Yasmin the Detective by Saadia FaruqiYasmin has a mystery on her hands! Nani’s things keep disappearing, and no one seems to know where they’ve gone. Then a science lesson provides a clue. Can Detective Yasmin solve the case?
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
Anisa’s International Day by Reem FaruqiFrom 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
Golden GirlFrom 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.
Zara’s Rules for Finding Hidden TreasureFrom the beloved author of Amina’s Voice comes the second book in the delightful Zara’s Rules middle grade series following Zara as she starts her own business!
Zara lives for bike rides with her friends—so when her shiny, brand-new bike goes missing from the park one day, she’s crushed. After her parents insist she earn the money for another one herself, Zara’s determined to start a business. But what kind? A lemonade stand? Not profitable enough. Selling painted rocks? Not enough customers.
Zara’s starting to get discouraged when she and her friend Naomi finally come up with the perfect idea: The Treasure Wagon, a roving garage sale that unloads knickknacks from the Saleem family basement and makes money all at once! But when a mix-up gets Zara in hot water again, will she have to give up everything she’s earned toward her new bike?
Summary and cover image via Edelweiss
Salaam, with Love by Sara Sharaf BegBeing crammed into a house in Queens with her cousins is not how Dua envisions her trip to New York City. But here she is, spending the holy month of Ramadan with extended family she hasn’t seen in years.
Dua struggles to find her place in the conservative household and to connect with her aloof, engaged-to-be-married cousin, Mahnoor. And as if fasting the whole day wasn’t tiring enough, she must battle her hormones whenever she sees Hassan, the cute drummer in a Muslim band who has a habit of showing up at her most awkward moments.
After just a month, Dua is surprised to find that she’s learning a lot more than she bargained for about her faith, relationships, her place in the world—and cute drummers….
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun by Hena KhanFrom the beloved author of Amina’s Voice comes the first book in a humor-filled middle grade series starring a young Muslim girl with an endless list of hobbies who searches for ways to maximize fun for her family and neighborhood friends.
Meet Zara Saleem, the queen of the neighborhood.
Zara’s in charge of it all: she organizes the games, picks the teams, and makes sure everyone has a good time…and they always do.
When a new family moves in across the street, suddenly Zara’s reign is threatened by Naomi, who has big ideas of her own about how the neighborhood kids can have fun. To get everyone to notice her again, Zara decides she’s going to break a Guinness World Record—if her little brother Zayd doesn’t mess things up.
But when she finds herself increasingly alone in her record-breaking quest, Zara starts to wonder if sharing the crown and making a new friend might end up being the best rule of all.
Cover image and summary via Simon & Schuster
A Mermaid Girl by Sana RafiA young girl celebrates the experience of wearing a burkini for the first time in this lyrical and heartwarming picture book that casts a fresh light on timeless summer activities, and celebrates cultural traditions and intergenerational bonds.
Summer is here and Heba is so excited to wear her new, yellow burkini to the community pool for the first time! She can’t wait to look like the other mermaid girls in her family and sparkle like the sun.
But when Heba arrives at the pool and her friends start asking her questions about her new special swimsuit, she feels like she’s standing out too much. Suddenly her burkini seems like a bad idea.
Luckily Mama helps Heba to find strength in the mermaid girls who came before her. Feeling more connected to the women of her family, Heba is ready to show her friends that she can do all the same things that they can do—handstands, summersaults, and dives off the diving board—even while wearing her yellow burkini.
Summary and cover image via Edelweiss
Summary via Edelweiss (cover image to be revealed as of 4/24/2021)
Ms Marvel: Stretched Thin by Nadia Shammas and Nabi H. AliKamala Khan (a.k.a. Ms. Marvel) is stretched too thin-literally. She’s having a hard time balancing schoolwork with being a good friend, being there for her family, becoming the best fanfic writer this side of the Hudson River . . . and, you know, becoming a Super Hero. She’s tired and just barely keeping control, BUT she’s handling it. Totally.
But when a mysterious robot tries to infiltrate Avengers Tower, it’ll be up to Ms. Marvel to (again, literally) pull herself together, learn to ask for help, and fix the mess she’s made before anyone gets hurt!
Cover via ARC and summary via Goodreads
This review was originally published in School Library Journal in March, 2021. Additional illustrations and an activity have been added to this post.
K-Gr 2–Amira feels conflicted when she realizes that school picture day is the same day as Eid. Spotting the crescent moon marking the end of Ramadan, Amira and her brother Ziyad know it means that there will be prayers, celebrations, and skipping school the following day. Amira’s mom decorates the girl’s hands with mehndi. Amira and Ziyad prepare goody bags for the kids at the masjid, while her mother irons Amira’s Eid outfit, a beautiful blue and gold mirrored shalwar kameez. 
Though Eid is full of the joy and community she loves, missing picture day puts a damper on the celebration, until Amira thinks of a possible solution. Deceptively simple, Faruqi’s narrative gently addresses the impact that the celebration of non-dominant cultures and holidays has on children and choices families make to uphold traditions. Moreover, Amira’s conflicted feelings and insistence on finding a solution create opportunities for dialogue about the importance of acknowledging spaces that matter to children, especially while families try to foster positive identity. Azim’s illustrations are fun and colorful, with tiny details reflecting the family’s personality, while the people attending Eid celebrations at Amira’s masjid are racially and culturally diverse, with varied skin tones, body types, and expressions of fashion and style.
Back matter features an author’s note and glossary of terms, referencing Urdu and Amira and her family’s Pakistani roots.
VERDICT A lovely addition to the collection of books about Eid that can be used all year long.
As stated in the review above Amira’s Picture Day is an opportunity to talk to elementary students about identity and how holidays reflect identity and values. It is also an opportunity to talk about equity in holiday recognition, school calendars, and what it means to matter in all the spaces we are.
Here are some suggested questions to ask students while reading this book:
Pair this book with these videos about recognizing holidays.
Questions: