Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun by Hena Khan Illustrated by Wastana Haikal Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers From 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 […]
Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao Margaret K. McElderry / Simon & Schuster Percy Jackson meets Tristan Strong in this hilarious, action-packed middle grade contemporary fantasy that follows a young boy as he journeys across China to seal the underworld shut and save the mortal realm. Zachary Ying never had many […]
Amira & Hamza: The Quest for the Ring of Power by Samira Ahmed Little Brown / Hachette Amira and Hamza are back in this epic sequel, which takes readers on a thrilling magical adventure as the siblings face their most terrifying and formidable opponent yet. All human and jinn kind shall bow down to me. […]
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks Quill Tree / HarperCollins Wolf Hollow meets The Thing About Jellyfish in Danielle Binks’s debut middle grade novel set in 1999, where a twelve-year-old girl grapples with the meaning of home and family amidst a refugee crisis that has divided her town. If you asked Fred to draw a map […]
Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf HarperCollins From Hanna Alkaf, the critically-acclaimed author of The Girl and the Ghost, comes a middle grade contemporary fantasy that puts a Malaysian spin on Little Red Riding Hood, perfect for fans of Kelly Barnhill and Roshani Chokshi. Courage is the strongest magic there is. On Hamra's thirteenth […]
Planet Omar: Ultimate Rocket Blast by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Kyan Cheng Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers The action-packed fifth installment in the infectiously sweet illustrated middle grade series starring a Muslim boy with a huge imagination. Omar and his friends are blasting off on another adventure—this time at a rocket-building […]
Tagging Freedom by Rhonda Roumani Union Square & Co. Out of the revolutions across the Arab world comes this inspirational story of hope, freedom, and belonging, perfect for fans of Other Words for Home and A Good Kind of Trouble. Kareem Haddad of Damascus, Syria, never dreamed of becoming a graffiti artist. But when a group of boys from another town tag subversive […]
Amil and the After by Veera Hiranandani Kokila/Penguin Random House A hopeful and heartwarming story about finding joy after tragedy, Amil and the After is a companion to the beloved and award-winning Newbery Honor novel The Night Diary, by acclaimed author Veera Hiranandani At the turn of the new year in 1948, Amil and his family are trying to make a […]
The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins In this engaging and moving middle grade novel, author Saadia Faruqi writes about a contemporary Pakistani American girl whose passion for journalism inspires her to learn more about her grandmother’s experience of the Partition of India and Pakistan—and the bond that the two form as she […]
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 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 […]
Shiny Misfits: A Graphic Novel by Maysoon Zayid; illustrated by Shadia Amin Graphix/Scholastic A hilarious story about fame and friendship, by comedian and disability activist Maysoon Zayid, paired with Shadia Amin's absolutely perfect art! Bay Ann wants to shine. She’s sure her moment in the spotlight has arrived when she wins the school talent show […]
Kicked Out by A. M. Dassu Lee & Low In this companion novel to the acclaimed Boy, Everywhere, A. M. Dassu returns to extend the story of Sami's best friend Ali, who organizes a charity soccer match for their friend Aadam while his whole life is privately unraveling. After their friend Mark's mum wins the lottery […]