Genre: Middle-Grade


Thursday, March 23, 2017

One of the Most Important Books: Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan

Posted by 2 Comments

I received this book for free from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

One of the Most Important Books: Amina’s Voice by Hena KhanAmina's Voice by Hena Khan
Published by Salaam Reads on March 14th, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Middle-Grade
Source: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five-stars

A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle grade novel from the award-winning author of It’s Ramadan, Curious George and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.

Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized.

Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.

It’s in the title of this review post but I am going to repeat it anyway: Amina’s Voice is one of the most important books published this year and has clearly not gotten the hype it deserves. It’s a middle grade book and I know a lot of people shy away from reading those because reading tastes vary but please don’t overlook this book. Amina’s Voice is such a wonderful, heartfelt book and deserves and infinite amount of love from everybody.

I should take a moment to say I am neither Muslim-American or Pakistani-American but Amina’s Voice still resonated with and I found myself nodding along and feeling Amina’s struggle with her cultural identity on a spiritual level. I grew up feeling similar struggles and even though it wasn’t ~my story~, it felt really freeing to see that struggle reflected in a book I was reading and made the younger Rashika in me feel a little bit more at rest.

Amina’s Voice deals with cultural identity, religious identity and that awkward transition from elementary school to middle school. Even if you went to junior high instead of elementary + middle school, I think we can all agree that 6th grade is weird as fuck. EVERYTHING CHANGES and yet nothing really changes. People who you thought you knew are different. Middle school is just a weird time in general.

Hena Khan also incorporates some food porn into the novel and my mouth was WATERING as I read (and my stomach craved a delicious, home cooked meal.) This book- if you haven’t already gathered-deals with such serious issues and does so masterfully. Hena Khan knows her audience well and incorporates thought provoking discussions into the little things.

This is a book that should be in the hands of every middle schooler but young adults and adults can also take so much away from this beautifully, written novel. Don’t sleep on Amina’s Voice. READ IT and spread the love. We need so much more Muslim rep in children’s lit and the existence of this delightful, #ownvoices book is a step in the right direction. Let’s support these books though so we can get EVEN MORE.

*mic drop*

five-stars

5 Hot Espressos

Destined to Become a Classic: The Castle in the Mist by Amy Ephron

Posted by on 02/24/2017 • 1 Comment

The Castle in the Mist is destined to become a classic. No question about it. It draws a lot of classic children’s literature tropes but somehow managed to create an entirely different narrative about families and the magic of nature. My literary analysis senses are tingling and I must stop myself from word-vomiting a bunch of off-topic stuff but seriously, THIS IS A BOOK I COULD write a 10 page paper about and have a lot of fun doing.

My biggest problem with the book doesn’t lie in the actual writing but in the fact that so many books like The Castle in the Mist exist yet all of them seem to feature only white children? Do not white children not deserve to be featured in gothic-y stories that are magical, mystical…

Blog Tour: The Warden’s Daughter by Jerry Spinelli

Posted by on 01/19/2017 • 5 Comments

The Warden’s Daughter is honestly unlike anything I’ve ever read by Jerry Spinelli. When I was in middle school, Stargirl was one of the most important books in my life so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from a historical middle grade novel written by Spinelli. There is still very much the ‘old Spinelli’ in this book but I can definitely see that he has grown and developed as a writer since I last had the joy of reading a book by him.

The Warden’s Daughter is a heartfelt story of loss and just the general need to find one’s place within the world. Cammie has always felt a little incomplete because she never had a mother growing up. She has made it her summer goal to claim a mother…

A Middle Grade Novel in the Vein of Grave Mercy: Maresi by Maria Turtschanioff

Posted by on 01/10/2017 • 2 Comments

Maresi is being marketed as YA but is very much a middle grade novel. I mention this because I know a lot of people don’t enjoy MG the same way they do YA but don’t write off Maresi right away. This well-formulated MG novel is clearly a set up for even more energetic, high-stake sequels that are more YA than MG.

I think the biggest draw-back of this novel was the writing. I assume part of it is that translating from one language to another is no easy feat and I don’t want to dismiss the hard work that goes into translating. The writing did however feel a little clunky and like it needed a whole lot more polishing. I was able to move past that and ultimately really enjoy the book.

The…

Review: Lost in Texas (The Living Dead Boy #2) by Rhiannon Frater

Posted by on 10/25/2016 • 1 Comment

As you are all probably aware, I love Rhiannon Frater. She writes amazing books with in depth characters, and tons of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. This follow up to the first book was no exception. The book may be short, but it packs a punch. Right from the start there is a tension about things. The looming threat of zombies, and the people around about to snap from fear and feeling trapped. I flew through this book simply because I had to. I couldn’t stop until I knew the outcome of it.

Josh is back of course and he is undoubtably one tough kid. Yes, he’s scared, but he has seen enough horror movies to know the things that will make you become zombie…

Review: Frazzled by Booki Vivat

Posted by on 10/05/2016 • 3 Comments

I just started my last-ish year of college and the main character of Frazzled starts middle school in this book yet despite the clear age difference, never has a book been more applicable to my life.

Frazzled is absolutely adorable, quotable and extremely relatable. It’s about many things. Familial relationships, changing friendships and the need to find your “thing”. I think we can all agree that finding your “thing” is not as easy as it seems. It is actually quite stressful and Abbie Wu would agree with you.

Abbie is not at all excited to start middle school (I mean who would be?) because it is “the middle of all middles” and is thus guaranteed to suck. When school starts, she struggles with the change but her friends find…

Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang

Posted by on 05/24/2016 • 1 Comment

Things to know about Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang

1. It’s for a much younger audience. I didn’t realize this at first but while I was reading it, it become clear that I was not the intended audience of Secret Coders. This didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy the graphic novel, it just meant that it took me longer to get involved in the novel.

2. It isn’t just about coding and computer science-y stuff. If that isn’t your thing, don’t worry. It isn’t my thing either but I definitely enjoyed Secret Coders. There is a mystery element that makes itself known towards the end of the novel and that is what tied the knot for me. I want more Secret Coders because I needs to know the answers.

3. The illustrations are AMAZING. They…

Saving Montgomery Sole by Mariko Tamaki

Posted by on 04/20/2016 • 1 Comment

When I found out that Mariko Tamaki had a book coming out, I was so excited!  I was curious to see how Tamaki’s storytelling style would differ from This One Summer and it helped that the book had a stunning cover.

Montgomery Sole’s voice is truly unique and stands out. She is angsty like many young adults (in YA novels and in real life) but her way of dealing with her angst is usually not dealing with it at all which explains the title and her need to be ‘saved.’ Montgomery Sole also spends a surprising amount of time searching conspiracy theories and buying rocks we know won’t actually do anything. That’s okay though because Montgomery Sole is a precious child that needs to be protected from the world. All of this…