Tag Archives: humorous

Aug14

Zeyna Lost and Found by Shafaq Khan

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Zeyna Lost and Found by Shafaq Khan

I think I needed this 336 page middle grade book that gets parents out of the way and lets a trio of kids  hop from country to country to solve a mystery, track down the bad guys and save the day. Set in the 1970s in the UK and on the Hippie Trail between Lahore, Pakistan and Istanbul, Turkey, the book is a fast paced read with humor, heart, and adventure.  I absolutely love Zeyna’s snark and voice, and her relationship with her brother and cousin, ground the story and make you cheer for them even when their antics are incredibly dangerous and improbable.  As an Islamic school librarian, my one critique with the book is that I wish there was more/any Islam. I, at one point considered that they are not Muslim, and I’m not sure what the author identifies as, but she does thank “Al-Barr, for all that is good” in the acknowledgements, and Zeyna does mention an Eid party in passing, so while I’m still on the fence, I’m going to assume they are all Muslim.  Major beats in the plot are meeting at both the Badshahi and Blue Mosque, but none of the characters ever pray, or mention the names of prayers when the athan is heard.  When they see women in burkas and chadors, Zeyna stares, not connecting the clothing to hijab, that one would hope she would know. There is only one salaam in the whole book, and the story is predominately set in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. Granted I am sensitive, but it almost feels like a deliberate exclusion to the point of going out of the way to not let those details be present.  There are plenty of Urdu and Punjabi words and titles and cultural commentary, so it doesn’t seem that the author was concerned about watering down authenticity, a theme of the book infact is finding your place and accepting yourself.  All that aside I really enjoyed pickpocketing, imaginative, determined, sarcastic, loyal detective Zeyna, and I think kids will join me in hoping this is the first in a series.

SYNOPSIS:
Zeyna is 12, and likes to imagine she is a detective on a case, sneaking and snooping, and roping her inventing younger brother Mahir to be her Watson. The city is on edge with the theft of the Shirin Jewel, a large Persian ruby, a case involving the 15, that Zeyna would love to solve.  When she sees a man with knife in London, who later seems to be following her and her mum, and then drops a paper with their street name on it, Zeyna is convinced this her chance to prove her self. A sudden trip to Pakistan though dampens her mood as the clues to the case will be left in the UK. She doesn’t stay down long though, as her parents start acting peculiar in Lahore, meeting with strange people, lying about why they suddenly made the trip at all, and when the police show up at the familial home to arrest her parents, they all discover that her parents have vanished.  Zeyna realizes her parents and the events in London are tied to the missing ruby, and with the help of Mahir and their cousin Amina they set off to solve the case and find her parents.

WHY I LIKE IT:
It’s hard to review a book like this without giving the twists and climax and resolution away, but more than once I gasped in delight when something happened on the page, and it crystalized where the book was going in my head.  Sure there were some particularly outlandish connections and a few plot holes, I even Googled when fax machines were invented, but I had a blast reading the book.  I loved the historical backmatter discussing the events in post partition Pakistan, a year before Bangladesh was independent, Soviet Union and UK competing over influence in Afghanistan, the discontent voices in Iran toward the shah, and the role of the Pudding House for messages in Turkey.  There are also discussion questions, a glossary, acknowledgements, and about the author at the end.

One tiny concern was the assumption that money could be stolen because the people around them are poor, it is just one paragraph, it isn’t a constant in the book, but it struck me as odd and stereotypical, and really not needed.

FLAGS:

Lying, stealing,  deception, pretending to be someone you are not, breaking and entering, eavesdropping, snooping, its a heist book!

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
This would be an awesome book club book or novel study read, I can’t wait for it to be released in a few weeks so that I can have my kids read it.

Apr6

Lowriders to the Rescue by Cathy Camper illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez III

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Lowriders to the Rescue by Cathy Camper illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez III

lowriders

This is my first Lowriders book, so admittedly there was a lot going on that I really don’t feel confident that I understood, but even with that, it was a sweet story of first love (crush), Arab and Latinx joy, humor, social activism, environmentalism, gentrification, and fun.  I don’t know that the other books in this middle grades series explain the characters or their world any more or less, so I think it can be read as a standalone book, and I think the 140 page detailed illustration filled pages will tempt even the most reluctant readers to give it a try.

SYNOPSIS:

Sokar is an Arab Muslim monarch butterfly, and the fires have taken so many of her family, and cut the survivors off from being able to safely migrate.  She comes to town with a broken wing and in desperate need of help, only to find prejudice against her at every corner, until she meets the Lowriders:  Lupe, Flapjack, and Elirio.  Lupe is an impala, Elirio a mosquito, and Flappy a land octopus with brand new glasses who falls for Sokar at first sight.  Sokar, however, has concerns with the environmental impact the lowrider car has knowing that the fires and pollution are all related.  Add on that the Upscale Business Association gentrifying the neighborhood, and everyone is going to need to work together to save the monarchs, the neighborhood, the environment, and a tender friendship.  As characters find connections between Arab and Latin foods, Arabic and Spanish words, the readers will find similarities from the real world with this crazy one with people, animals, insects, and flying cars.

WHY I LIKE IT:

The author saw my review of Arab Arab All Year Long! and let me know that this book also had Islamic representation, and that I should check it out.  I love that there are Islamic phrases (inshaAllah, salam), a possible hijab on Sokar, connections to Moors of Spain, and Arab culture.  Part of me doesn’t love the love interest, crush thread, but it is between a land octopus and a butterfly and there is only a kiss on the cheek, so, I’m not sure it is that big of a deal.  I love that environmental concerns, discrimination and activism are the heart of the story, yet somehow it doesn’t read preachy.

The similarities of words, foods, and my favorite throwing of a chancla/throwing of a shabashib are all amazing for readers of all backgrounds to see and be made aware of.  I love the teamwork, altruism, and compassion that so many of the characters show, while not sacrificing the humor and quirkiness of it all.

I was a bit concerned with the posters going up everywhere, that seems like a lot of waste and excess, in every other instance they were so mindful: making the car solar powered, reducing plastic in the ocean, etc..

FLAGS:

Racism, discrimination, crush, kiss on the cheek, death, loss, destruction.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I don’t think this would work for a full on book club selection, but I think it would be a popular book to give to a kid to read and then chat about it with them when they finish.  The book has a lot to discuss and maybe in small groups it would be a good selection.  I’m hoping to get it in the library when it releases and I’ll come back and report on how it works with reluctant readers, avid readers, and in getting the kids reading, thinking, and laughing.  You can pre-order yours to show support for the author by clicking HERE.