Zara Hossain is Here.