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emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2024 National Book Award winner
2025-2026 Texas Lone Star List
2025-2026 Texas Lone Star List
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
Sometimes I'll read a book that's for a younger age range than I am and get secondhand embarrassment from kids acting like kids, so this is my disclaimer that I know the way the main character acts is realistic, but it was still painful to read. The story was fairly predictable in that doing the coach's son's homework does not guarantee him a spot on the team, rather, becomes a mountain of a mess until Kareem decides to be true to himself. This does specifically focus on the Muslim ban in early 2017 and I appreciate that it chooses to focus on how this specific administration harmed people of color and how it enabled everyday people to harm others in their community.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-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
Kareem is a Syrian-American middle school boy who loves American football and makes the mistake of abandoning his real friends to try to fit in at school.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring