This review was originally published in School Library Journal.
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza
HarperCollins/Quill Tree.
June 2021. 320p. Tr. $16.99. ISBN 9780063024892.
Gr 3-7–Ahmed Aziz recalls the year when he was 12 and forced to move from Hawaii, the only home he’d ever known, to his father’s hometown in Minnesota so that his father could receive lifesaving medical treatment for a genetic illness. Frustrated by his parents’ choice to move to Minnesota and his lack of control over his life, Ahmed reluctantly embraces his new community and faces the looming legacy of his late uncle’s life and death. When a neighborhood bully targets him, Ahmed must decide who it is he wants to be; it is an epic year indeed! In this moving and well-paced novel, Hamza sensitively offers a multidimensional portrayal of characters, young and old, and skillfully weaves in a narrative of the power of good teaching and literature. Young readers resistant to reading may relate to Ahmed’s initial feelings about books, while fans of the works discussed within (including Louis Sachar’s Holes and Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia) will be delighted. References to the family’s Indian heritage and Muslim religion are seamlessly interspersed throughout, offering a warm and authentic depiction of an American Muslim family.
VERDICT A strong debut destined to become a classic. Recommended for classrooms and libraries of all types, particularly where Zanib Mian’s “Planet Omar” series flies off the shelves.
Sadiq and the Big Election by Siman Nuurali (Sadiq Series)
Illustrated by Christos Skaltsas
Capstone/Picture Window Books
Ms. Battersby has announced that Sadiq’s third-grade class will be having elections for student government! Everyone is buzzing with excitement, but Sadiq isn’t sure about any of it. Should he run for one of the positions? He does lots of research and gets good advice from his parents and siblings. Watching an inspiring speech finally helps him decide exactly what he wants to do. But when a good friend has the same idea, Sadiq questions his decision. Can friendships survive an election?
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
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