Reviews

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan

geetisbooked's review against another edition

5.0

These are the types of books we should be giving to students to read! Everything about this book is something that students at a middle school age should start reading and learning about.

saggittarianlibrarian's review against another edition

3.0

I loved Bijan’s voice! It was funny and unique. I enjoyed the message and the diversity a lot. Everything felt very effortless and I liked that. It didn’t stand out to me as the best book I’ve ever read, but I am recommending it to people because Bijan’s voice and point of view are rare in YA.

singergurl4life's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kitchenbeat10's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed the story, and especially found the thoughts of Bijan as commentary by basketball commentators hilarious. 

a_bookish_adventure's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

misterintensity's review against another edition

4.0

Bijan just shot the winning basket during the playoffs. However, he didn’t expect to be the subject of an email which went viral which depicted him as a terrorist. Here to Stay covers a lot of ground over the course of its pages. While the main storyline is about how Bijan confronts the Islamophobia of his classmates, there are also plot threads involving romance, cyberbullying, high school cliques, and team building. Farizan does a great job with creating interesting characters with distinct voices and experiences. She really captures the dynamics of high school, including some of the nuances that many writers gloss over. For example, she acknowledges there are high school cliques but even within those cliques some within them are closer to each other than others. That becomes clear when some of Bijan's varsity teammates openly express their hateful feelings toward him. Bijan wants to be an asset to his team during the playoffs but at the same time he knows that some of his teammates and other classmates don't want him around because he is of Middle Eastern descent. The focus is on how the e-mail affects Bijan and the people immediately in his orbit but there's also the mystery of who sent the e-mail that might appeal to those who enjoy mysteries. Bijan and his classmates feel very real; Farizan does an excellent job in making them come alive from Bijan's point of view. Overall, Here to Stay is a strong piece of realistic fiction with enough elements of romance and mystery which is engaging enough that readers will get its multiple lessons without being hit over the head by them.

biblioemily's review against another edition

4.0

3.5 stars
ARC provided by Algonquin via B&T ARC program

Great story! I did wish for a bit more character development in several places, so that characters' actions felt more believable. This is an important story, and I love how basketball is woven into the story line. This will hopefully help a wider audience pick up this book!

adrianna_demoura's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

phillis's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

msethna's review against another edition

5.0

This is a story that is happening in schools all over the country. Until our students start to recognize the overt racist comments and behaviors they have, our country will not change. Books like this help students see into the lives of those who are different from themselves and hopefully build more empathy for those around them.