A review by the_loudlibrarian
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

5.0

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This novel in verse is phenomenal. Syrian-American seventh grader Kareem is obsessed with football. He explains everything in football terms. But his best friend has moved away and he messes up at football tryouts. When the bully son of the coach promises to put in a good word for him with his dad if Kareem does his homework, Kareem agrees without fully thinking about what he’s getting into. And when Austin starts bullying Kareem’s new Syrian friend, he feels stuck. Then his mom travels to Syria to try and bring his ill grandfather to the U.S. for care, only to get stuck abroad due to the Muslim ban, which is enacted while she’s away. Kareem then figures out what is most important, and vows to make his voice heard. Buying multiple for my library when it’s out on 9/10/24.