Tag Archives: culture

Nov23

Watermelon Madness by Taghreed Najjar illustrated by Maya Fidawi

Posted on November 23, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

This 32 page picture book for preschool and up is silly and fun. There is nothing Islamic in the text or illustrations by this Muslim author, but there is Arab culture as it mentions molokhiya and zaatar. The large 8.5 x 11 hardback book is wonderfully illustrated with detail, color and expression. The playful font and text makes reading it fun and enjoyable for little ones, who will get the message, and laugh along the way.

Noura loves watermelon. She eats it in the morning and in the afternoon and in the evening too. At dinner she doesn’t want to eat her chicken, rice and molokhiya, she just wants watermelon.

That night after dinner she sneaks to the kitchen, sees a huge watermelon on the table, and decides to take it up to her room to enjoy all by herself. She puts the watermelon under her bed, and dreams wonderful watermelon dreams.

The watermelon gets bigger and bigger, and there is a door! She goes inside the watermelon and eats until her hearts content. But as she gets bigger, the watermelon gets smaller. She is trapped and her tummy is hurting.

Her mother rushes in to find a watermelon under the bed and Noura screaming from a bad dream. Resolved to deal with the magic watermelon in the morning, Noura goes back to sleep having learned her lesson (without being reprimanded), and happily eats her breakfast of a fried egg and zaatar.

The book concludes with some information about watermelons and info about molokhiya and zaatar.

Nov13

That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story by Huda Fahmy

Posted on November 13, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story by Huda Fahmy

I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t review and highlight the first book, “Yes, I’m Hot in This: The Hilarious Truth About Life in a Hijab” I really should have, so to cut to the chase if you don’t follow the author/illustrator on social media you really should and you should read both her books. Both are for all ages and while meant for adults, teens and tweens love it as well, I should know I’ve purchased and gifted over a dozen of them. I find my kids thumbing through both books a lot: my (early) teen girl and my tween boys. Part of is it because the comics are funny, relatable, but more importantly as I’m learning from my kids, because they are curious. In this book particularly, it is a great example of how Muslim marriages can happen, sure my kids know how my husband and my marriage was “arranged,” but they are constantly surrounded by ideas of dating and crushes and even divorce that I never realized that a book like this, featuring Muslims, actually Islamically contextualizes some of their gleamed information. The fact that the book is hilarious and clean and rings with such honesty, makes it easier for them to articulate their questions and removes some of the taboo as well. So, buy it for yourself to enjoy and if you have kids 11 and up in your home, you are ok to let them read it too.

SYNOPSIS:

It isn’t a chapter book, it is part comic book, part story, part info-graphic, and all biographical. The book opens with an ayat about spouses from the Quran and follows with an informative and funny message to the reader. Seriously, I laughed as she explained about drawing herself with hijab in bed and noting that most people don’t read the notes to the reader at the beginning. There are also a list of helpful terms before the introduction begins. Her story is broken up in to sections to pace and move the story along. It starts with the ground work of expectations and cultural norms and then tells her story of how she eventually met and married her husband. Not that it is straight forward, the book is 192 pages. There is a decent amount of explaining Islam and the role culture plays in the many pitfalls and big decisions along the way.

WHY I LOVE IT:

I think any female, born Muslim, over the age of 20 will relate to a lot in this, lots of others will as well, but that demographic specifically will find parts very reflective of their own experiences. I love that it shows the banter between the protagonist and her mother, truly that to me was the heart of the story. I love that it shows female empowerment and vulnerability at the same time within an Islamic context and unapologetically. This book is by a Muslim for Muslims, but non Muslims will enjoy it as well. It dispels and illustrates what an “arranged marriage” can mean for Muslims and shows that there is more than one way to understand the label.

I love the size of the book, the binding and the page quality. I had no problems with “Yes, I’m Hot in This,” but after seeing the larger size of this book 7 x 8 and the thicker pages, I really preferred this presentation.

FLAGS:

Clean

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

Obviously not really a candidate for a book club, but I think teen girls would enjoy reading this and laughing about it with a group of friends.

So fun and so good, alhumdulillah.

Oct23

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi

Posted on October 23, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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This 320 page middle grade novel with alternating point of view chapters engulfs you like a warm genuine hug. It does not have a clear climax, it is predictable, and some characters and cultural touch points could have used more detail, but honestly, I couldn’t put it down. As a half American kid who spent my summers in Karachi, so much of the author’s love of her homeland flows so effortlessly from the pages and took me back to my childhood and how the transformation of comparing the two countries moves to seeing the best in both causes growth within your heart and makes leaving so devastatingly hard. Readers of all backgrounds will seamlessly fall in to the story and enjoy the growth of the main characters, while learning a bit about a culture and the similarities of people.

SYNOPSIS:

The back drop is the sweltering heat of a Karachi summer in the middle of elections. Mimi, Maryam, is visiting Pakistan for the first time in her life. It is her mother’s home land, but her grandparents, and her mom aren’t close. They didn’t approve of Mimi’s dad and mom getting married, and even though they have been divorced for years and he has left, Mimi’s mom hasn’t been home in 12 years.

Sakina narrates the other chapters. She is the daughter of Mimi’s grandparent’s cook. She dreams of going to school, but needs help with her English to pass the admissions test. And even if she passes her family needs her income to survive, and her father’s failing health means that she has to take over his job too.

When Mimi arrives at her grandparents home, it is awkward at best. She doesn’t really know her grandparents, she has never had servants before, and her mother is rarely around. That leaves her to get to know Sakina. Sakina finds this odd as the owners of the home rarely “chat” with her and here this American girl wants to get to know her and is fine with helping in the kitchen. The two strike a tentative friendship as Mimi agrees to help Sakina with her english, and Sakina with the permission of Mimi’s grandmother and with the use of the driver, agrees to show her some of the city.

As Mimi takes in the traditional tourists sites she gives Sakina her first taste of ice cream and soda and other “luxuries” she has never experienced. Sakina introduces her to bun kabobs and other local foods. The budding friendship isn’t smooth, mostly because Mimi constantly compares Pakistan to America and Sakina doesn’t understand why Mimi doesn’t have a father. When the girls find out that Mimi’s dad, a journalist, is in Karachi covering the elections, the girls work together to try and find him.

Throughout all of this, Mimi keeps a journal and the entries are letters to her father.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the girls have to navigate their friendship without and often despite interference from adults. I also like that while societal wise one girl is seen as economically privileged and one is not, the book gives enough for even elementary aged children to see that in America Mimi and her mom are financial struggling, but in Pakistan they are not and how that disparity is arbitrary. They also see that family and safety and security are also a part of life’s quality and not country specific. Things that one girl takes for granted are envied by the other, and it goes both ways.

Even for a middle grades book, there were some plot holes. If Mimi had been late night googling and plotting on a secret map all the places her dad had been writing articles from, she should have had a heads up about Pakistan. She knows so little about Islam and has like one shelwar kamees, so it seems a bit of a stretch that she speaks urdu pretty proficiently. I feel like some stumbling with the language or some back story on that would have been great.

Religion is handled as a cultural touch point, neither girl prays, but both find solace in visiting a masjid. Various characters are in sleeveless tops, the athan is heard in the back ground. I wish there would have been a bit more finding of Islam as Mimi found her culture too, but alas it isn’t there.

The majority of the book takes place within the grandparent’s home with the elections being a big part of why they can’t go out, yet the mom goes out a lot, which really rubbed me the wrong way. She took her daughter shopping once to meet an old friend and that is it. Who travels across the world to spend zero time with her kid. I didn’t like the mom at all, and wish there was some background or even some growth on her part. A lot of the minor characters seemed to fizzle as well in terms of having some depth.

There are some cultural and country facts at the end of the book, but within the text I was surprised that more wasn’t shared. I like that it mentioned Karachi was the original capital, but it should have also in the same sentence mentioned that Islamabad is the current, I think readers would assume that Karachi is still the capital of Pakistan.

The book is an OWN voice through and through and the value of that is felt in every sentence. It isn’t all positive and rosy, but it is genuine. The author loves what she is writing about and it shines through leaving the reader with a favorable sense of Pakistan: the country, the culture and the people.

FLAGS:

The book is clean, possibly some tense moments when Sakina’s family is robbed. There is also discussion of marrying someone your parents don’t approve of, divorce, and Mimi’s mom possibly having a boyfriend. Mimi’s mom is an artist and paints pictures of people. There is lying and scheming.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I think the book would be a fine choice for an elementary book club, I think any one older will find the book a tad bit predictable. I plan to have my children read it so we can discuss points of view, experiences, universal traits and social economic classes. There are a lot of wonderful lessons wrapped up in a heartfelt story that I can see 4th and 5th grade children benefiting from over and over again.

Aug21

Leila and the Sands of Time by Shirin Shamsi

Posted on August 21, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Leila and the Sands of Time by Shirin Shamsi

This 127 page book has a lot of potential, but ultimately didn’t win me over. It is one of those that needs a good editor to encourage the author to flesh out the characters, take advantage of a potentially cathartic resolution, and fill the gaping holes in the story. Meant for ages 8-12 the tiny font, and tight spacing, make the book really dense and intimidating to look at and read. The book, as written, should be well over 200 pages, if spaced appropriately for the target audience. Once you accept the presentation and get in to the story, it isn’t an awful read, it just could have and should have been so much more. I hope the author revisits it and polishes it up- the time travel, the science DNA component, and the death of the protagonist’s parents, offer a lot for Muslim and non Muslim readers to sink their teeth in and be swept away by, but ultimately, I don’t know that most readers will be motivated to finish the book, and those that do, won’t remember anything about it.

SYNOPSIS:

Laila’s dad has recently died, and with her mother having died years earlier, Laila is now 13 and an orphan living with her stepmom and baby sister. Feeling resentful that her dad remarried and had a child that took time away from her in his final span of life, doesn’t make Laila a very kind person at home. Her best friend Beth, even points out how cold she is to her family. With school vacations approaching, Laila is headed for Umrah with her dad’s brother, her uncle, and his wife. While making tawaf, Laila loses her aunt and uncle in the crowd and finds herself transported to 7th century Arabia. She hears a baby crying and learns that the baby’s life is in danger. To save her, she must get the baby, the baby’s mom and baby’s sister from Makkah to Yathrib. The only way to do that is to join a caravan, and they can only join a caravan if they have a male escort. So Laila chops off her hair, acts like a boy, and gets them in the caravan. They meet bandits along the way, but nothing too scary, they arrive in Medina and right before they meet RasulAllah, Laila finds herself back in the present. She is in a hospital, but the doctors do not know what is wrong with her so they release her. She returns to the US, relays the story to Beth, and decides that at an upcoming field trip to study DNA, she is going to submit the baby’s hair that she still has for dating. The results show it is from 1400 years ago and a family heirloom of her step moms reveals that the baby is a great great great great… grandmother of her’s. Resolved to open her heart to her family, Laila is a changed person, alhumdulillah.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love the premise, it is like Sophia’s Journal and When Wings Expand thrown together and scrambled. Laila is struggling with her faith and is trying to find it, while also finding a way to move forward after losing her father. There are just a lot of things that aren’t answered, are contradictory, or don’t make sense. It says she learned Arabic because her mother spoke it, her dad is desi, but really no hiccups speaking in 7th century Arabia other than forgetting the word for scissors? She at one point said she was a cousin from the north, but while on the caravan mentioned that she had never travelled through the desert. There really should have been more action with the thieves and the regrouping when the men came back. Similarly, her gender reveal should have been a bigger deal than it was. I was hoping there would be a mention of if her hair was long or short when she awoke in the hospital, I don’t think I missed it, but maybe, or maybe it wasn’t there. Once back home, there really needed to be a reunion scene with Laila and her stepmom and half sister, I mean the whole point of the time travel was to save a baby. Really? Nothing? I was disappointed that it was glossed over and mentioned as a retelling to Beth and pushed aside. The second climax is when the DNA testing is being questioned, but I didn’t get the need for the babysitter and everything to be rearranged for a two second conversation with the principal accusing Laila of theft, a phone call should have sufficed, plus when Laila and Beth mention it to the scientist, it seems everyone was questioned, but Beth wasn’t, something wasn’t consistent there either. Overall, the book needed more action for a book that involves time travel and more emotional attachment and character connection for a book that involves a newly orphaned young teen girl.

I like the conveying of Islamic facts and information and history in a fairly smooth way. At the beginning, Umrah being explained was a little text bookish, but it smoothed out as the book progressed. I love the little flashbacks at the beginning of each chapter, I wish there would have been some information about the remarriage of her father and her emotions on the matter at that time. It is one thing to be grieving, but really she is a brat to her step mom, and if the uncle and aunt live right there, not sure where they live, someone should really be working on getting them all some family therapy, not a quality situation for anyone.

FLAGS:

none

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I wouldn’t use the book as a book club selection, nor would I think it would get read if on a classroom shelf. I might use the premise of going back in time to meet Prophet Muhammad, as a writing prompt though. Would be a good assignment with factual and Islamic references to get kids stretching their imagination to make it all come together and work.

Aug3

A Girl Called Genghis Khan: How Maria Toorpakai Wazir Pretended to Be a Boy, Defied the Taliban, and Became a World Famous Squash Player by Michelle Lord illustrated by Shehzil Malik

Posted on August 3, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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A Girl Called Genghis Khan: How Maria Toorpakai Wazir Pretended to Be a Boy, Defied the Taliban, and Became a World Famous Squash Player by Michelle Lord illustrated by Shehzil Malik

This children’s biography of Maria Toorpakai Wazir, Pakistan’s world famous squash player, is simplified and suitable for children 2nd grade and up. At 42 pages with bright illustrations older kids will understand a little bit more about the cultural norms that were being oppressive and the strength and risks Maria took to play a sport she loved and defy the Taliban while disguising herself as a boy. Younger children will probably only get her determination and perseverance, which is impressive in its own right.

In 1990, Maria was born in the mountains of the Tribal Areas in Pakistan. Conservative society and strict gender roles amplified by the control of the Taliban in 2001. Maria’s parents supported rights for their sons and daughters, and allowed Maria to cut her hair, dress like a boy, and play sports.

Her father called her Ghenghis Khan after the great warrior and when the family moved to the city of Peshawar he even introduced her as his son to people. As Ghenghis, Maria was always picking fights and encouraged instead to play sports to channel her wildness.

She fell in love with the game of squash, and when she went to join the Squash Club she had to submit her birth certificate which revealed that she was a girl. The director let her join the club, as the only girl among 400 boys. But now her secret was out.

She was bullied and her family ridiculed, but she kept playing and kept winning. The President of Pakistan awarded her honors for her outstanding achievements, but that infuriated the Taliban and they threatened her family.

As a result Maria had to hide, and would practice at night, in secret, and for 3 years she played against the wall in her bedroom. Appealing to squash clubs around the world for help, she finally heard from Jonathon Power in Canada, willing to help her get away from the Taliban and be able to play.

She left behind everything she knew at 20 years old to train in Toronto. She still represented Pakistan in tournaments. She studied, she prayed, she succeeded. She now is back in Pakistan establishing health clinics, sports clubs, and schools for girls and boys.

The story is inspirational, and well told, it shows how culture limited her, not religion, and that in a larger city, culture was a little less conservative. Muslim and non Muslim children will be inspired by her efforts, her willingness to look like a boy and her determination to excel. Muslim kids will enjoy that it shows her praying, but might be surprised to see her in shorts and tank tops. The book would be a great conversation starter about women’s rights and how it isn’t just in Pakistan that women struggle to have equal opportunity and respect. It also might many children’s first exposure to the sport of squash.

There is an afterward at the end with more information. A list of additional reading about other inspirational women, a selected bibliography and a highlight timeline of female firsts in sports.

Jul6

Salma the Syrian Chef by Danny Ramadan illustrated by Anna Bron

Posted on July 6, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Salma the Syrian Chef by Danny Ramadan illustrated by Anna Bron

This 40 page picture book meant for 4-7 year old children is full of diversity, community and love. The only thing missing, is a recipe for the dish, foul shami, that Salma recruits everyone at the refugee Welcome Center to help her make to cheer up her mom. Possible flag is there is a gay couple featured in the text and illustrations.

Salma and her mom are refugees from Syria living in Vancouver, and desperately missing Salma’s dad who still has not been able to join them. When Salma shares her sadness with Nancy at the Welcome Center, she is encouraged to draw her good memories. And then Salma has the idea to cook a dish from home for her mom. The other kids at the center mention foods they miss, Ayman from Egypt, Riya from India, Evan from Venezuela. Then the translator, Jad, from Jordan helps her find a recipe online.

Convincing herself that she can do this, Salma draws a picture for each of the ingredients since she doesn’t know the names in English. She then heads to the market with Ayesha from Somalia, an older girl that helps her cross the street, and get the needed groceries.

Back at the Welcome Center to cook. Malek and Amir, a gay couple from Lebanon help her chop the vegetables and kiss away each others onion tears. The spices make Salma sneeze, but she can’t find the sumac.

Granny Donya from Iran has the missing spice and reassures Salma that she can do this. That is until the olive oil bottle slips and falls and shatters. With no more money and feeling discouraged, it takes Nancy and everyone else to convince Salma not to give up as the dish is made with love and Mama will love it.

Everything is set up to surprise Mama with the dish, but once mama comes home and the door bell rings, it is Salma who is surprised with all her friends coming over to bring her olive oil.

Mama laughs and tells Salma her smile is home, and Salma dreams of riding her bike around the Vancouver seawall laughing with her friends and Mama.

I love the sense of community that it takes to make the dish and that she finds love and support from so many. I also like her determination to make her mother smile along with her willingness to accept help when she needs it.

I’m assuming the family is Muslim, the mom appears to remove a scarf when she returns home, Ayesha and Granny Donya also wear hijab.

Jun19

More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood

Posted on June 19, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood

This book is a Muslim YA romcom OWN voice written by a Muslim male. Woah, right? And the actual story, sigh (blush) I enjoyed it, and part of me is disappointed in myself for how much I enjoyed it. Most of the characters are Muslim and all over the spectrum in their religiosity so to speak, there are a lot of jokes at the expense of tenants in Islam and trivializing of certain concepts which really isn’t something to celebrate, but it reads real and there is a lot of Islam that is front and center and deep and though provoking. For most non Muslim readers, I’m sure 15 or 16 and up would be fine with the content and 353 page length, but as a former Islamic School Librarian, I’d have to reserve recommendations to college age. The protagonist is 19, there is talk of sex, but not crass, the main female character has a past that includes a sex tape, and there is a lot of language, but its also really funny and really relatable and really sweet and takes place in high school.

SYNOPSIS:

Danyal is a pretty face, but he isn’t very bright. He goes to an elite private school though somehow, and while he is admittedly dingy, he is also very kind, innocent and generous. He was held back at some point in school and is 19 as a senior in high school. He works in a French restaurant and dreams of being a chef. He has no desire to go to college and as the only son of Pakistani immigrants, they are not thrilled with their son’t future plans. Danyal is pretty chill about it though and his mom wants to arrange his marriage, and he is willing, although he is crazy in love with his friend’s twin sister. He is religious and hasn’t really broken any of the Islamic relationship rules, he prays fajr, and just kinda floats through life doing the best he can and forgiving himself and others when they mess up.

When his mom arranges a meeting with Bisma he is willing to get to know if they are a match. She however, fully discloses her past to him when they head out for coffee, which involves her rebelling, once a few years earlier, against her father and going to a party, further rebelling and getting drunk and then making the poor and regrettable choice to sleep with someone. To make matters worse, the event was video taped and spread around the community forcing the family to move. Bisma is pretty religious and really studious and really sorry, but her father and most community people don’t let it go. Danyal thinks that is stupid, one mistake shouldn’t haunt her forever, unfortunately he doesn’t think chivalry and pity are enough of a reason to marry her as he doesn’t think they are meant for each other. Basically, he is still really crushing on Kaval. So he and Bisma decide to be friends.

When Danyal’s history teacher in a fit of spite nominates Danyal for a prestigious Renaissance Man competition, Danyal calls on Bisma for help. The topic is Winston Churchill, the beloved British leader, but Danyal quickly learns he is not beloved by most Indian subcontinent people. Kaval offers to help so that Danyal can win the competition, impress her parents and then maybe give them a chance. But, suddenly Danyal doesn’t know if that is what he wants. He wants to be himself, he wants to be accepted, he wants Bisma.

WHY I LIKE IT:

You know how it is going to end, you don’t know entirely how it is going to get there, but you know where it is headed, yet the book is still compelling and fun. Between the banter of the religious friend, and the no longer religious friend, the advice the French Chef bestows on Danyal and Danyal’s complete and utter cluelessness to everything, the book is really warm and the characters really like-able. I dislike the stereotype of the “religious” character, but the other side characters are better developed.

On occasion I think Danyal’s stupidity is over done, he isn’t an idiot, he just isn’t book smart. So when he doesn’t know what “break a leg” implies for example, it seems a tiny bit off. I know his friends say he isn’t funny, but I think he is hilarious, especially with his commentary on the Desi community. “It is the curse of brown boys everywhere. We either die young or we live long enough to see ourselves become uncles.”

The role of Islam is incredibly prominent, and the characters understand what it means to be Muslim differently. Sometime I agreed with them, sometimes I didn’t, sometimes the characters didn’t agree with each other, sometimes they did. There is a lot to think about: destiny, Allah’s mercy, Qalb-e-saleem (a pure heart), caring for the less fortunate. Even politically there is a strong thread of colonialism, which the characters wrestle with and with being immigrant’s children. There is a lot packed in, but it flows so smooth and the writing rich with authenticity, that quite often I would laugh out loud and read various lines to my young children.

FLAGS:

Talk of sex and losing virginity, but not detailed, just stated. The chef is a lesbian. There is lots of language including the F word, not thrown in effortlessly, usually for a reason, and often reprimanded. There are a few kisses on the cheek and lips between Danyal and Bisma, but in a Disney princess movie sort of way.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

Not for middle or even high school book club. I don’t think that it is a completely “halal” romance story, but I think I wouldn’t be concerned if juniors and seniors were reading it, I think they would love it, and I might just have a few that I want to suggest it to…

Jun1

Alya and the Three Cats by Amina Hachimi Alaoui illustrated by Maya Fidawi

Posted on June 1, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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Alya and the Three Cats by Amina Hachimi Alaoui illustrated by Maya Fidawi

This sweet 32 page book is the purr-fect way to introduce the arrival of a new baby to toddlers and preschoolers. Instead of siblings preparing for a new arrival, it is three very different cats that need reassurance that there is enough love to go around.

Minouche, Pasha, and Amir live with their humans Myriam and Sami, and life is good. Minouche likes to hide, Pasha is regal, and Amir the Siamese is very curious. One thing they all have in common though, is they like to curl up on Myriam’s belly.

And her belly is growing! They are finding it harder to fit, and it even moves. Then one day Myriam and Sami leave early in the morning without even saying good-bye.

Finally she comes home. She is carrying a basket and disappears in the room without even acknowledging the cats. The cats sneak in and see a funny little creature that squeaks.

Grandma steps in to assure the curious little cats that there is enough love for the new baby, Ayla, and them. Feeling confident, the proud cats take on protecting their little human and the family full of love.

There isn’t anything Islamic in the book, but it definitely is culturally rich in the names, illustrations and the author is Moroccan.

The sweet book would be a great way to get siblings comfortable with a new one on the way and let them talk about how the cats thought, felt, and handled the change. Even children not about to have a new addition will find the silliness and sweetness entertaining and enjoyable. The pictures are gorgeous and fun and the text and presentation perfect for bedtime, story time, and anytime.

May22

A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Posted on May 22, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

This fabulously fresh and honest book told in alternating OWN voices shows how two seemingly different 6th grade girls discover how much they have in common as they learn about themselves and their families along the way. Sarah is a Muslim Pakistani-American, and Elizabeth is Jewish and has an English immigrant mom, the two come together over food, family stress, discrimination, and middle school social drama to form a solid friendship. But fear not, it isn’t easy and the book will keep upper elementary/ early middle school girls hooked. Not sure if boys will be as drawn to it, but if they can get over the brief mention of having a period, they too will enjoy the story. The 336 page book shows how much we have in common, and how hard fitting in can be for everyone.

SYNOPSIS:

Sarah is starting a new school, a public one, having been at a small Islamic school prior to 6th grade. She is not happy about it and to top it off, her mother is teaching an after-school cooking class at the school that she is required to attend. Hoping to sit in the back drawing and go unnoticed, she finds she can’t sit quiet when her classmates start giving her mom a hard time. Unaware of why she had to leave her previous school, and tired of her mom needing her help with her catering business, Sara also has to help her mom study for her citizenship test, handle two little brothers, deal with no friends at school and not being able to celebrate Halloween.

Elizabeth loves cooking. Her mother does not. She is excited to learn Pakistani food at the cooking club even if her best friend thinks they shouldn’t be learning things from “them.” Elizabeth is admittedly nerdy, and struggling with a life-long friend finding others to spend time with, her life at home is difficult too. Her dad is always traveling for work, and her mom is depressed with the recent passing of her mother in England, to the point of not really functioning. With Elizabeth doing the cooking at home, and trying to get her mom to study for her citizenship test, Jewish holidays and obligations get neglected, and Elizabeth not knowing how to help her new Muslim friend handle racism, is spiraling herself.

When the two girls decide to give each other a chance they find they might be able to be more than just cooking partners, but it seems like one of them always does something to mess it up. Either saying something hurtful, getting defensive, or not sticking up for each other. The girls get their mom’s together to study for their test, but it isn’t so easy for the girls, who are hesitant to trust one another.

An upcoming cooking competition, offers the girls a chance to make a cross cultural fusion dish that can wow the judges, help Sarah’s family’s financial situation, prove to the school that diversity is a good thing, and hopefully give the two girls a solid friendship.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love how authentic it sounds and feels and how it doesn’t focus on boys or crushes, but on friendship between two girls at an awkward point in their lives and the family stresses they are experiencing. The book is for all readers and does a great job of not going overboard with what the girls face. I love how tolerant they have to learn to be with one another and that they have to learn to drop their defensive guards.

I read the book in two settings and didn’t want to put it down, it has enough pull that you really want to see where the book is going and are happy to overlook the slight repetitiveness of them stressing about the competition, but doing nothing but talking about the stress. Really the competition doesn’t even seem that important at the end, but considering everything going on, that to me is exactly as it should be.

I love the rich culture of Pakistan, England, Islam, and Judaism that seep in and never get preachy or dogmatic, but get celebrated and experienced. This is why OWN voice books are so beautiful and powerful. Admittedly, Elizabeth’s family is not super religious, but a few more similarities would have been nice. Yes her brothers are eating pepperoni Hot Pockets, but a shout out about halal/kosher marshmallows would have really rung true for so many of us that stock up at Passover.

I also love how the side characters have substance and aren’t just used as a foil to show something about the main characters. They get a little flesh on their own, and that enhances the richness of the story. Seeing that they have their own struggles to overcome as well shows how none of us have it all together, and that we are all capable of improving ourselves.

FLAGS:

The girls meet during school hours when Elizabeth lies about her period starting to get out of class. Sarah mentions that hers has already started. Elizabeth mentions that her Jewish grandmother is visiting her son and his husband, nothing more is said, just that. There are some derogatory things said about Sarah and being Muslim and Pakistani, but really mild.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I want to find a way to do this book for a middle school book club. I’ve already told my 13 year- old daughter it is required summer reading. The Muslims have diversity within themselves, some wear hijab, Sarah does not. The book is so relatable and the personas sound the age for their views and struggles and perspective. The financial stress, the mental illness, the immigrant experience, the racism, the politics, are all wonderfully woven together, and the food, well, there is a reason I didn’t recommend this book at the beginning of Ramadan, you are welcome. Happy Reading.

May15

The Vine Basket by Josanne La Valley

Posted on May 15, 2020 by islamicschoollibrarian

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While in the midst of moving from Knoxville to Birmingham nearly 4 years ago, a lady reached out to me telling me that a colleague of hers, also an author, was a follower and fan of my blog and had recently passed away, she asked if she could send me a copy of her friend’s books. I agreed, not knowing what type of books the lady had written and didn’t think much of it. In the chaos that is moving, I received the books and boxed them up and then unboxed them and vaguely remembered that they were about Muslims in China. I put them in the to be read pile and just never got to them. Then as the plight of the Uyghurs started to be known here in the US, something tickled my brain, but nothing came of it, until recently when I realized, a lady, a non Muslim years ago was trying to tell the Uyghur’s story, and had reached out to me, and I didn’t get it, and still wasn’t getting it. So alas, I have now read the Vine Basket, and while it might not present Islam the way we are used to seeing it in life and in print, the characters do identify as Muslim and this middle grade book is a simply woven, beautiful story that gives voice to a population that is horrifically being silenced. The AR 5.0, 252 page book is a quiet book that will stay with me: the drunken father, the threat of being sent to a factory, the loss of tradition; I am so glad I read the book, and only wish I could reach out to the author to hear more about her knowledge of the region, of the people, of the culture that is being erased.

SYNOPSIS:

Mehrigul is 14, and since her older brother left, she has been forced to leave school to help her father sell goods in the marketplace. More often than not though, it is solely Mehrigul’s responsibility as her father drinks and gambles away the meager earnings the family makes. Her mother, ashamed of the poverty the family endures along with some presumed mental illness and headaches, seeps further and further away from the reality of life and the chores that need to be done to ensure food and survival of the family. Her younger sister is the only spark in a dreary and difficult life, and Mehrigul is determined that she should stay in school and be shielded from the darkness hanging over the family.

One day while in the market, an American woman approaches Mehrigul and asks to purchase a frivolous grape vine basket Mehrigul had made and hung to decorate the cart. She offers her 100 yuan, more money than Mehrigul has ever seen, and asks her to make more baskets, and that she will be back in a month to purchase them. The basket serves no purpose like the willow baskets her grandfather weaves and despite the money, Mehrigul’s father is not happy.

Mehrigul is forbidden from making the baskets for the American, and the fact that she will even return is dismissed. Her father grows increasingly cruel toward Mehrigul and keeps her busy to prevent her from making more. Mehrigul seeks solace in her elderly infirm grandfather who tries to help her find inspiration and time to make her baskets as he sees in her a gift that has value in their old culture. At one point as her father steals her baskets to take on a “religious” pilgrimage to the mountains. And her planting crops in the fields leaves her hands cut and swollen, unable to make more with just days left before the American lady is due to return.

WHY I LIKE IT:

At first I was really uncomfortable with the idea of a white American savior coming to a dying oppressed culture to offer hope, until I read the afterwards and understood that much of the story was inspired by the author’s own experience and that she worked with Uyghur’s to get the story right. The book reads like historical fiction which makes the day to day life of this modern book all the more heart breaking, it isn’t about the past it is the present, and life in East Turkestan is bleak. I like the character of the father, he is an abusive mess, yet somehow it isn’t that easy to write him off, he has his own struggles and the depth of character I found in him, in a middle grades book, is haunting. I also really like how Mehrigul’s story is so foreign to us here in America, yet her emotions and insights are universal and thus relatable. She wants to find her place, and excel, and help her family, and she is scared, doesn’t know who to trust, and takes on more than most children any where should, but often are forced to do.

The characters identify as Muslim and as a people the Uyghurs are Muslim. They say salam in the story, but only to the grandfather, and the girls all cover their hair with scarves. The father obviously drinks and gambles, two practices, not permitted in Islam. Mehrigul fastens a talisman and connects her prayers to it as a form of worship which I would imagine is cultural perhaps, and when things go awry she remarks she should have prayed to Allah swt. The father goes on a pilgrimage to a mountain shrine, which again seems off from traditional Islam, but is presented in the book instead as odd because the father is not normally religious. Islam is not a big part of the book, so it is hard to know if the representation of it are isolated to who the author met, or a larger norm of the community. Considering how isolated and oppressed the Uyghurs are, I tried really hard to suspend judgement, or offer my privileged limited critique of the people.

FLAGS:

Drinking, gambling, abusive father, anger, lying, deception.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I would consider this for a middle grades or even middle school book club, there is so much going on in China and in the erasing of Islam there that this book would supplement the news and few stories we are hearing. It opens up the culture and gives it a face that is not political, but personal. The faults of the father are not glorified at all, and the discussion about his desire to hold on to culture and fear about his daughter surpassing him would be fascinating to hear from people the protagonists age.