middle grade Archives - Page 204 of 366

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Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices
by S. K. Ali (Editor), Aisha Saeed (Editor) and Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A short story collection by and about Muslims writing all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid! The next Eid-ul-Fitr is May 23.

Snippet: I held back a groan.

“I just want Hawa to be proud of all the parts of who she is.” Mom looked hard at me. “You are Black American and Mandinka. Both are strong cultures. Love all of you, Hawa.”

Mom turned back to her phone, squaring her shoulders and saying the words on her app to herself now.

It was hard to love the idea of spending my Eid with Dad’s family from Guinea instead of spending it with my best friends, Sanaa and Khalilah. I would miss the park where almost all of Philly’s Black American Muslims gathered each Eid to celebrate in their best clothes.

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The Story That Cannot Be Told
by J. Kasper Kramer (Author)

Booktalk: Ileana has always collected stories. Some are about the past, before the leader of her country tore down her home to make room for his golden palace; back when families had enough food, and the hot water worked on more than just Saturday nights. Others are folktales like the one she was named for, which her father used to tell her at bedtime. But some stories can get you in trouble, like the dangerous one criticizing Romania’s Communist government that Uncle Andrei published–right before he went missing.

Snippet: For as long as I’d had the Great Tome–which was basically all my life–I’d rarely let anyone read from it but me. I collected stories in class, at the store, off the TV. I changed them to suit how I felt, most often rewriting the endings. But when I decided to share what I created, I was careful in choosing which tale and how to tell it. There were things I wouldn’t read in front of my parents. There were words I would use during the day but not at night.