American Dervish
American Dervish By Ayad Akhtar Published by Little, Brown and Company Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…first-generation Pakistani American Akhtar shows that multiple factors, including social marginality, complicate the Muslim American experience.” —Library Journal Description Hayat Shah is a young American in love for the first time. His normal life of school, baseball, and video games had previously been distinguished only by his Pakistani heritage and by the frequent chill between his parents, who fight over things he is too young to understand....
Read MoreThe Night Diary
The Night Diary By Veera Hiranandani Published by Penguin Young Readers Group Age Range: 8+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “This rich, compelling story, which speaks to the turbulence surrounding India’s independence and to the plight of refugees, should be in all libraries serving middle grade readers.” —School Library Journal Description It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands...
Read MoreThe Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art
The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art By Barb Rosenstock Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola Published by Candlewick Press Age Range: 7+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Rosenstock’s gratifying story conveys how art has the capacity to revitalize and restore.” —Publishers Weekly Description After the partition of India in 1947, Nek Chand Saini settled in the city of Chandigarh, with nothing but stories brought from his homeland. Dismayed at his stark new surroundings, Nek began collecting river rocks, broken glass, and...
Read MoreThe Secret Kingdom: Refugee’s Art Inspires Lessons Exploring Home
THE SECRET KINGDOM Art Lessons for Exploring Home Best Users: Art Educators, Classroom Teachers, ELL Educators, Librarians Best Audience: Children Grades 03-07 THE BACKGROUND Kirsten Cappy of I’m Your Neighbor and author Barb Rosenstock presented her picture book The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art illustrated by Claire A. Nivola (Candlewick Press) to a group of MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching) Teacher Candidates at Maine College of Art (MECA). Nek Chand, a refugee from the partition of India, recreated the village he left behind in a...
Read MoreMalala’s Magic Pencil
Malala’s Magic Pencil By Malala Yousafzai Illustrated by Kerascoet Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “This is an excellent book to begin conversations about world injustice with children.” —NYT Book Review Description Malala’s first picture book will inspire young readers everywhere to find the magic all around them. As a child in Pakistan, Malala made a wish for a magic pencil. She would use it to make everyone happy, to erase the smell of garbage from her city, to sleep an extra...
Read MoreAmina’s Voice
Amina’s Voice By Hena Khan Published by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Age Range: 8 and older Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Khan deftly—and subtly—weaves aspects of Pakistani and Muslim culture into her story, allowing readers to unconsciously absorb details and develop understanding and compassion for another culture and faith.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review Description A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy...
Read MoreWritten in the Stars
Written in the Stars By Aisha Saeed Published by Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N “Movingly conveys the intense cultural pressure that motivates Naila’s parents and the heartbreaking betrayal Naila feels as she is deprived of her rights, cut off from the outside world, and threatened with shame and death. Saeed includes resources for those who, like Saif’s family, wish to help real-life Nailas, in this wrenching but hopeful story.” —Publisher’s Weekly Description This heart-wrenching novel explores what it is like to be thrust...
Read MoreBig Red Lollipop
Big Red Lollipop By Rukhsana Khan Illustrated by Sophie Blackall Published by Viking’s Children’s Books “Khan delivers another astute and moving story, ostensibly dealing with sibling rivalry, but actually about hard-won lessons emerging from clashes of identity and assimilation.” –Publisher’s Weekly Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Rubina has been invited to her first birthday party, and her mother, Ami, insists that she bring her little sister along. Rubina is mortified, but she can’t convince Ami that you just...
Read MoreIqbal
Iqbal By Francesco D’Adamo Translated by Anne Leonoir Published by Aladdin “An eye-opening, genuinely touching novel.” —Publishers Weekly “Iqbal’s life was not in vain; the accounts here of children who were liberated through his and activist adults’ efforts will move readers for years to come.” —Kirkus Reviews Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description When young Iqbal is sold into slavery at a carpet factory, his arrival changes everything for the other overworked and abused children there. It is Iqbal who explains to them that...
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