I don’t know if twins plot and plan to trick people, but I think those of us that are not twins, and don’t have any in our immediate family, all assume that switching places with someone who looks exactly like us, would be a regular prank with hilarious outcomes and convenient benefits. Two twin Muslim girls with different hair and vastly different personalities learn to love themselves, appreciate how God made them, and get reminded that sneaking has consequences, all while evoking giggles from the reader throughout their adventurous day in each other’s shoes (hair?). This 32 page full-color, high-gloss, fantastically illustrated book is filled with silliness and lessons that will appeal to children five and up.
Bushra and Roda, are nearly identical, except Roda has curly hair, and Bushra’s is straight. They often want to try different hairstyles, but their parents tell them they should appreciate how God made them and they can experiment when they are older. The girls decide that their parents, with their perfectly wavy hair, just don’t understand and sneak in to their parents’ bathroom before school to straighten and curl their hair accordingly.
Surprised at the final results, “You look like me!”The girls realize they are going to get in trouble and decide to switch clothes and backpacks and head off to school. At school the girls are ushered in to each other’s classes by their teachers despite their protests that they aren’t who they look like.
The girls carry on as each other struggling in classes they normally excel in, get annoyed by their hair, and suffer through lunches that they don’t like. Roda even fools herself as she bumps into a mirror thinking she is going in to hug her sister, and Bushra is startled by a spider that Roda loves.
After school their dad drops them off at their after school activities and still doesn’t suspect a thing. Roda goes to Bushra’s soccer game and Bushra to Roda’s girl scout hike. When it starts to rain, the girls’ hair returns to its natural state and when they get picked up, they have a lot of explaining to do.
The girls are reminded that hair gadgets require supervision, that God made us all unique and being dishonest is not ok. From here on out the girls still prank their friends and teachers, but do so with their parent’s knowledge.
The book is fun and silly and for both Muslim and non Muslim’s alike. It uses the word God, not Allah, and while the mom wears hijab, and the girls do on the last page, there is nothing Islamic or even Islamic specific in the book. I feel like the grammar on the last page is off, but nothing too major. The book ends with five discussion questions.
A nonfiction picture book for teens that features amazing women from ancient times to the present day. Many of the women featured are Muslim and each entry receives a teasing summation page with a full page portrait from one of five international artists before a two page, more in-depth biography is presented. The 112 pages feature an introduction, and a map to start the book off, and acknowledgements and a glossary at the end. There are large time gaps that I wish would have been commented on, the geographical pool includes India which surprised me, and in one of the entries the way hijab is discussed seemed judgmental to me, but other than that the stories are absolutely remarkable. There are amazing women in every culture and throughout all time periods, but to see one that highlights a region that is stereotypically oppressive to women is a sight for sore eyes. I learned so much and marveled at the intellect, bravery and determination shown from being rulers of empires to intellectuals to scientists and artists everything in between.
Islamic School Librarian 