Anisa’s International Day by Reem Faruqi
HarperCollins
From the award-winning author of Unsettled, meet Anisa, the adorable Pakistani American heroine of this irresistible younger middle grade novel about a girl who introduces her class to the art of mehndi for International Day. Filled with fun black-and-white interior art, recipes, and activities in the back matter and perfect for fans of Meet Yasmin!
Meet Anisa—she loves baking, turquoise, turtles, and ingenious ideas!
Anisa is super excited about International Day and can’t wait to share her mother’s samosas with her class. But when someone has the exact same idea, Anisa is crushed. Going to her aunt’s dholki party gives her an idea for the perfect activity instead – mehndi! There’s only one problem, Anisa’s best friend doesn’t seem to like the idea–she doesn’t even seem to like Anisa anymore. Will Anisa ever get to enjoy International Day? Reem Faruqi, the talented author of Unsettled, has written a heartwarming younger middle grade novel starring Anisa, a kind, driven, and courageous Pakistani American girl.
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
Turtle of Michigan
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Greenwillow / HarperCollins
The stand-alone companion to National Book Award Finalist and beloved poet Naomi Shihab Nye’s The Turtle of Oman. The Turtle of Michigan is a deft and accessible novel that follows a young boy named Aref as he travels from Muscat, Oman, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and adjusts to a new life and a new school in the United States. A wonderful pick for young middle grade readers and fans of Other Words for Home and Billy Miller Makes a Wish.
Aref is excited for his journey to reunite with his father in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Aref makes a friend on an airplane, wonders what Michigan will be like, and starts school in the United States. While he does miss his grandfather, his Sidi, Aref knows that his home in Oman will always be waiting for him.
Award-winning author Naomi Shihab Nye’s highly anticipated sequel to The Turtle of Oman explores immigration, family, and what it means to feel at home. Carrying a suitcase and memories of his home in Oman, Aref experiences the excitement and nervousness that accompanies moving to a new home. The Turtle of Michigan is a great choice for reading aloud and a must-have for younger middle grade readers.
Illustrated in black-and-white throughout.
Summary and cover image via Edelweiss
Hold Them Close: A Love Letter to Black Children
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Patrick Dougher, photography by Jamel Shabazz
HarperCollins
Hold Them Close, a love letter to Black children, is a picture book celebration of African American past, present, and future, written by celebrated author of Your Name Is a Song, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, with gorgeous collage artwork by celebrated Brooklyn-based artist Patrick Dougher and photography by renowned Brooklyn photographer Jamel Shabazz.
This lyrical and poignant treasure honors the glory, triumph, and pride of African American history and future. Each word on the page encourages young children to hold close their joy, the words of their ancestors and elders, and their power to change the world.
Detailed back matter is included, which references important historical figures and time periods within African American history.
Summary and cover image via Edelweiss
Squire
by Nadia Shammas, illustrated by Sara Alfageeh
Quill Tree / HarperCollins
This YA fantasy graphic novel follows fourteen year-old Aiza, who trains to become a knight for a war-torn empire while hiding her true background as a girl from conquered lands.
Born a second-class citizen, Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the Ornu people, her only path to full citizenship.
Now, ravaged by famine, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again. This means Aiza can finally enlist to the competitive Squire training program.
The camp is nothing like she envisioned. Hiding her Ornu status in order to blend in, Aiza must navigate friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the merciless General Hende. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in more danger than she ever imagined.
Summary and cover image via Edelweiss
Golden Girl
Reem Faruqi
HarperCollins
From the award winning author of Unsettled, comes her second magical middle grade novel in verse about seventh grader Aafiyah, a Pakistani American girl. This book is about her coming-of-age trials as her habit of “borrowing” glittery things overshadows otherwise good intentions, ultimately betraying her best friend and thwarting her plan to help her family in the process. This heartfelt, soul-searching story is perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish and Clean Getaway.
Award-winning author Reem Faruqi delivers a powerful and relatable story that will leave readers with laughter, hope, and lessons learned. This middle grade novel in verse tackles difficult topics in a poignant way, and is infused with humor and family dynamics.
Seventh grader Aafiyah Qamar loves playing tennis, reading weird-but-true facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit that troubles her—she’s drawn to pretty things and can’t help but occasionally “borrow” them.
But when her father is falsely accused of a crime he hasn’t committed and gets taken in by authorities, Aafiyah knows she knows she needs to do something to help. When she brainstorms a way to bring her father back, she turns to her weird-but-true facts and devises the perfect plan.
But what if her plan means giving in to her bad habit, the one she’s been trying to stop? Aafiyah wants to reunite her family, but finds that maybe her plan isn’t so perfect after all.
One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World’s Oldest University
by M. O. Yuksel, illustrated by Mariam Quraishi
HarperCollins
The next book by the author of In My Mosque, M. O. Yuksel, this true-life picture book biography of Fatima al-Fihri, an extraordinary Muslim woman who founded the world’s oldest university, shows the importance of never giving up on your dreams and how we all have the power to change the world for the better.
Fatima al-Fihri loved to learn. She wanted to know everything, like how birds flew, why the sky was blue, and how flowers grew. But more than anything, she wanted a school for all, where anyone could study and become whatever they wanted, like teachers, scientists, and doctors. As she grew older, Fatima carried her one wish inside her, through good times and bad. Fueled by her faith and her determination, she worked hard to make her one wish come true. For over a thousand years, Fatima’s one wish—her school—served students and scholars from around the globe, and it continues to do so today!
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Harper / HarperCollins
Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy based on Persian folklore.
Long ago his grandfather had explained that on the day of his coronation, Kamran would receive two visits.
The first, from the Devil.
The other, from a Diviner.
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.
The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.
Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo, Tomi Adeyemi, and Sabaa Tahir, this explosive first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–nominated superstar author Tahereh Mafi blends an intricate, absorbing world, steamy romance, and glimmering magic with Persian mythology.
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Harper/HarperCollins
This is a poignant coming-of-age middle grade debut about Yasmeen Khoury, an Arab American girl who befriends the Jewish-Israeli girl next door. Perfect for fans of Front Desk and American as Paneer Pie.
When twelve-year-old Yasmeen Khoury moves with her family to San Antonio, all she wants to do is fit in. But her classmates in Texas are nothing like her friends in the predominantly Arab neighborhood back in Detroit where she grew up. Almost immediately, Yasmeen feels like the odd girl out as she faces middle school mean girls and tries to make new friends. Then Yasmeen meets her neighbor, Ayelet Cohen, a first-generation Israeli American. The two girls gradually grow closer, and Yasmeen is grateful to know another daughter of immigrants who understands what it feels like when your parents’ idea of home is half a world away.
But when Yasmeen’s grandmother moves in after her home in the West Bank is destroyed, Yasmeen finds her family and Ayelet’s suddenly at odds, forcing them both to grapple with how much closer the events of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict are than they’ve realized. As Yasmeen begins to develop her own understandings of home, heritage, and most importantly, herself, can the two girls learn there’s more that brings them together than might tear them apart . . . and that peace begins with them?
Jacquetta Nammar Feldman’s evocative debut reminds us that friends can be found in unexpected places.
Summary and image via Edelweiss
This review was originally published in School Library Journal.
Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero
by Saadia Faruqi
HarperCollins/Quill Tree. Sept. 2021. 368p. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780062943255.
Gr 5 Up–Twenty years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 11-year-old sixth grader and robotics enthusiast Yusuf Azeem lives with his Pakistani American family in a small Texas town. His father is an immigrant businessman-turned-hometown-hero, his Texas-born mother is a freelance journalist, and he has a doting three-year-old younger sister. The close-knit Muslim community in the town, including the Azeems, attend local activities such as youth football games and parades alongside their non-Muslim neighbors, partially in an effort to fit in. However, changes are afoot in their town: hateful graffiti is sprawled on buildings; a white nationalist group takes root and challenges the Muslim community’s long-standing plans to build a mosque; and school bullying of Muslim students, including Yusuf, occurs daily. These events make it clear to the Muslims of Frey, TX, that they may never be truly embraced for who they are, throwing into question the personal and communal sacrifices that they have made, and forcing Yusuf to forge his own path in the pursuit of justice. Relatable and multidimensional characters of various ages and backgrounds are portrayed with nuance and empathy. Journal entries written by Yusuf’s Uncle Rahman from his own childhood at the time of the attacks offer additional insight into the impact of 9/11. The young characters’ struggles to balance personal commitments to their faith with parental expectations and their own desires will resonate with readers of many backgrounds. An author’s note explains that the story was inspired by the experiences of Ahmed Mohamed, nicknamed “The Clock Boy,” a Muslim Texan school boy who was wrongly accused of bringing a bomb to school.
VERDICT Gripping, well-paced, and poignant, this is an essential purchase for all libraries and a must-read book of our times that raises important questions about who controls historical narratives, what it means to stand up for justice, and the legacy of an event that cannot be forgotten.
You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen