Category Archives: Muslim Author

Mar26

Hafsa’s Way by Aisha Saeed

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Hafsa’s Way by Aisha Saeed

It definitely helped going in to this 224 page middle grade novel knowing that it would not have any Islam, and would most likely be a cultural read at best, based on the previous two companion books. By managing my expectations, I wasn’t overly bothered that there were only two Islamic references: fajr, as a time denoter, and the mosque, as a location marker. Sadly no salaams, religious expressions as a storm ravages a city, or duas made even when a supporting characters mentions that his dad says they should pray, and Hafsa dismisses it as not being enough.  Overall, though the story flows well, the protagonist is likeable enough, and the interweaving of medicine, climate change, determination, and speaking up for what you want, makes it a feel good story from start to finish. It does manage to share some science information without getting didactic or bogged down, but I do wish, that a bit more culture was shared. It feels like it is watered down, and more often than not felt like the story could take place anywhere.  The stresses and troubles and commentary are more suited for younger MG in my opinion with everything wrapping up neatly and easily.  The book is a quick read, and I appreciated that the backmatter highlights that the elephant storyline was inspired by a real event and offers suggestions on how to learn more.

SYNOPSIS:

Hafsa is from a village outside of Lahore, and when she gets accepted into a summer camp, she has to convince her parents to let her go.  Her newly married sister, Shabnam, offers her a home to stay in and her husband Sohail helps with the fees, but it isn’t until grandma says she can go, does Hafsa’s father reluctantly give his permission.  Once in Lahore, Hafsa realizes her information is faulty and it isn’t a mini medical summer camp, to start her on her way to being a doctor, but rather a climate change program covering zoology, weather, conservation, and action.  She also quickly learns that her sister is busy helping her new mother-in-law with a hospital fundraising gala, and doesn’t have much time to spend with her.  Add in the camp kids teasing her for bonding with an elephant, a storm that floods and knocks out their power, and Hafsa trying to figure out why Shabnam has not started culinary school, and it is a busy four weeks for Hafsa, who is determined to make the most of it all.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I grew up in Utah visiting the zoo yearly as a child, and don’t recall thinking too much of it.  On a trip to Pakistan one summer that changed. I visited the Karachi Zoo, and now 30 or so years later, I am still bothered by the chain I saw on the elephant’s leg, the kids sneaking in to the enclosures, and the trash in the animals’ water sources.  This book brought it all back and mirrored my own sentiments in incredible accuracy, and thus deepened my connection to seeing Gulab, the elephant, getting attention.

The author does a good job with the pacing and bringing in different threads, but it would have been nice to add a little more depth. Showing Hafsa pushing to get her way, not just saying she got to ride a bicycle after pushing back on her father, talking about the wedding, sharing some of the cultural words, clothes, values, fleshing out the characters and their relationships, getting to know the classmates a bit more, seeing why this is a challenging and sought after summer program.

FLAGS:

Animal neglect

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I don’t know that I would teach this book, nor that there is much to discuss, but it will round out the series nicely (Amal Unbound &  Omar Rising) on the shelf and anyone that picks it up I think would enjoy the story contained within.

Mar15

Hail Mariam by Huda Al Marashi

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Hail Mariam by Huda Al Marashi

In 188 pages, this middle grade book packs a lot in: immigrant children expectations, the similarities and differences between Catholics and Muslims, Sunnis and Shias, culture and religion, all while sixth grader Mariam is starting a new school, a Catholic one- as a Muslim, having her first period start during church, and handling her sister’s health crisis.  Throw in Ramadan, Bibi coming to visit, family dynamics, friendships new and old, and a school Christmas play, and phew, just writing all that out seems exhaustive, yet somehow the book doesn’t get bogged down in the heaviness of it all.  It stays relatable, funny even, interesting.  The book’s short chapters, Mariam’s voice, and the author’s ability to make this Mariam’s story, not an expectation or explanation of how all Muslims, or Iraqis, or immigrants, etc., should be, really is well done. Written first person through Mariam’s perspective, allows even her lens of comparing what she is seeing at her Catholic school with her Muslim upbringing, to not come across as critical or overly agenda filled, it is just a girl leading with her heart and making sense of life.  A lot, according to the backmatter, is based on the author’s own life, and readers should know they may or may not agree with her conclusions, and her families practices, but I think this book has a lot of potential to be enjoyed on the surface, and start dialogue and understanding if one chooses to look deeper.  I additionally think with Ramadan and Christmas aligning again in a few years, that this book will continue to have wide appeal and be a great resource to remind us that we often have more alike than we think. Just one scene really bothered me, but, I’ll delve into that more below.

SYNOPSIS:
Mariam is the eldest daughter of two Iraqi immigrant physicians, and she has been informed that she is starting a new school, a Catholic one. She would love to discuss this with her mother, but her mom doesn’t seem to have time for her, only her younger sister, Salma, nor understand why a more rigorous school isn’t a good thing. Mariam is expected to be able to handle everything, and for the most part does, to be the best example of Arabs and of Muslims, and to be a great big sister.  But idols of Nabi Isa around every turn and being chosen for the part of Mary in the school play, has Mariam confused about what is ok and what is not, and how to handle it all.  When Salma’s health starts deteriorating, the weight of Mariam’s decisions escalate in her head and she doesn’t want to mess up.  When she learns her Aunty Sawsan is Catholic, her Mom is Shia, and Dad is Sunni, she is even more determined to find common ground, to keep those closest to her happy, her sister healthy, and Allah swt pleased with her.

WHY I LIKE IT:
There is a lot of Islam in the book, and while Mariam sorts through what she thinks is right and wrong, I didn’t feel there was internalized Islamophobia or that she was ashamed of her faith. She doesn’t necessarily have all the answers about how to navigate the situations at hand, but she doesn’t hide her religion, or question the core of it. It is  something she values and believes in.  She does get a little hard on her mom’s accent and culture gets a little confusing, but even when she questions her grandmother’s prayer recipes, I didn’t feel that it was insulting or disrespectful.

The only scene I felt was off was when at the end the family put up a Christmas tree, I get craft wise that it was perhaps to highlight the religion vs culture thread, but I took it as undermining so much of Mariam’s battles at school.  By the family partaking in a clearly Pagan based Christian adopted practices when not prompted by any environment or outside expectation, I felt it was a bit forced in perhaps trying to justify that it is something a lot of Muslims do.  Mariam through much of the book was trying to be respectful to her school and their practices while staying true to herself, the family got gifts for the Christian “family,” and they brough Eid gifts to them, so blurring the line when it wasn’t needed, seemed like so much of Mariam’s stress was for not.  I feel the conversations about culture and religion were sufficient.

FLAGS:
Mariam has a crush on a hospital volunteer, religious discussions, period starting, lying, impersonating her mom in school emails, jealousy, medical worry, illness.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

No tools are needed, just read, and the discussions will happen

 

I read and listened to the audio, both were great.

 

Mar14

My Prophet ﷺ , Myself by Dana Nass illustrated by Zainab Arshad

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My Prophet ﷺ , Myself by Dana Nass illustrated by Zainab Arshad

I truly cannot figure out this title, and am hoping someone can explain it to me. With that being said, the book, shukr Alhumdulillah, at least has a Bibliography. For nonfiction reads, I have begun to check that first, and then decide whether to read the book. After a few chapters though, the book was reading a little stilted, so I read the author’s bio on the back, and then it started to make more sense.  The book is divided into 21 virtues, and little vignettes of RasulaAllah’s life are shared that support the theme of the chapter, but there isn’t a lot of discussion, or hand-holding. Each chapter defines the virtue, shares a bulleted list of how Prophet Muhammad ﷺ practiced the given topic, shares some example snapshots, then asks a few “Practical Application Questions.” Nothing wrong with it, the writing is decent, the stories of our Beloved obviously incredible, but when I saw that the author writes curriculums, it made more sense to me that, while this book might be for 6-12 year olds, it doesn’t necessarily mean most in that age range will sit down and read it cover to cover.  After reading the book, I found it to be a very useful tool though.  I can see teachers of after school programs, or Muslim summer camps, or Sunday schools working through a lesson a class period khatira style, or in a discussion where the children can discuss what they understood about the stories shared of the Prophet, their understanding of the virtues in their own lives, and how they can be more aligned with the life of the best teacher and example, inshaAllah.

The book is 128 pages and the soft back binding is large 11 x 7, making it easy to hold and read if addressing an audience.  There are a few illustrated pages to break up the text, and the little, presumably Rabata Firefly, buzzing around most pages.  The 21 virtues are Empathy, Trustworthiness, Self-Control, Contentment, Seeking Knowledge, Responsibility, Maintaining Ties of Kinship, Courage, Fairness, Generosity, Confidence, Grit, Honesty, Inclusivity, Loving for the Sake of Allah, Honoring Our Parents, Teamwork, Leadership, Kindness, Respect, and Gratitude.

Mar9

Living with the Qur’an: A Yearlong Journey to Falling in Love with Allah’s Words by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan

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Living with the Qur’an: A Yearlong Journey to Falling in Love with Allah’s Words by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan

by Aliyah Umm Raiyaan 

I had heard that this book contained numerous transliteration and translation errors, that the humble brags and social media references affected the tone of the book, and the insight stayed pretty surface level.  I wasn’t too worried about the lack of depth, as I’m not particularly knowledgeable, but since I had preordered this book with the hopes of spending time with it in Ramadan, and I was really looking forward to it having enjoyed her previous books, particularly her Power of Du’a one, I was determined to find a way to benefit from it.  The logical choice for me, was to then not read the book, but listen to the audio book, as to not get hung up on any errors.  And alhumdulillah it was a great decision.  The author reads the book herself, so when the personal reflections are shared, it simply feels like a conversation and her referencing her own life as it relates to the topic at hand, the stories of other people are received as if she were talking about a friend who went through something similar, and the recitation of the Quran by  Sumayah Hassan, was beautiful and thus no transliteration was needed.  I also did not spend a week on each of the 52 chapters, I simply had it on when I got in the car and turned it off when I got out.  The actionable items will need revisiting at some point, but I was moved by a sufficient amount that have already been put into action, and a few passages that struck a chord, I did reread in the physical copy and highlight. Just because I didn’t use the book as intended, I overall did enjoy the book, benefit from it, and connect with the organization and messaging, alhumdulillah.

Each chapter is meant to be put into action a week at a time for the entire year.  The chapters have a theme, a verse from the Qur’an in Arabic, the transliteration in English and the meaning in English, a few paragraph description or detail tying it all together by the author, a story from some outside individual, a “Pause and Reflect” section highlighting what the author wants you to gleam from the story and how it relates to the topic of the chapter. There is then a “Live with His Words,” section that are action based tasks to engage the reader/listener with the Qur’an in practical ways.  Next is “A Question for your Heart,” where you are pushed to consider or reflect about your own relationship with the Qur’an, and finally a section called, “Fall in Love with The Author,” where Allah’s (swt) name or names are connected to the content of the chapter.  



The tone is personal and encouraging, the stories shared were by far my favorite part, as they ranged from relatable to incredible. I can see myself thumbing through the chapters in the future, or relistening on a road trip. I would love to hear how others engaged with the book, if anyone is working through it a chapter a week as intended, or if anyone else opted for the audio version, and why?


Mar7

Mini Muslim Minds: Heart Germs & Gems by Zanib Mian illustrated by Hilmy an Nabhany

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Mini Muslim Minds: Heart Germs & Gems by Zanib Mian illustrated by Hilmy an Nabhany

These are not books that you hand to an elementary aged child to read independently, they are meant to facilitate conversation, gently guide, and be a tool in shaping awareness and emotional intelligence for our little believers.  I love that once again the author has filled a gap in our repertoire and made the information accessible, age appropriate, and easy to engage with.  We often use words like generosity, gratitude, stinginess, and fail to properly explain what they mean, what they look like, what they feel like, and how to counter them or make them grow.  These are not fictional stories with heavy moral themes, these are non-fiction self help books for little kids, that require the adults to share and tailor to the child(ren) or situation at hand.  With Eid around the corner I have spent a few evenings going through the generosity and gratitude books with my six year old and referencing it as his Eid list continues to grow out of control. And the format and voice, even though text heavy, work great one-on-one, I can also see this series working well in small groups and classrooms as they are short and relatable in presenting emotional intelligence. InshaAllah these are just the first three installments of the series.

The first few pages of each 24 page book are the same: A reference to a Hadith regarding good character admitting people into Paradise, explaining the concept of Heart Germs and Heart Gems, and giving time to explaining that there is the heart that beats, and the one that is the “place where all our big emotions happen.” The format has the illustrations on the left and the text on the right in the small 7.5 x 8 soft bound books.

Heart Germs & Gems: Generosity: The book first explains the concept of stinginess and links it to being afraid that you won’t have enough.  It shares ways to help determine if you are being stingy, and how it makes you feel. It then explores how to cure that Heart Germ with Generosity.  It provides little ways to start small and how it brings joy to others, pleases Allah swt and can lighten the heart, as you truly learn that everything comes from Allah swt.

Heart Germs & Gems: Gratitude: Alhumdulillah is not just knowing that everything is a gift from Allah swt, it is feeling happy and thankful for all of it. The book explains gratitude and then the opposite, the germ in the heart, of being ungrateful. It provides ways to be more grateful, encouraging that one notices the blessings in life.  There is an English translation of the verse in the Qur’an, Surah Ibrahim, “If you are grateful, I will give you more,” and then explains it in action and highlights how true happiness does not come from riches, but from gratitude and contentment.

Heart Germs & Gems: Anger: The book starts with how to calm your anger by first understanding why you got angry, how it feels, and how to calm it before it grows. It then takes a page explaining why controlling one’s anger is important, and what can happen when we don’t. It teaches Audhoobillhi minashaytan nirajeem as a tool to help along with taking deep breaths, changing our position, and making wudu. It then normalizes that anger is a something that everyone deals with and references that controlling it makes Allah swt happy and that Prophet Muhammad saw, said that those that can control their anger are strong. The book also shares that anger isn’t always bad and can motivate us to stand up for what’s right, and as long as we are in control of the emotion, it can be good.

Mar2

The Swallows of the Cube House by Sana Kamyar illustrated by Azam Vazehi

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The Swallows of the Cube House by Sana Kamyar illustrated by Azam Vazehi

With vibes of a folktale or myth, the imaginative story of how the swallows took up residence at the Kaaba is a sweet story with beautiful illustrations.  How the story actually reads though, is a bit awkward for me.  Told from the personified perspective of a swallow, it seemed a little odd that the names of the birds: Redbreast, Skytail, Whitewing, did not start appearing until page 12, the Kaaba is never named, and there really isn’t any religion articulated. The language is lyrical, which conveys the emotions of some of the worshippers that the swallows see, but also leaves it all so very vague.  The birds giggle and laugh (yes the word giggle appears frequently), happy that they found a new home that is like the mountains, the beach, and cities, this, along with kids playing, are the main takeaways, not even hinting that the Kaaba is a place that has everything to fill one’s heart or that the acts are being done in worship to Allah swt.  The culmination of it I felt needed to be stronger, why the swallows too are circling the house of Allah, swt, but it once again is so vague, and the final page breaking the fourth wall, unfortunately just seems unnecessary, it could have been done better with informative backmatter.

The book starts with a swallow telling the reader that, “One day it finally happened.”  Not sure what it is, the story then tells how the swallows fly from location to location liking certain aspects of the mountains and coast and forest and cities, and how being in one place though, makes them miss the other places.  They come to the “cube house” and all there needs are met by the sounds, the tears, the giggles, the playing of children, etc. and so they stay.

I could see the book being a decent starting point for discussion if it crossed in to talking about how animals worship the creator, or if it gave any backmatter about swallows and their environmental or migratory tendencies, so that readers could appreciate them settling in Makkah, or even if it talked about the parts of hajj or umrah, but as just a story imaging why they settled where they did, to me feels a little short.  That it is based on a real flock of birds is amazing and I just don’t think the text gets readers to truly appreciate it, and the illustrations, while wonderful, can’t do it all on their own.

 

Feb27

Nadia Islam on the Record by Adiba Jaigirdar illustrated by Avani Dwivedi

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Nadia Islam on the Record by Adiba Jaigirdar illustrated by Avani Dwivedi

Having not liked the author’s YA books, I was on the fence about reading this, but when I saw it at the library I could hardly resist a Ramadan book about a girl visiting Bangladesh, wanting to be a journalist, and learning about climate challenges.  And alhumdulillah, the 304 page middle grade book is clean, Islam centered, and flag free.  Not so great though for me was the story craft itself.  I think it tried to do too much from a 3rd grade protagonist voice which resulted in a lot of telling, very little showing, and no connection to the characters.  My 10 year old read a few chapters, but couldn’t be persuaded to pick it up again as the plot is rather weak, journalism isn’t an exciting field to kids these days, there is no back matter explaining climate concerns, or flooding, or even a map of Bangladesh, and even he couldn’t understand why the book kept using the phrase, “first Ramadan,” even though it was just her first time fasting. I wanted to cheer Nadia on in her endeavors and her growth, the arc was there, I just never felt I got to know her.  Unfortunately, her voice and characterization were underdeveloped, resulting in her not being particularly relatable and likeable.

SYNOPSIS:

Nadia is planning to fast her first Ramadan with her best friend Yasmin, but a quickly decided trip to Bangladesh has her heading to her parents’ homeland for the first time to meet family members over her summer holidays.  Luckily her journalist aunt is going with them, and with Nadia’s sights set on being the editor-and-chief of her school paper, she is looking forward to learning what she can.  Her Khalamoni is working on a story about the flooding in the area, and Nadia tags along to interview a family that is helping care for the displaced families.  When she sees that even a kid not much older than her can make a difference, she is determined to spread light on the unreported environmental problems happening and their devasting effects.  All this is happening during Ramadan, and the heat of Bangladeshi summer, the length of the days, and the secret race Nadia and her cousins are battling in to fast the most amount of days, allows for Nadia and the reader to learn that Ramadan is more than just fasting.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT:

I really like that the story shows praying and reading Quran threaded in with the fasting, even if it is mostly just from the adults.  The arc of Nadia learning about self control and intentions is also nice to see.  It seems a little off that she has never even fasted a half day or part of a day before and that she has made being 8 years old and her first Ramadan such a landmark event.  In insolation, all of the story lines and the rep (see the pictures I’ve enclosed), sound great, but for some reason it just felt like it was too much and thus nothing resonated. So many concepts meant surface level details were all that the pages could address, and if it went deeper it felt like info dumping, resulting in no character connection between the fictional characters, or with the reader.

FLAGS:

Clean

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
The book would be a solid teachable book so that the discussions could be fleshed out and understood with relation to climate change and the environment, geography, and news cycles.  I would love to see a kid pick it up and see it through to the end, but ultimately I don’t know what there is enough pull to keep most kids reading to see how the story pans out for Nadia if it wasn’t a required assignment in a classroom.

 

Feb20

Just Right Ramadan by Jenny Molendyk Divleli illustrated by Ava Haghighi

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Just Right Ramadan by Jenny Molendyk Divleli illustrated by Ava Haghighi

This 44 page picture book is delightfully illustrated and oh so relatable.  As we are still early in the month of Ramadan, my large family at least, is still working out routines, and this book was reflective of the joy, the struggle and the determination to take advantage of it all. Yes, in Ramadan we need to push our selves, to pray more, read more Qur’an, be more generous, more kind, but when you have kids of all ages, it can take some constant rebalancing so there is minimal waste, enough time at suhoor, adequate sleep to drive and function safely, encouraging the littles to fast just a little bit longer each day, setting some boundaries about going to Tarawih every night if they start to crash out and make it hard on the others.  At times the story is a little overboard, but the heart really does open the door to discussions in finding what works for your family. My 6 year old and I laughed, talked, and have found ourselves referencing this book a lot as we strive each day to increase our ibadah and hopefully at the end be able to say, we had a “just right Ramadan.”

The book starts with a family setting goals, making plans and checklists to get the most out of the blessed month.  They don’t always agree, and even the most well intentioned plans are often harder to actually put in to practice.  The Zareen family made treats for their neighbors, but enjoyed a few too many themselves, they want to wake up early for suhoor, but waking up too early makes them have to wait a long time for fajr and waking up late means they are rushing.  A little like Goldilocks and the Three Bears finding one extreme or the other unsuitable and settling for something in the middle, the family has to navigate how much food to prepare, how much to drink before tarawih, how late into the night to worship, and ultimately find what works for them.

The tone is light and sweet and doesn’t tell the reader what they should do.  It shows a family finding balance while striving to take advantage of the blessings of the month, and hopefully will encourage the readers to do the same.  I like that story is a different take on the month, that the kids are right there with their parents, there is no first fast or identity stresses, no searching for the moon, so for me and my kids the book stands out as being silly, relatable, and unique, a combination that is increasingly hard to find in holiday books, alhumdulillah.

Feb15

The Ramadan Kitchen: Nourishing Recipes from Fast to Feast by Ilhan Mohamed Abdi

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At 223 pages, this Ramadan inspired cook book, is organized with the holy month in mind, but provides recipes that will work the whole year through.  With a few pages of text, reflection, and background before each of the eight sections: Suhoor, Iftar, Mains, Breads, Spices & Chutneys, Dessert, Drinks, and Eid, the author allows for the pages filled with the recipes themselves to be clear and less cluttered.  The individual recipes feature a description for a header, with some encouragement and guidance of how to change the recipe up and make it your own.  Some recipes have pictures, some are just text, and some are followed by two page spreads that show plating, pairings, or guidance for preparation.  The book stays focused on food with minimal religious inclusions aside from the religious framing, nothing that would make the book limited to a Muslim kitchen.  I liked the organization and found it intuitive and look forward to trying many of the Somali dishes that stand out to me in making this a unique collection, and a benefit to my shelf.

The book feels authentic in both the way Ramadan is presented and celebrated, and the approach and constraints of preparing meals. The personal commentary is very relatable and does a good job of conveying the factual with the spiritual, the goals with the reality, the food with the nourishment, and the multitudes that exists at different stages of life and even a different times of the blessed month as tiredness and excitement compete. Whether you pick up the book to thumb through and read, or grab it to find inspiration for a meal, the book has a lot to offer and return to.

Feb15

Too Soon for the Moon by Ayshah Ismail illustrated by Rizkia Gita

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Yep, another story about the moon, at least this one attempts humor and doesn’t completely neglect religion. So as I write this, I’m reminding myself that most folks don’t read as many Ramadan and Eid books as I do, and thus won’t be comparing or rolling their eyes at the familiar plot points. The book is for the younger crowd, as its premise is that it is too soon in the day to see if the moon is shining to indicate that Ramadan is over and Eid is here.  The little boy also doesn’t know what the crescent moon looks like, so Mama tells him it is like a smile and draws a curved line in the flour as she bakes.  With that, Khalid is off looking for the moon, and being told that it is too soon to see it whenever he mistakes something else for the moon, clearly not knowing what they mean by “too soon.”  I do like that Khalid and his Baba go to the mosque to pray, but I’m again wondering why everyone at the mosque praying maghrib does not look for the moon as a community.  There was a similar book I reviewed with the same exact premise and this same exact oversight, it also really stretched out the time window available to see the moon, which has me wondering if it is not the same for us all? I do like that the book comes full circle and he does find the moon in a funny place, spoiler, reflecting on the ground in a puddle.  I also like that there is a scannable QR Code for a free audiobook version and that it gets creative with not depicting faces.

The book starts with Khalid helping Mama bake baklava in the kitchen asking about the Eid moon.  Concluding that the sooner it is found, the sooner they can enjoy the treats and gifts, he is determined to find it.  The holiday lights outside obscure his view with Baba, so he heads up to his sister’s room for a better vantage point, but the cat’s collar reflecting is all he sees out the window, the glint of his aunt’s bowl back down in the kitchen also doesn’t help him find the moon, and they all keep telling him that it is “too soon.”

Baba and Khalid head to the mosque to pray, it is still too soon to see the moon, and when they are done, it is raining.  A sad Khalid sits dejected, but when the clouds part and the moon’s reflection hits the puddle, the joy of seeing the Eid moon finds the protagonist, and all is well.

The large 10 x 10 size makes the book suitable for bedtime or story time, and while it might have been better as a board book with a premise of a child not knowing what the moon looks like and where to find it. I found it more troubling that the rest of the family and masjid community didn’t take looking for the moon more serious.