Day: July 19, 2017

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

| Tasha

Saints and Misfits by SK Ali

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali (9781481499248, Amazon)

At 15, Janna is a Muslim teen who is still trying to figure out who she is and how to deal with things happening in her life. She wears a hijab, like her mother, though her father doesn’t approve. Her brother has moved back in with Janna and her mother since his father pulled his funding for her brother’s college education when he switched majors. Janna is attracted to a white boy at her school and finds herself being cyber-bullied by some of his friends. Worst of all though is that another boy who is considered to be an upstanding young man tried to rape Janna. She can’t find a way to tell people about what happened to her and the boy continues to stalk her. This modern look at the life of a teen Muslim girl is an important read that shows the strength of young women as they grapple with today’s issues.

Ali’s writing is fresh and fabulous. She invites readers into the day-to-day life of a Muslim family. The question of hijabs and niqabs are discussed and in many ways demystified for the non-Muslim reader. While the sexual assault is central to the book and vital to the story, there are also other moments that are critical in Janna’s growth. Some of these are small details of caring for an elderly neighbor or figuring out that saint-like girls may have other aspects to them as well. All of these smaller details add up to the strength that Janna needs to face her larger monster.

Janna is a great heroine. She is clearly written as a younger teen, something that we often don’t see in teen novels. Since she is younger, her growth is dynamic and entirely believable. Her relationship with her mother and brother are complicated and filled with teen reality. The same is true of her tumultuous relationship with the boy she likes and her friends. Just having friends who are non-Muslim is complicated, particularly when it exposes Janna far more than she is comfortable with.

A vitally important book that serves as a window and a mirror for people in every community, this book belongs in every public and high school library. Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Salaam Reads.

 

Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro

| Tasha

Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro

Things to Do by Elaine Magliaro, illustrated by Catia Chien (9781452111247, Amazon)

Follow the path of a day in this poetic picture book. Little things in life are captured on the page along with weather and seasons. The book begins with dawn and the things that dawn does, then moves to the outdoors with birds and acorns. Sun, sky and eventually moon appear and do their things as well. Rain arrives, boots come out. There are spiders, snails and crickets that appear too. Each given a poem about what they do and the small beauties they create in our world.

Magliaro’s poetry is exceptional. On the very first page, readers are drawn into viewing the world through her lens that looks at small things, captures them and then moves on to the next. Each poem is separate but linked, creating an entire universe of things to do and things to see. The poetry is sometimes rhymed, sometimes not, often ending in a rhyming couplet. It is the rhythm that ties it together, moving forward, lingering and then onward.

Chien’s illustrations are soft and ethereal. She creates dawn light then bright sun and finally a huge moon that fills the pages. Each time of day is unique and special, given space on the page to shine. There is a rough softness to the images, landscapes that blur rain that shimmers.

A top-notch poetic read for children, this book celebrates small moments made large. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.