Tag Archives: Muslim Characters

May31

The Line They Drew Through Us by Hiba Noor Khan

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The Line They Drew Through Us by Hiba Noor Khan

I’ve been trying to get through this middle grade 304 page book for well over a year, and it has been a struggle. I think the emotional release by the end is well done, but the journey to get there requires enduring pacing issues, truncated plot threads and scenes, magical realism, and some really forced positioning of characters and scenarios that I don’t feel warranted the time and page space to add anything to the key points of the story. When the storytelling was at its peak though, it was enjoyable and heartfelt, and the pages flew by, unfortunately though making the difference in writing more jarring and difficult to get through. I love that the book sticks to the colonizing British being the “villains,” but the individuals themselves on all sides being seen in shades of gray. No easy feat, no doubt, to feature such a wide and diverse casts of Britishers, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains, etc., and to keep from villainizing or glorifying any one group. I don’t know that I understood the point of the magical realism, though, of the no named village, the banyan tree, the kids all being born on the same day, it seemed unnecessary and distancing when trying to connect to the characters and their very real partition of the subcontinent. I love the idea of the book, we need more partition stories that encourage critical thinking, and aren’t all rosy and neatly tied up. I just don’t know that a middle grade reader will be able to immerse themselves in the time and environment with the often choppy breaks in events, and locations, and abandonment of scenes with no context or tie backs provided. There are a lot of names and religious identities that muddle together, and with all characters celebrating each others holidays and partaking in community without delineation, it makes for a lot going on in the beginning, that I think will be difficult for the target audience to digest and get through to appreciate the remainder of the tale.


SYNOPSIS

Told from Jahan’s perspective the book focuses on three kids born on the same day, to families with ties to an unnamed village that can never be on a map. Their births are recorded by a banyan tree and the Muslim Jahan, Hindu Ravi, and Muslim Aisha who is nicknamed Lakshmi, grow up as intertwined as the tree’s roots. The village raises them collectively as Nanas and Nanis and Dadas and Dadis all become elders to the children, at least that is the way I decided to take it when keeping track of all the relations (and I speak some Urdu) got a bit too confusing. As they journey back and forth between the village and Lahore prior to partition, we see the kids and the near utopia that the village represents of all faiths living together and respecting one another. Jahan is becoming a hafiz, and wakes for fajr regularly, Ravi plays his instruments and goes to Temple. As partition looms we see the effects that carving up a country that has been occupied for so long starts to have on the families, the children, the anger and tensions that are escalated and the evil that brews in chaos, all while the characters at the center strive to keep connections and hope.

WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that the Islam is not watered down, even if at times the characters blur with partaking in each other’s rituals or considerations, I like that they believe what they believe and it is unwavering and largely uncompromised. I think the book does a good job of separating the collective labels from the individuals, to see that it was a trying time that brought out the best and worst in people of all ages. Craft wise, I just struggled with the going back and forth from Lahore to the village, the build up of planning the games and contests and pranks that had no baring on the story because they would just end and not be threaded through for a purpose or character growth or even resolved. As a result it just made the story wander and for me, at least, often lose interest. I loved when the trio was all in Lahore and thwarting the gang, solving a mystery and being the amazing clever detectives. Most of the scenes of them just being together were delightful and I wish they would have been connected better, the justification of why they were together and how their families all aligned to get them together were just unnecessarily exhausting.

FLAGS:

Violence, death, people being lost, people disappearing, angry mobs, ghost trains, birthdays, girl boy friendships, celebrating each others holidays, lying, boys dressing as girls to sneak in to a gangs hideout, lying, sneaking, anger, riots, music, talk of possible reincarnation, magic.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I think this book would be a great supplemental assignment to a lesson on colonization or partition. If read in a small group I think a lot discussion would be needed to help shed light on the politics and ongoing repercussions that still persist and would make for a great conversation and critical thinking exercises. I would not be opposed to shelving the book, but I think once the topic and tempting cover have been exhausted, most middle school or even middle grade readers will lose interest before the story gets good, so to speak, and I can’t see many kids reading this independently to its completion, although I do hope I am wrong.

May11

Hidaya: Wira and the Spiritual World by Fahem & Hamid illustrated by Fahem

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Hidaya: Wira and the Spiritual World by Fahem & Hamid illustrated by Fahem

First published in 2024 I have been anxious to get ahold of this Muslim manga, and curious why no commentary reviews seem available for the book that recently released in the United States. After reading the book, I think I know, readers, myself included, aren’t quite sure what to make of it: does it skirt the line, really close, to being shirk or cross it? Does it take an Islamic concept and just twist it for fictionalized exploration? Is it a Sufi read, and thus not palatable to those that don’t practice that way? The book is just an introduction, it leaves off on rising action and so much of the aforementioned questions are left very vague, with nothing to back up any argument one way or another. As someone not familiar with Karamat and walis (other than in wedding environments), I felt uncomfortable with the premise of the book, and despite my 5th grader asking about it, I did not hand it over. The art is fantastic, I love the concept of going to a different realm to battle nafs, but again we don’t see how it is developed to know what results from that thread. The book does mention Halloween when costumes appear, presumably there is an error as it has Wira having a female pronoun on one page, when he is a boy, but it could be indicative of something more to come in the future, and there is bullying, dishonesty, and very choppy scenes, which perhaps are manga style, admittedly a genre I’m not familiar with as well. As a result, please look through the inside pages I am sharing, and decide for yourself if it is a good fit for your family or not, clearly this review is indecisive based on my own limited knowledge of manga and karamat.


The book follows Wira, his sister Hiba and some cousins as they train in martial arts, deal with bullies, and play video games. Wira, additionally dreams of being amazing like the Prophets, being a wali, and having powers. When he encounters a hermit in the jungle who has unworldly abilities and a retinue of animals that serve as spies, he and Hiba are whisked away to the Spiritual World of the Hearts. Once there they lose Master Rashmad and meet Master Hikmah. The book abruptly ends with promises of volume two to come.

The buildup is rather disjointed at this point, it is unclear why bullies and video games and a martial arts tournament and money woes have been presented. I don’t know if I will follow up with a second volume to get answers, but I did feel that even with my own lack of knowledge, just putting some thoughts out there and some inside pages, families could be better equipped to decide if the book is a worthwhile investment.



May8

Let’s Visit The Three Sacred Mosques: Pop-up Collection Masjid al-Haram Masjid, al-Nabawi Masjid, al-Aqsa by Sara Khan illustrated by Ali Lodge

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Let’s Visit The Three Sacred Mosques: Pop-up Collection Masjid al-Haram Masjid, al-Nabawi Masjid, al-Aqsa by Sara Khan illustrated by Ali Lodge

This gorgeous boxed set is sold as a unit, so I will review all three of these 20 page, thick 8 x 8 board books with two pop up spreads in each, in one post.  Each book features Huraira,  a little gray cat, taking our littlest Muslims in to Masjid al-Haram, Masjid al-Nabawi, and Masjid al-Aqsa. The factual beautifully illustrated books share basic details and information about each location, often breaking the fourth wall to keep the reader engaged. The backmatter of all three features a spread with key facts, a “Check your knowledge” quiz, with answers, and finally a spread featuring activities.  Much like the author’s first series, this collection is both informative, easy to engage with, and spans a wider age than the typical board book. Adults and children alike will enjoy spending time in the pages learning about and reflecting on these three important masajids.

The series does a good job picking and choosing key facts to share without overwhelming the pages, and readers.  The illustrations also complement the text and make it easy to understand and remember the details such as the al-Aqsa complex being more than one structure, the Rawdah being between the minbar and the Prophet’s house, and showing the Haram without it feeling like a Hajj book.

A few pages of the Masjid al-Haram book are a bit text heavy to look at, but the lines flow, and I don’t see them being cumbersome.  I was surprised the books sit backwards in the thick cover, but overall the quality is solid, both in structure and in content, alhumdulillah.

May6

Counting Up the Olive Tree: A Palestine Number Book by Golbarg Bashi illustrated by Nabi H. Ali

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Counting Up the Olive Tree: A Palestine Number Book by Golbarg Bashi illustrated by Nabi H. Ali

I love the idea of this book: kids saving a tree by working together, set in Palestine and calling for freedom, homage to “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” the girls’ soccer/football team providing reinforcements,  but alas the words are muddled, the rhyme painfully forced, and the counting of players in positions, a little awkward. I think the point is fun with numbers, but a little plot of why the woodcutter is called to cut the tree, or who hired him, and thus why he feels the burden of apologizing, would have really gone a long way to make the book cohesive. I also wish the backmatter was more about Palestine and the destruction of trees rather than the lengthy bios of the author and illustrator.  With a little telling of the story and not reading the words as written, editing as you go, and some practice, the book can make for a decent read aloud and provide teachable moments about Palestine, teamwork, resisting, and soccer.  If you really work to sell it,  the book and the numbered soccer players can also be a bit of silliness and fun too.

The book starts horrendously.  The first page, or rather the first two lines should have been the inscription and the third line completely removed, as the first page makes no sense.  Had the story started with the second page and the “let’s play ball” sentiment, readers wouldn’t immediately be confused and off put going in to the story.  “Someone silly once said: ‘Kids don’t have fun when their trees are gone,’ but that’s just silly,” un no that isn’t silly, it is actually the point of the book.

The remainder of the book is in fact the soccer/football team climbing up the tree to keep the woodcutter, who is sleeping, from chopping down their olive tree when he wakes. Eleven players going up to protect, and with the girls team joining that makes 22.  Two goalies, a whole slew of defenders, and forwards, and midfielders, and when the woodcutter awakes, he has a whole lot of people to apologize to.

As to why the woodcutter was there, why the change of heart, why the need to apologize, why there is only one tree in the first place, and why the kids love this tree, sigh, we will never know.  Free Palestine, though, and Save the Trees.

The book is not OWN voice for the author nor illustrator, and there is no religion in the book save a few hijabs in the illustrations and a masjid and church lingering in the background.

Apr21

Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

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Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui

I listened to this book on my work commute, to and fro daily for weeks, Aicha would go about her day in Portuguese occupied Morocco and I would go about mine, and as the hours built, I realized this book has no plot, there is no building up for something, it really is just the two of us going about our days, granted, hers is far more interesting, but rather plotless just the same. There is world building of life under occupation and the rebel forces her family is a part of, there is even foreshadowing about who she is, but I do not, and did not, have prior knowledge of the myth the story stems from. And the more I listened and the closer we got to the approaching “siege,” the more I felt like I was mislead with the promises of what the book would be. Before I continue, there will be spoilers, and I admit while I was listening to it, I wasn’t bored, the pacing is off but the prose is lush and descriptive, albeit overly telling at the expense of showing, but none-the-less listening to it in 15 minute intervals twice a day at 1.5x speed was not a a burden, and was often enjoyable. Had I been reading it though, I think I would have dnfed mid way through after skipping pages at a time.

The front of the book says “Temptress, Monster, Warrior.” She is in love with Rachid, they are in a relationship, chapter 19 is a pretty intense, very adult, and mature, open door testament to that relationship, the occupiers threaten sexual assault, but she is not out flirting or tempting anyone, she is often dressed to look like a boy and disappear into shadows. Is she a monster? She has a jinn tied to her, so I’m going to say no, she is not, the jinn is blood thirsty and perhaps a monster, but the book title is her name. The daily musings, 352 pages, over 10 hours, are her life, the jinn doesn’t get top billing until the end. As for the warrior description, sure, she is a rebel, who trains at the hands of her blacksmith father, but the book is also teased as a female rage story, so when coupled with the term, warrior, why does she have to have Rachid step in to fight for her at the end? She couldn’t beat Duarte? She didn’t get to exact her revenge? Only once Aicha was dead was the jinn freed and the jinn given the pleasure of killing him-which cheapened the expectation and made the whole book feel misleading.

I also didn’t like on the back it saying, “Aicha is the story of Morocco’s warrior goddess,” the term
“goddess,” distracts for me how much Islam really is in the book. I loved how much actually. The book from the very first Author’s Note Flag Warning positions that the characters are Muslim, but they are not examples of Islam, and I might buy the book just to screen shot how fabulous the warning/statement is. The characters are Muslim through and through and that made me have a soft spot to keep listening. I’ll even admit the hasty nikkah to make it halal was emotionally charged, and nice to see.

Craft wise, aside from the lacking plot and slow pacing, I’m not sure why one chapter switched perspectives to Rachid, it felt sloppy. I don’t get why the siege wasn’t more robustly fleshed out, why the open door sex scene was so long, (I could just be a prude, and I’ve never done an audio with spice, so yeah, I might be unreliable on this point), and why did they all have to die, if it was so devastating in real life, we need backmatter to feel the weight of these characters. I will probably read anything future the author writes, so I own that, and I truly did enjoy the commentary on colonization and occupation and the last line of the backmatter being, “Free Palestine!”

I listened to the audio of this book and did not have access to the text of the book, so forgive misspellings of characters’ names.

Apr15

Landing in Place by Sherine Hamdy illustrated by Myra El Mir

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Landing in Place by Sherine Hamdy illustrated by Myra El Mir

I think first and foremost I want to stress that this is a mature YA read. The majority of the book takes place after the protagonist has graduated high school, it involves a toxic mother who smokes, politics, romantic relationships, generational trauma, death, commentary on Islamic practices, relationships with opposite genders including when they are LGBTQ+, lying, and some profanity.  YA is classified as 12 and up, which given the graphic novel format, and the plot of her coming of age, I entered the book viewing it from an Islamic school librarian lens of handing or shelving the book for middle school and up, and thus it is not appropriate in my opinion. If you read it from a more adult lens, please share your impressions, as the book has a TON of Islam, and I would love to discuss.  It has Quranic ayats, it has Hadith, it has a girl fighting her family to wear hijab, it has incredible points, unfortunately  I just couldn’t quite support how the points were connected. If the book were a memoir, or I met someone and this was their lived experience, I wouldn’t find it concerning, it would be one person’s journey and them simply doing the best they can, Allahualam.  BUT, somehow the tone seems to extend beyond just Anisa living her life and growing as a result, and reads more of the author opining that this is how Islam is or this is how Muslims should or should do things, or view things, or not feel constrained by things, and by its end I just couldn’t support the character’s choices and the justifying framing, perhaps because it is fiction.

SYNOPSIS:

Because I want to spend more time on the Islam and why I struggled with how it was connected, I’m simply going to copy and paste the publisher provided summary of the book:

A poignant coming-of-age graphic novel about an Egyptian American girl grappling with college, her family, and the political realities of her wider world.

Anisa is following in her sister Reem’s footsteps: She’s a freshman at her sister’s alma mater, she’s on the same premed track, and she’s inherited Reem’s old hotpot, mini-fridge, and textbooks. Even though Anisa would prefer to study art, her parents discount that as a valid career choice. The path laid out before her starts to crumble as Anisa feels she doesn’t belong—either in her organic chemistry class or among the other Muslim students on campus.

When Anisa fails her first semester, she begs her parents to let her take time off to visit Cairo and stay with her beloved grandfather. Finally free to have her own experiences, Anisa begins a journey of self-discovery and, as she bumps up against familial, societal, and religious expectations, she starts to develop her own artistic voice. When Anisa returns to the United States, many of these expectations shift, but she learns to draw on the love of friends and family—including those she’s often at odds with—in order to stay true to herself.

 

WHY I LIKE IT:
I like that the book feels very real, that the character arc and growth, challenges and setbacks, struggles and character’s voice, radiate authenticity and seeks to shed light on what not only shapes us and our view of the world, but understanding the politics, culture, religious, and lived experiences of what our parents also have been shaped by in a manner that is neither overly naive or harsh.

I appreciated the political commentary, the internal reflections of faith and her closeness with her grandfather in Egypt which often centers Islam. And as a work of fiction I understand in the broad sense that the book does not want to get didactic in its sharing of the deen, but it seems to want to have it both ways.  It shares the Quranic Arabic in the pages with meaning of the translation in the backmatter, quotes uncited hadith and references Islamic customs, yet I feel by staying gray in how the character interpreted Islamic teachings and failing to commit to her showing her own rationale for the choices and understanding driving those choices, the book leaves holes in the plot and a lot of questions.  For example, why is kissing her Sikh boyfriend considered a “mistake,” only because she wears hijab? She commits to him by getting her mom and Muslim friends on board with their relationship with the book sharing that different opinions are good according to Prophet Muhammad (saw).  She starts to wear hijab and says she is doing it for the right reasons, but those reasons are never shared.  She develops a relationship with Allah swt which is beautiful, but what is the messaging for the reader, with her justifying her actions in light of that relationship?

Yes, I realize that that makes me the very hypocrite the characters push back against in the book: not being able to be human and error, and struggle, and inshaAllah come back to Allah, swt, I know that, but I also know that our  youth are impressionable and we want to inspire them, not give them a “pass” through a fictional story to do haram because Allah swt is forgiving.  I also know that a 13 year old reading this and a 19 year old reading this will view it very differently  (see opening paragraph why my mindset going in was a disservice that I struggled to overcome, and why I mentioned that this is a mature read).  I also know that life, real life, is never linear and clear, and yeah people fall in love with people that are not Muslim, I’m the daughter of a convert, and my parents met in college, I get the hypocrisy, I own it, I really do.

I can’t reiterate enough how many of the points I loved about her finding herself, understanding and connecting to her deen and extended family, laughing in the relatability the book has in its commentary on Islamophobia, expectations, politics, but none-the-less, I ultimately cannot support the normalized conclusions and justifications of many of the threads.

FLAGS:
See opening paragraph

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
Not appropriate for Islamic school book clubs, I can see perhaps college or University MSAs reading it for fun and then offering up their thoughts as being an incredible pulse on how our “New Adult” Muslims view the themes and topics the book tackles, but I take handing a book to a person as an amanah, and I don’t think I could hand this to a middle or high school student.

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.

 

Feb28

A Good Morning for Giddo by Dahlia Hamza Constantine and Irene Latham illustrated by Basma Hosam

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A Good Morning for Giddo by Dahlia Hamza Constantine and Irene Latham illustrated by Basma Hosam

Hold on, it is Friday morning, not super early, the sun is up, Giddo and Somaya stop in to visit a friend and when the athan is called from multiple minarets, the men pause to pray in his shop? At the end of the book, it is still morning, the parents are in their pajamas, so um, WHAT SALAT WAS THAT? Why mention that it is Friday if they are not going to salatul Jummah? Yeah, I review from an Islamic perspective, I know this is not the point or plot or theme of the book, but it is an early detail in a 32 page picture book, and I’m having a hard time getting past it, clearly. The book is beautifully illustrated by a Muslim, and the cultural story is by one Egyptian and one author who has visited Egypt, so I have no reason to question the OWN voice accuracy, but none-the-less, it doesn’t make sense and makes me wonder why we can’t get basic Islamic rep correct in a picture book.  The story itself is a shout out to Egyptian culture showing calligraphy, tourism, mosaic handicrafts, tentmaking, friendships amongst people of different religions, a sweet grandfather and grand daughter relationship, all in their morning quest to get to the tentmakers at the market. The plot unravels though at the end for me, I think it sounds good to have SPOILER Somaya need a little help with her surprise birthday gift for her Giddo, but it seemed rushed in its conclusion for as flowy as the build up was. And that she needed help with a final knot, seemed a little weak of a premise for the urgency to get to the tentmakers at all. I know I’m being picky, but sensitivity readers exist precisely for these details, and it should not go unchecked.  The end has a “Glossary” and a “More About Ancient Egyptian Arts” section, but I really was hoping for something about the one upping thread of greeting that is present throughout the book, “good morning,” “good morning with roses,” good morning with roses and jasmine,” etc. as I think that is a tidbit of Arab culture that readers will wonder about while reading, but maybe not quite fully grasp.

The book starts with Somaya rushing into the kitchen to great her Giddo and get to the tentmakers with him.  Her grandfather though is not in any real hurry.  They head in to the old market, taking in the sights an sounds and then head in to Hajj Mohammed’s shop.  He has been sad since his son moved, and after he encourages her to write, and he and Giddo pray (not sure why Somaya does not join them), they are back in the market heading toward the tentmakers.  But first they wave to Ismail on his bike, and then stop in “for only one minute” to have tea with Ostaz Gergis and Mariam and see their abalone inlays.

When they finally reach the tentmakers in the market, it is revealed that Giddo is a most respected tentmaker, and when someone asks him a question, Somaya uses the distraction to get help with a final knot on a piece she has been working on.  The pair head home and are greeted with Mama and Baba holding a cake and wishing Giddo a happy birthday. Somaya gifts her piece to her grandfather and proclaims that she too is now a tentmaker.

The story is sweet, the illustrations adorable, it just needed a lit more polishing, some tweaking to get the Islam right, and more fleshing out of the ending, so that it felt satisfying and not rushed.

 

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.

 

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.