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amberinpieces's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Bullying, Violence, Medical content, and Grief
crystal_reading's review against another edition
5.0
Review copy: Digital ARC via Netgalley
This is a fabulous story of family, identity, friendship and going after dreams. Mimi and Sakina appear to have very different lives, but they learn a lot from each other and inspire each other to do hard things. I loved getting to see Karachi from both an insider and outsider point of view. I have to admit that I am jealous of young people today having the ability to use the Internet to see the setting of a book using Google Maps and other resources. I had no real images in my head of Karachi and the book was really immersive.
Saadia Faruqi made me care about these young people and I flew through the book. I can't wait to share it with my students.
This is a fabulous story of family, identity, friendship and going after dreams. Mimi and Sakina appear to have very different lives, but they learn a lot from each other and inspire each other to do hard things. I loved getting to see Karachi from both an insider and outsider point of view. I have to admit that I am jealous of young people today having the ability to use the Internet to see the setting of a book using Google Maps and other resources. I had no real images in my head of Karachi and the book was really immersive.
Saadia Faruqi made me care about these young people and I flew through the book. I can't wait to share it with my students.
walrus420's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
starfish912's review against another edition
informative
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
4.0
signediza's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? N/A
4.0
zoes_human's review against another edition
4.0
An exceptional middle-grade, realistic and contemporary novel that touches on complicated topics such as absentee fathers, single mothers, multicultural families, and cultural difference. The characters are complex with flaws and strengths. The narration was fantastic, and I plan to seek out more work by these readers. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is both personal and a spoiler. See below if interested.
Mimi's dad has been absent from her life since she was 5, and she is now 11. The book gives a happy sort of ending where she connects with her dad, she reaches closure about why he left, and he promises to stay in touch from now on. Nice for lovers of happy endings, but not so great for kids with actual absentee parents. Parents who skip out for 6 years don't come back. Oh I'm sure there's a few heartwarming real-life stories out there, but the reality for most of us is that the parent stays gone. We don't get a conversation with them that reaches closures. They don't come back and stay in touch. They disappear forever and it's up to you and any remaining family to sort through the damage. It's not helpful to kids in this situation to "spare them" by holding out false hope. What's helpful is understanding that some parents abandon their kids forever and that it is absolutely about them and not you. i wish this book had gone that route, because that would have helped a lot of kids to see that represented.
beccallynn's review against another edition
3.75
Read this book for the Round the World Challenge and I’m glad I did! Such a sweet story of two kids realizing they’re more alike than they thought and learning from each other.
alice_hesse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5