Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-7
Awards: None

RGG: The verse easily captures a young person's challenges of being an immigrant, being a Muslim in this country, being a sibling, and being in a multi-generational family. Reading Interest: 9-12.

Lovely and lyrical, I listened to this title about 13 year old Nurah and her family.
It is her immigration story, from Pakistan to Georgia, told in verse and was a quick middle grade listen.

It is full of emotions -- loss of the people and family left behind, sadness of a grandmother experiencing memory loss, isolation at a new school, newness of US school and burgeoning friendships, motivations to excel in sports, expressing oneself through art, fitting in and standing tall. ( )

Nurah and her family move from Karachi, Pakistan to Peachtree City, Georgia, leaving beloved grandparents behind. Does a beautiful job capturing how hard that transition is, and how much friendships and strong interests can smooth the way -- both Nurah and her brother are ardent swimmers. Deals with some violence against Muslims, a little bit with domestic abuse, and miscarriage, in addition to fear/hate/bullying and standing up as a bystander. Strong messages, great characters. Based off many of the author's experiences when she made a similar move. ( )