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Chef Yasmina And The Potato Panic by Wauter Mannaert

Posted on by hijabilibrarians

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. 

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

A Tempest of Tea
by Hafsah Faizal
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)/Macmillan

From Hafsah Faizal, New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame, comes the first book in a hotly anticipated fantasy duology about an orphan girl and her crew who get tangled in a heist with vampires, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows.On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by dark, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling upon a band of misfits, Arthie formulates a plan to infiltrate the dark and glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not every member of her crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoonworthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

This is How You Fall in Love by Anika Hussain

This is How You Fall in Love
by Anika Hussain
Bloomsbury YA/Macmillan

Best friends Zara and Adnan must navigate the twists and turns of fake dating, family dynamics and cultural stereotypes in this swoon-worthy YA Desi rom-com.

Zara loves love in all forms: rom-coms and romance novels and grand sweeping gestures. She’s desperate to have her own great love story—a real one.

Everyone thinks Zara and her best friend, Adnan, obviously belong together. And they do love each other—just not like that. So when Adnan begs Zara to help cover his new, secret relationship by pretending to be his girlfriend, she doesn’t really hesitate. How difficult can it be? It isn’t the kind of great romance she had in mind, but with fake dating comes fake hand-holding and fake kissing and . . . real feelings?

And when a new, exciting boy arrives in Zara’s life, things get more confusing than ever. Her fake romance might be making everyone around her happy, but should it be real, and can Zara and Adnan really be in love if they both have real feelings for someone else?

Anika Hussain’s hilarious and heartfelt debut follows best friends as they fall through the twists and turns of fake dating, family dynamics, and friendship in this swoon-worthy young adult rom-com.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

My Big, Fat Desi Wedding by Prerna Pickett, Syed Masood, Tashie Bhuiyan, Aamna Qureshi, Payal Doshi, Sarah Mughal, Noreen Mughees, Anahita Karthik

My Big, Fat Desi Wedding
by Prerna Pickett, Syed Masood, Tashie Bhuiyan, Aamna Qureshi, Payal Doshi, Sarah Mughal, Noreen Mughees, Anahita Karthik
Page Street YA/Macmillan
Desi Wedding Must-Haves: Drama. Food. Fashion. More Drama. More food. And, of course, nosy aunties and unclesA family curse that turns spoken prophecy into truth.

A world where your soulmate’s feelings appear as words on your skin.

A boy who has to decide whether or not to attend his brother’s wedding even though their parents have forbidden it.

A girl who encounters the boy she loved and lost and realizes where her heart truly lies.

These genre-bending stories focus on the magic (and tension) of the biggest family gathering. Both award-winning and debut authors share stories of broken hearts, rekindled flames, unlikely romances, and one particular auntie who loves to meddle.

From jewel-toned kurtas, music and dancing, to the aromas of cardamom and sugar, one thing is for certain: It’s going to be an incredible season.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

Hope Ablaze: A Novel by Sarah Mughal Rana

Hope Ablaze: A Novel
by Sarah Mughal Rana
Wednesday Books/Macmillan

All My Rage meets The Poet X in this electric debut that combines powerful prose and verse to explore a Muslim teen finding her voice in a post-9/11 America.Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh’s niece – the poet that will fill her uncle’s shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option.

When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be.

Told through alternating prose and verse sections, and with a touch of magic, Sarah Mughal Rana’s Hope Ablaze is gripping, heartbreaking, often funny, and ultimately uplifting. In her unforgettable exploration of poetry, society, and self, Rana not only celebrates the Islamic faith and Pakistani culture, but simultaneously confronts racism and Islamophobia with unflinching bravery.

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

No Time Like Now by Naz Kutub

No Time Like Now
by Naz Kutub
Bloomsbury YA/ Macmillan

A teen finds himself in a race through and against time in this thought-provoking speculative romp inspired by A Christmas Carol.

It’s been a year since Hazeem’s father passed away and Hazeem got his special ability: He can grant any living thing extra time. Since then, he’s been granting friends and loved ones more years to live—except, turns out none of them want to spend that time with him. Things only get worse when Time themself appears and says Hazeem has accrued a time debt, putting the entire timeline in serious danger of collapsing. In order to fix it, Hazeem must take back the extra life he gave someone. Which unfortunately means he must go back in time to see when and why all his friendships fall apart. As he confronts the events of the past, he realizes just how much time he’s wasted. Maybe when it comes to time, quality is more important to quantity—but is it too late for Hazeem to finally start living?

Cover image and summary via Edelweiss

Three Summers: A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing Up on the Eve of War by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan

Three SummersThree Summers:A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing Up on the Eve of War
by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan
Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillan

An epic middle-grade memoir about sisterhood and coming-of-age in the three years leading up to the Bosnian Genocide.

Three Summers is the story of five young cousins who grow closer than sisters as ethnic tensions escalate over three summers in 1980s Bosnia. They navigate the joys and pitfalls of adolescence on their family’s little island in the middle of the Una River. When finally confronted with the harsh truths of the adult world around them, their bond gives them the resilience to discover and hold fast to their true selves.

Written with incredible warmth and tenderness, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess takes readers on a journey that will break their hearts and put them back together again.

Henna Is… by Marzieh Abbas; illustrated by Anu Chouhan

Henna Is . . .Henna Is…
by Marzieh Abbas; illustrated by Anu Chouhan
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan

A picture book that serves young readers as a lyrical love letter to henna, written by Middle East Book Award winner Marzieh Abbas and brilliantly illustrated by Anu Chouhan.

Henna is so much more than a form of temporary body art.

Henna is nature—seeds sprouted into shrubs, leaves kissed by tropical rain.

Henna is color—the orange of juicy mangoes, sun-kissed brown, or black as the feathers of crows.

Henna is fragrance—earthy and nutty, lemony and clove-y.

The intricate patterns of flowers, feathers, vines, and other symbols painted and stained onto skin has been a tradition in cultures all around the world for thousands of years. Beautiful and eye-catching, henna also carries the scents, textures, and colors of family and identity.

Cover image and summary via Macmillan

Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar

Four Eids and a FuneralFour Eids and a Funeral
by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar
Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan

Ex-best friends, Tiwa and Said, must work together to save their Islamic Center from demolition, in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding by award-winning authors Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé & Adiba Jaigirdar!

These days, Said Hossain spends most of his time away at boarding school. But when his favorite hometown librarian Ms. Barnes dies, he must return home to New Crosshaven for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex-best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.

Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly staying through the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her broken family and helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.

But when the Islamic Center accidentally catches fire, it turns out the mayor plans to demolish the center entirely. Things are still tense between the ex-friends but Tiwa needs Said’s help if there’s any hope of changing the mayor’s mind, and Said needs a project to submit to art school (unbeknownst to anyone). Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe save their relationship?

Cover image and summary via Macmillan

At The End Of The World By Nadia Mikail

AT THE END OF THE WORLDAt the End of the World
by Nadia Mikail
Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends

When the world is ending, what matters most to you?

Seventeen-year-old Aisha hasn’t seen her sister June for two years. She has no idea where she is, but that hasn’t stopped her from thinking about her every day and hoping she’s okay.

But now that a calamity is about to end the world in nine months’ time, she and her mother decide that it’s time to track her down and mend the hurts of the past. They don’t have any time to spare – if they don’t resolve their issues now, they never will.

Along with Aisha’s boyfriend Walter and his parents (and a stray cat named Fleabag), the group embarks on a roadtrip through Malaysia in a wildly decorated campervan to put the past to rest, to come to terms with the present, and to hope for the future, even with the world about to end.

Cover image and summary via Macmillan