Accused My Story of Injustice by Adama Bah
Edited by Dave Eggers, Zainab Nasrati, Zoë Ruiz
Norton Young Readers
Launching a propulsive middle grade nonfiction series, a young woman shares her harrowing experience of being wrongly accused of terrorism.
Adama Bah grew up in East Harlem after immigrating from Conakry, Guinea, and was deeply connected to her community and the people who lived there. But as a thirteen-year-old after the events of September 11, 2001, she began experiencing discrimination and dehumanization as prejudice toward Muslim people grew. Then, on March 24, 2005, FBI agents arrested Adama and her father. Falsely accused of being a potential suicide bomber, Adama spent weeks in a detention center being questioned under suspicion of terrorism.
With sharp and engaging writing, Adama recounts the events surrounding her arrest and its impact on her life—the harassment, humiliation, and persecution she faced for crimes she didn’t commit. Accused brings forward a crucial and unparalleled first-person perspective of American culture post-9/11 and the country’s discrimination against Muslim Americans, and heralds the start of a new series of compelling narrative nonfiction by young people, for young people.
Cover image and summary via Norton Young Readers
The Secret of the Himalayas by Adam Gidwitz and Hena Khan, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Penguin Random House/Dutton Books for Young Readers
Critically acclaimed author Hena Khan joins Newbery Honor-winning Adam Gidwitz as co-author of the newest adventure in the NYT bestselling Unicorn Rescue Society series, taking readers to the Himalayan mountains in Northern Pakistan.
When Uchenna and Elliot’s classmate Pai Lu publishes an article in the school newspaper about the Schmoke Brothers’ latest scheme, Professor Fauna notices something alarming—mounted on the wall of the Schmokes’ living room is a single spiral horn that could only belong to one animal—a unicorn. Determined to stop the Schmoke Brothers from potentially poaching more creatures, the Unicorn Rescue Society is headed to Pakistan, where their next adventure is about to begin.
Cover image and summary via Penguin Random House
Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani
Macmillan/First Second
Grab some coins for the jukebox, and get ready for a colorful, time-traveling musical tale about family and courage.
A mysterious jukebox, old vinyl records, and cryptic notes on music history, are Shaheen’s only clues to her father’s abrupt disappearance. She looks to her cousin, Tannaz, who seems just as perplexed, before they both turn to the jukebox which starts…glowing?
Suddenly, the girls are pulled from their era and transported to another time! Keyed to the music on the record, the jukebox sends them through decade after decade of music history, from political marches, to landmark concerts. But can they find Shaheen’s dad before the music stops? This time-bending magical mystery tour invites readers to take the ride of their lives for a coming-of-age adventure.
Cover image and summary via Macmillan (preview available)
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza
HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books
The Best at It meets John David Anderson in this Indian Muslim #ownvoices debut about a champion underachiever who must start over in a new state with the help of three classic books.
Ahmed Aziz is having an epic year—epically bad. His family moved from Hawaii to Minnesota because his dad got sick, and even though Minnesota is where his dad grew up, Ahmed can’t imagine a worse place to live—not that anyone asked him.
Being the new kid is tough, especially because Ahmed is the only brown-skinned student in a sea of white. But over the course of the school year, Ahmed—who never lives up to his potential—surprises himself by actually reading the three assigned books for his English class: Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Even more surprising, he doesn’t hate the books. At the same time, Ahmed is learning about the uncle he never knew—his dad’s brother, who died young, and who Ahmed takes after. Investigating his family history offers Ahmed comfort as his dad’s health hangs in the balance. Could Ahmed be warming to Minnesota?
In this memorable debut, Ahmed, an inimitable protagonist, deals with bullies, makes new friends, and uncovers his family’s past—all while finding himself in three good books.
Cover image and summary via Goodreads
Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission
By Zanib Mian
Illustrated By Nasaya Mafaridik
Penguin Random House/Penguin Young Readers
Omar has to solve the mystery of his missing teacher in the third installment of this imaginative, highly-illustrated #OwnVoices middle-grade series.
Omar is going on his biggest adventure yet–a trip to Pakistan! But his excitement about the trip is interrupted by some shocking news: his amazing teacher is not coming back to school, and no one will say why.
When Omar and his friends start investigating, the hints they overhear and clues they find lead them to an alarming conclusion–it must be aliens!
Omar has a huge imagination, but saving his teacher from aliens seems far-fetched even to him. He’s going to need out-of-this-world creative thinking and a huge spirit of adventure to solve this mystery!
Cover image and summary via Penguin Random House
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga
HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year.
Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.
On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him.
In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.
The Shape of Thunder is a deeply moving story, told with exceptional grace, about friendship and loss—and how believing in impossible things can help us heal.
Unsettled By Reem Faruqi
HarperCollins
When her family moves from Pakistan to Peachtree City, all Nurah wants is to blend in, yet she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah’s accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored skin make her feel excluded, until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts. And in the water Nurah doesn’t want to blend in. She wants to win medals like her star athlete brother, Owais—who is going through struggles of his own in the U.S. Yet when sibling rivalry gets in the way, she makes a split-second decision of betrayal that changes their fates.
Ultimately Nurah slowly gains confidence in the form of strong swimming arms, and also gains the courage to stand up to bullies, fight for what she believes in, and find her place.
Cover image and summary via HarperCollins
The Sinister Substitute (Marvel Avengers Assembly, #2) by Preeti Chhibber
Illustrated by James Lancett
Scholastic
Kamala, Doreen, and Miles are back at Avengers Assembly for a new semester! When Captain Marvel announces she’s adding staff to the school, the students aren’t sure who could possibly join — but it looks like Cap went above and beyond, and the school is full of new teachers!
With all these new teachers, it’s hard to keep track of who’s teaching what, and what they’re supposed to be learning. And some of these teachers are really not acting like heroes at all, but more like… super-villains? All that new staff has created a lot of confusion that is ripe for exploiting! Someone is impersonating students and teachers, using lies and deception to break up the new generation of heroes. Can Doreen and her friends get to the bottom of this scandal? Or will this be the end of the Avengers Assembly?
Cover image and summary via Scholastic
Amina’s Song by Hena Khan
Simon & Schuster/Salaam Reads
In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina’s Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves—this time across continents.
It’s the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she’s spent with her family—all of it holds a special place in Amina’s heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she’s sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale.
After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?
Cover image and summary via Simon & Schuster
Samira Surfs By Rukhsanna Guidroz