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Miss Fabularian

"Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

Updated: Jan 30, 2020


AUTHOR: Hena Khan

PUBLISHER: Salaam Reads

PUBLISHED DATE: March 14, 2017

ISBN: 978-1481492065

PAGES: 208

***Originally published in School Library Journal.

A satisfying read about an 11-year-old girl navigating friendship, family, religion, and dreams of becoming a soul-singing sensation. In a quiet Milwaukee suburb, Amina and her best friend Soojin grapple with their own ethnic identities and the pressure to Americanize. Soojin is Korean American and on the pathway to citizenship. She’s contemplating changing her name to solidify her American identity, while Amina, who is Pakistani American, must reconcile her love of singing Motown with her Muslim faith. Popular Emily, a white girl, who has a history of bullying, creates a wedge when she tries to befriend the pair, drawing skepticism from Amina. Things begin to unravel when Amina’s uncle comes to visit from Pakistan and her deficiencies in Urdu and Arabic are exposed—along with the fact that Amina and her older brother, Mustafa, aren’t necessarily the perfect children her father would like them to be. When the neighborhood mosque is vandalized, the greater community comes together. Amina’s struggles to balance her faith, friendship, and aspirations are all resolved—albeit a bit too neatly.

Recommendation: Read it!

Audience: Middle Grade and Up

*I received this book for School Library Journal for review.

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