Amina's Song by Hena Khan

 

We first met Amina Khokar, a middle grader living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Amina's Voice. She's a Pakistani American and even though she has perfect pitch and a beautiful singing voice, she also had crippling stage fright. With the support of family, especially her uncle Thaya Jaan visiting from Pakistan, and friends, Amina was able to ultimately perform in public.

Now, Amina and her family are spending their summer vacation visiting family in Lahore, Pakistan. Amina has fallen in love with the country and has become very close to her cousin Zohra, Thaya Jaan's daughter. Just before they leave Pakistan to return home, Thaya Jaan challenges her to "show people in America the beauty of Pakistan. They don't know this place like you do now." How, Amina wonders, is she supposed to the that?

Back home, Amina and her friends are starting 7th grade, but to her disappointment, no one seems interested in hearing about her trip to Pakistan. However, when her history teacher gives the class an interactive learning assignment on the first day of class, Amina may have just found the outlet she needs for carrying out Thaya Jaan's challenge. Students must pick a person from history who has made a positive contribution and thoroughly research them, to the point of becoming the person they pick by the end of the term.  

Amina is excited to pick Malala Yousafzai, but when she presents her initial report to the class, it isn't her accomplishments that the class focuses on, but rather the oppressive conditions by the Taliban in Pakistan with regard to women and girls. Again, Amina is disappointed and frustrated. What can she do to help people know the Pakistan she loves so much?

Meanwhile, Amina meets Nico, a new kids in school who is also very much interested in music and has a real talent for mixing to create different sounds. Encouraged by her music teacher, Ms. Holly, Amina has been playing around with composing songs to express herself. She's been keep a diary of her thoughts and feelings for a while, recognizing that her experiences have changed her, but unable to express them quite the way she wants. Could a song be the answer with Nico's help?   

On top of that, Amina learns that her uncle Thaya Jaan has become ill again and will require delicate heart surgery.  Seventh grade is proving to be a year of changes, challenges, identity questions and more for 12-year-old Amina Khokar, all of which makes for a very satisfying sequel. 

In Amina's Voice, most of the conflicts in Amina's life were external, but in Amina's Song, they are more internal, having to do with who she is and is becoming. Though Amina is changing and growing up, she narrates her life with the same open honesty as in Amina's Voice, even when things aren't going as well as they could. And she is still somewhat flawed, which makes her a very interesting character. I felt she is a more confident girl and I liked especially liked seeing the changes she goes through, even challenging some of her mother's control. I have to admit, the way she handled the history project and her uncle's challenge surprised me and at first seemed so out character, but then I also cheered her on for it, even if her teacher was not receptive. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Amina's Song and wondered if there might be a third novel in the making, since this one left a few loose ends that could be tied up nicely. Meanwhile, I highly recommend this to fans of Amina's and to those who haven't met her, though I might consider reading book one first. There are references to it in Amina's Song, but they are made clear in Amina's Voice. 

This book is recommended for readers age 9+

This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

MMGM: Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, edited by S.K. Ali and Aisha Saeed

Here is a collection of 15 very different, but all well-crafted stories that give readers a glimpse into lives of young Muslim girls and boys as they prepare for the joyous celebrations of Eid-al-Fitr, a time marking the end of Ramadan and fasting and Eid-al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice. And although the writers of these stories come from diverse places and backgrounds, it is the shared belief and practice of their Islamic faith that is the common thread in all these stories, and yet, their stories reflect the many cultural traditions, experiences and themes within their faith. But do not think that these stories are for Muslim readers only, no indeed, they are meant for everyone to enjoy. As the editors write in their epigraph:

"Bismillah. For all readers who know Eid joy, and for all who want to share in it."

In her story "Perfect," Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow explores themes of family, judging, acceptance, and learning to be friends. Hawa, 12, her mom and dad head out of Philadelphia to visit her dad's relatives for an Eid celebration in the Bronx, NY. It is not a visit Hawa is looking forward to. Black American on her mom's side, Hawa's dad's family is from Guinea and most don't speak much English, except for her perfect cousin Fanta, who not only speaks perfect English, but already cooks, and bakes, and is, as far as Hawa is concerned, a major suck up. But when Fanta accuses Hawa of being stuck up, things come to a head between the two girls. Have they always had the wrong impression about each other?

The color blue takes center stage in N.H. Senzai's "Searching for Blue." Bassem, 12, his younger sister Dina, and his mom have fled war-torn Syria and arrived, unwanted by most, on a small Greek island. Now, it's almost Eid, his father's favorite holiday. How can Bassem celebrate with his dad gone, and his family living in a converted factory with a shared kitchen with other refugees. Besides, there are no ingredients for making any of the tasty Eid food he remembers so well, But on his way to work, an idea comes to Bassem and maybe, just maybe the joy of Eid could be found even in this gloomy, overcrowded, run down refugee camp. Senzai has really captured what it feels like to be an unwanted refugee, trying to escape the war that has taken away your life, your father and grandparents, and left you with so little, and the joy and hope that comes from remembering just what Eid is really about - faith and community.

One of the funniest stories is "Yusuf and the Great Big Brownie Mistake" by Aisha Saeed. As last minute preparations for his family's traditional Eid brunch the next day get underway, Yusuf and his mom prepare their favorite Eid brownie recipe, while sister Roshan breaks with tradition and makes a fruit tart. This year's Eid is a big celebration with over 50 people, so everything needs to be perfect. The next day, feeling pretty confident, Yusuf puts his brownies into the oven and goes upstairs to help his best friend Erza figure out how to set up his new video game. It sure is easy to lose track of time when it comes to video games, and that's just what happens. When Yusuf pulls out a pan of burnt brownies, he learns a good lesson about eating humble pie, having appreciation for others, and a great family secret.

Once Upon an Eid certainly lives up to its promise of hope and joy. This wonderful collection of short stories (there is even a story in graphic format), aimed a middle grade readers, is filled with love,  humor, some grief and loss, even some disappointment but always centered around faith, family, and community.

All together, this anthology offers young Muslim readers 15 wonderfully realistic stories they can relate to, and a window into these important celebrations for non-Muslim readers.

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was an EARC gratefully received from NetGalley

Be sure to check out the other Marvelous Middle Grade Monday offerings, now being carried on by Greg at Always in the Middle.

Under My Hijab by Hena Khan, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel

Under My Hijab by Hena Khan, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel

Lee & Low Books, 2019, 32 pages

Little girls love to look up to and try to emulate their mothers and other women they admire, often wearing their jewelry, scarves and/or shoes, or carrying their purses. And why not? These are the women who love them and care for them, and who try to make the world a safe place for them. Here is a book that invites readers into the world of a young Muslim American girl who also looks up to the women around her who follow the teachings of Islam and choose to wear a hijab as part of their daily life outside the home. For young Muslim readers, this book is a chance to see and celebrate who they are, and for non-Muslim readers, it is an opportunity to learn about and dispel some of the mystery and negative connotations surrounding the hijab that they may have heard.

The narrator, a young girl, introduces the reader to the six influential women in her life that wear a hijab whenever they are in public. Each person is depicted on a two page spread going about her usual activities and wearing a hijab. Turn the page, and readers see the same person at home where they do not have to cover their head around family. Her grandmother folds her hijab carefully when she bakes bread at work, but at home she puts her hair up in a bun while she bakes cookies.

Mama, a doctor, tidily tucks her cheerful pink hijab into the white lab coat while at work, but a long braid at home. Auntie, an aritst, wears a silky hijab with a handmade jewel and who would ever suspect that underneath her hair is striped pink and purple. Likewise, the narrator's troop leader Jenna wears a sun hat over her hijab, but lets it hang free while telling scary stories at night in a tent. Stylish sister Zayna wear her hijab in a cute way for school, and at home, the sisters pick out what she will wear the next day, matching outfit to hijab. Cousin Iman knows how to keep her sporty hijab in place while working on getting her first black belt in karate but at home she lets it down while they listen and dang to music. The book ends with a gathering of family in a park, and a gathering of the six women the narrator introduced us to and the young narrator now wearing her own hijab.

Under My Hijab is told in cheerful four line rhyming stanzas and each page is illustrated soft gentle illustrations that really depict the difference in each women and how personality comes through in the way she wears her hijab. I also like the way the illustrations depicts what isn't said in the text. Readers doing a close reading of the illustrations will notice that the narrator's family is multiracial, grandmother and father appear to be black, while other characters have various skin tones. Be sure to read Hena Khan's About the Hijab at the end of the book to learn more about why these head coverings are worn by some women but not by others of the Islamic faith.

This book is recommended for readers age 6+

This book was an EARC received from Edelweiss+

Saints and MIsfits, a novel written by S. K. Ali

For Janna Yusuf, 15, life just got a little more complicated. Janna is a hijab wearing Muslim whose parents, a Egyptian Muslim mom and secular Indian dad, are divorced; her older brother Muhammad has just moved back home from college after changing his major yet again, and is in the process of arranging a marriage with a girl Janna sarcastically refers to as Saint Sarah. 

Janna has also just been sexually assaulted by Farooq, the pious golden boy of the mosque, who everyone is in awe of because he claimed to have memorized the Qur’an and is even allowed to lead prayers. Added to all this is Janna’s crush on a white Christian boy named Jeremy, a friend of her brother and Farooq, and a boy she knows she can never date.

Janna spends her time trying to avoid Farooq, not knowing what to do about the assault. She does manage to go about her regular daily life at home and school. She continues to “elder-sit” Mr. Ram, an elderly Hindu man she takes to the community center once a week, and to participate in events at school, where she is the only other girl in an enriched math class; and at the mosque, she edits a newsletter Q&A for her uncle, the Imam, and photographs the mosque’s annual Open House. She is also part of the mosque’s team that goes a state-wide Islamic Quiz Bowl tournament. 

Janna’s two best friends are Tats, who is not Muslim and continues to promote a relationship between Janna and Jeremy, not really understanding that Janna can’t date him,  and Fizz, who is Farooq’s cousin, and who is a little too judgmental. But it is radical Sausun who really impacts Janna’s life. Ironically, Sausun is the most empowered girl in the book, a character who looks at everything with distain, including Janna, but who is a candy guzzler, Doc Martens- wearing, Youtuber, running a show called “Niqabi Ninjas” (unlike hijab, niqab covers the entire face, except the eyes).

As you might have surmised, Saints and Misfits is definitely a character-driven novel and Janna is its most complex character - a person for whom religion plays an important part in her life, a photographer, a graphic artist (she began a pictorial seerah life of the Prophet Muhammad book at age 9) and a lover of Flannery O’Connor stories. But Janna is also a questioner, who is just starting to discover and explore who she really is. 

Beside Janna, Ali has created a cast of interesting, mainly Muslim characters. Through them, she explores Muslim culture and some of the difficulties faced by girls who are, on the one hand, not so very different from other girls their age, but who are also bound by the strictures of their religion, a situation Farooq cruelly takes advantage of when Janna refuses to forgive and forget what he did to her. In reality, those of us who are not Muslim see girls and women wearing hijab all the time, but never really think or know what is means to decide to wear it. Through Janna and Farooq, Ali makes it clear what the underlying meaning of this decision is - more than just a symbol of modesty, it is supposed to protect Muslim women from being harassed and/or molested by men. Understanding that, Farooq’s behavior goes against everything that he is supposed to stand for.  

Janna's  story is a compelling, engrossing tale of self-discovery, and her lively narration will keep readers interested all the way through, and curious to see how she ultimately deals with Farooq’s assault and it is totally worth reading to the end to find out. 

Saints and Misfits is author S. K. Ali's debut novel and I am looking forward to reading more of her excellent work, hopefully in the near future. 

This book is recommended for readers age 14+
This book was purchased for my personal library