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raelinspalac's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so well written. The characters made me feel like I was standing right there while the action was happening. I loved the diversity and how Mimi experienced culture shock. This is definitely a book I will read with my students. I can't wait for the discussions that we will have. This is a must read!
book_lover22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.25
libraryrobin's review against another edition
4.0
An American girl visits her family in Karachi for the first time, becoming friends with a servant girl in her grandparents' home and longing for her absentee father.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
eehoskins's review against another edition
5.0
ARC from Edelweiss+
Mimi is less than thrilled when she finds out that her summer is going to be spent in Pakistan with grandparents she has never met. She is much more interested in learning about her father who left them behind so many years ago. Determined to feel some connection to him, she uses her new journal to write him letters filled with all of the questions she wants him to answer some day.
Sakina spends most of her time cooking with her abba for a rich family across town. She dreams though of being admitted to school so that she can have a future outside of a kitchen. Her test scores were all great other than English- she will have to find a way to improve before the retest and then figure out how to tell her family she wants to go to school instead of work.
After the two girls meet they soon figure out they can help one another with their dreams.
I really enjoyed this book. I think there are a lot of pre-teens and teens who have grandparents and other relatives outside of the US whom they have never met. Mimi and Sakina both felt authentic to me and I enjoyed how their characters evolved over the book.
I don't want to include spoilers here, but I will say that I think Saadia Faruqi did a great job of showing how life can be messy but still happy.
maria_3k's review against another edition
5.0
Almost as soon as we meet Miryam "Mimi" Scotts, we hear her mom ask for a break from her thousand questions, but Mimi can hardly be blamed. She has just landed in Pakistan, and it is different from her hometown of Houston, Texas, in just about every way. Once she gets to the surprisingly lavish home of her grandparents, whom she has only met through Skype, the questions multiply. Why is there an icy barrier between her mom and grandmother? If her mom's family is wealthy, why are she and her mom barely scraping by in a tiny apartment back in Houston? And the most persistent question of all--does her journalist dad know where she is, and does he care?
Mimi's first person narration, which includes letters to her dad written in her travel journal and never meant to be shared, alternates with the viewpoint of the other 11-year-old girl in the household. Sakina is the daughter of the cook, and is used to being treated as a servant--either invisible or scolded. Everything about Mimi, from her wide smile and T-shirts with enigmatic slogans to her interactions with those around her, bewilders Sakina, who is struggling with much more concrete questions, such as whether she can ever go school when her diabetic father needs her assistance and whether her English will be good enough for her to pass the scholarship entrance exam.
Through the eyes of these two girls--the native and the visitor--readers learn multitudes about the city of Karachi, both its legendary tourist sites and the harsh realities of politics and economic inequality. At the same time, we see a beautiful friendship bloom, with a few bumps along the way.
The book is deftly paced, with the girls taking turns to move the story along but rarely retelling the same event. This book was hard to put down, with almost every character facing trials and then growing and expanding the way they looked at and related to others. Even the author's note at the end, which gives further history of the city, was inspiring. A beautiful Saadia Faruqi has penned a gorgeous and heartwarming summer adventure that leaves the reader sure that these girls will stay in touch and thrive through their middle school years and beyond.
Mimi's first person narration, which includes letters to her dad written in her travel journal and never meant to be shared, alternates with the viewpoint of the other 11-year-old girl in the household. Sakina is the daughter of the cook, and is used to being treated as a servant--either invisible or scolded. Everything about Mimi, from her wide smile and T-shirts with enigmatic slogans to her interactions with those around her, bewilders Sakina, who is struggling with much more concrete questions, such as whether she can ever go school when her diabetic father needs her assistance and whether her English will be good enough for her to pass the scholarship entrance exam.
Through the eyes of these two girls--the native and the visitor--readers learn multitudes about the city of Karachi, both its legendary tourist sites and the harsh realities of politics and economic inequality. At the same time, we see a beautiful friendship bloom, with a few bumps along the way.
The book is deftly paced, with the girls taking turns to move the story along but rarely retelling the same event. This book was hard to put down, with almost every character facing trials and then growing and expanding the way they looked at and related to others. Even the author's note at the end, which gives further history of the city, was inspiring. A beautiful Saadia Faruqi has penned a gorgeous and heartwarming summer adventure that leaves the reader sure that these girls will stay in touch and thrive through their middle school years and beyond.
ardinareads03's review against another edition
4.0
The story of a girl named Maryam or Mimi, who was visiting her mother's grandparents in the Pakistan, and Mimi was thrilled because it was her first visit to them. Mimi and her mom live in Texas and her dad left them a long time ago.
.
Mimi was searching for his father, although her mother was always indifferent to it, and Mimi was constantly arguing with her about him. At there Mimi met up with sakina who worked with her Abba asa the cooker and sakina was eager to go to school but hampered her family's inadequate condition.
.
Mimi and sakina became friendly and helpful. Sakina tried to help Mimi find her father and Mimi helped Sakina with her English to get an education scholarship.
.
I love waking up with a story about their friendship that makes them cry. It deals with issues such as poverty, a gulf between rich and poor, friendships, relationships within the family, culture to politics. It's a midle grade story that's really a recommendation to read
.
Mimi was searching for his father, although her mother was always indifferent to it, and Mimi was constantly arguing with her about him. At there Mimi met up with sakina who worked with her Abba asa the cooker and sakina was eager to go to school but hampered her family's inadequate condition.
.
Mimi and sakina became friendly and helpful. Sakina tried to help Mimi find her father and Mimi helped Sakina with her English to get an education scholarship.
.
I love waking up with a story about their friendship that makes them cry. It deals with issues such as poverty, a gulf between rich and poor, friendships, relationships within the family, culture to politics. It's a midle grade story that's really a recommendation to read
walkervii's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
reading_rant's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25