More Than Just a Pretty Face
More Than Just a Pretty Face By Syed M. Masood Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN-13: 9780316492355 Age Range: 14+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…a much-needed historical and contemporary perspective of Western culture through a South Asian lens.” —School Library Journal Description Danyal Jilani doesn’t lack confidence. He may not be the smartest guy in the room, but he’s funny, gorgeous, and going to make a great chef one day. His father doesn’t approve of his career choice, but that hardly matters. What...
Read MoreAll-American Muslim Girl
All-American Muslim Girl By Nadine Jolie Courtney Published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux ISBN-13: 9780374309527 Age Range: 12+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…examines matters of subtle and blatant Islamophobia, privilege and erasure, and questions of faith and identity…” —Publishers Weekly Description Allie Abraham has it all going for her—she’s a straight-A student, with good friends and a close-knit family, and she’s dating popular, sweet Wells Henderson. One problem: Wells’s father is Jack Henderson, America’s most famous conservative...
Read MoreThe Gift of Ramadan
The Gift of Ramadan By Rabiah York Lumbard Illustrated by Laura K. Horton Published by Whitman, Albert & Company ISBN-13: 9780807529065 Age Range: 3+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…makes Ramadan approachable to young audiences.” —School Library Journal Description Sophia wants to fast for Ramadan this year. She tries to keep busy throughout the day so she won’t think about food. But when the smell of cookies is too much, she breaks her fast early. How can she be part of the festivities now? Reviews & Accolades “An inquisitive young...
Read MoreWhen I Found Grandma
When I Found Grandma By Saumiya Balasubramaniam Illustrated by Qin Leng Published by Groundwood Books ISBN-13: 9781773060187 Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A child’s-eye view of cultural differences and working through family relationships; a suggested first-purchase for all libraries.” —School Library Journal Description When Maya’s grandma makes a surprise visit from thousands of miles away, Maya is delighted. But her excitement doesn’t last long. When Grandma picks her up from school, she wears fancy clothes and talks too loudly....
Read MoreLailah’s Lunchbox
Lailah’s Lunchbox By Reem Faruqi Illustrated by Lea Lyon Published by Tilbury House Publishers ISBN-13: 9780884484318 Age Range: 6+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat If you’re looking for an introduction to Ramadan for young readers (ages 5 to 8), consider this picture book. —New York Times Description Lailah is in a new school in a new country, thousands of miles from her old home, and missing her old friends. When Ramadan begins, she is excited that she is finally old enough to participate in the fasting but worried that her classmates won’t understand why she...
Read MoreThe Poet X
The Poet X By Elizabeth Acevedo Published by HarperCollins Publishers ISBN-13: 9780062662804 Age Range: 13+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “Poignant and real, beautiful and intense, this story of a girl struggling to define herself is as powerful as Xiomara’s name: “one who is ready for war.”” —Kirkus Reviews Description Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to...
Read MoreNot The Girls You’re Looking For
Not The Girls You’re Looking For By Aminah Mae Safi Published by Feiwel & Friends Age Range: 13+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…offers Arab and Muslim readers a teenager they can relate to as they too learn to navigate racial and religious tensions in a predominantly white society.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Lulu Saad doesn’t need your advice, thank you very much. She’s got her three best friends and nothing can stop her from conquering the known world. Sure, for half a minute she thought she’d nearly drowned a cute guy at...
Read MoreDriving By Starlight
Driving By Starlight By Anat Deracine Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Age Range: 13+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…offers an eye-opening window into the rigidly restricted lives, clandestine rebellions, and consequential choices of women in a land where ‘everything we want is forbidden or dangerous.'” —Publishers Weekly Description Sixteen-year-olds Leena and Mishie are best friends. They delight in small rebellions against the Saudi cultural police—secret Western clothing, forbidden music, flirtations. But Leena wants college,...
Read MoreAmerican 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 MoreAll Are Welcome
All Are Welcome By Alexandra Penfold Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman Published by Random House Children’s Books Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…the book’s refrain of “All are welcome here” feels both deeply reassuring and almost radical in our polarized time.” —Publishers Weekly Description Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A school where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yarmulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn...
Read MoreUnder My Hijab
Under My Hijab By Hena Khan Illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel Published by Lee & Low Books, Inc. Age Range: 6+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat …honors the diverse lives of contemporary Muslim women and girls, their love for each other, and their pride in their culture and faith. Description Grandma wears it clasped under her chin. Aunty pins hers up with a beautiful brooch. Jenna puts it under a sun hat when she hikes. Zara styles hers to match her outfit. As a young girl observes six very different women in her life who each wear the hijab in a unique way, she...
Read MoreLost Boys
Lost Boys By Darcey Rosenblatt Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Age Range: 9+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A powerful look at a tragic period in history that belongs in most YA collections.” —School Library Journal Description In 1982, twelve-year-old Reza has no interest in joining Iran’s war effort. But in the wake of a tragedy and at his mother’s urging, he decides to enlist, assured by the authorities that he will achieve paradise should he die in service to his country. War does not bring the glory the boys of Iran have been promised, and...
Read MoreYo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter To His Daughter
Yo Soy Muslim: A Father’s Letter To His Daughter By Mark Gonzales Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini Published by Salaam Reads/ Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Age Range: 4+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “A poetic celebration of heritage and faith, past and future…” —Kirkus Reviews Description From Muslim and Latino poet Mark Gonzales comes a touching and lyrical picture book about a parent who encourages their child to find joy and pride in all aspects of their multicultural identity. Dear little one, …know you are wondrous. A...
Read MoreCrescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes
Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets: A Muslim Book of Shapes By Hena Khan Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini Published by Chronicle Books LLC Age Range: 3+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…simultaneously explores shapes, Islam, and the cultures of the Muslim people.” —Kirkus Reviews Description From a crescent moon to a square garden to an octagonal fountain, this breathtaking picture book celebrates the shapes—and traditions—of the Muslim world. Sure to inspire questions and observations about world religions and cultures, Crescent Moons and Pointed...
Read MoreThe Sky of Afghanistan
The Sky of Afghanistan By Ana A. de Eulate Illustrated by Sonja Wimmer Published by Cuento de Luz Age Range: 5+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “An Afghan girl dreams of peace.” —School Library Journal Description This Afghan girl doesn’t stop dreaming and her dreams fly towards all the regions, entering homes, families and hearts. Reviews & Accolades “Eulate and Wimmer offer a forceful vision of hope for Afghanistan’s future, told from the perspective of “a little Afghan girl who doesn’t stop dreaming.” A kite that “struggles against the wind”...
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 MorePashmina
Pashmina By Nidhi Chanani Published by First Second Age Range: 10+ Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N | Worldcat “…the first (graphic novel) written and illustrated by an Indian-American creator, this is both a needed contribution and a first-rate adventure tale.” —Kirkus Reviews Description Priyanka Das has so many unanswered questions: Why did her mother abandon her home in India years ago? What was it like there? And most importantly, who is her father, and why did her mom leave him behind? But Pri’s mom avoids these questions—the topic of India is permanently...
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 MoreDeep in the Sahara
Deep in the Sahara By Kelly Cunnane Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi Published by Schwartz & Wade “The warm, affirming portrait of Islam (“A malafa is for faith”) makes this a valuable resource for both Muslim audiences and a broader readership interested in potentially unfamiliar customs and observances of faith.” –Publisher’s Weekly Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Lalla lives in the Muslim country of Mauritania, and more than anything, she wants to wear a malafa, the colorful cloth Mauritanian women, like her mama and big sister, wear to...
Read MoreGolden Domes and Silver Lanterns
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors By Hena Khan Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini Published by Chronicle Books “A sophisticated color-concept book featuring a contemporary family introduces Islam to young Muslims and children who don’t practice this faith” –Kirkus Reviews Find a copy at Amazon | IndieBound | B&N Description Magnificently capturing the colorful world of Islam for the youngest readers, this breathtaking and informative picture book celebrates Islam’s beauty and traditions. From a red prayer rug to a blue hijab, everyday colors...
Read MoreWEAR YOUR WELCOME
