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A review by aforestofbooks
Grounded by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, S.K. Ali, Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
This was actually really cute. I wish I had books like this one growing up. It would have been nice to see a bunch of Muslim kids going on an adventure and becoming friends. Also adventure involving finding a missing cat 🙌🏼
Each character was very unique and they were all dealing with different problems in their personal lives. I liked how all the kids got together to discuss what was going on and how to address it. And I also love how communication was the main factor, and seeing their parents actually communicate was refreshing because it’s definitely something not a lot of us grew up with, but something I hope the younger generation gets to experience.
I’m biased but Hanna was obviously my favourite. And I want to see more of her so badly. But I also really related a lot with Sami and his anxiety. It was nice to see him realizing that his anxiety isn’t always a negative thing and how he can use it to help himself and his friends. And also just seeing him become more confident in himself and speaking up!
Definitely a book I would have liked as a kid and would recommend to all the Muslim kids who want to see themselves in a book. Also, while airport anxiety is a think that is briefly hinted at in the book (with the kids being Muslim and all), this book doesn’t focus on Islamophobia and how Muslims are treated at airports, which I really appreciated because it felt like just a bunch of normal kids at an airport, doing things they shouldn’t, but no stress about them getting actually arrested and harassed and violated. Muslim kids are allowed to have fun after all.
Each character was very unique and they were all dealing with different problems in their personal lives. I liked how all the kids got together to discuss what was going on and how to address it. And I also love how communication was the main factor, and seeing their parents actually communicate was refreshing because it’s definitely something not a lot of us grew up with, but something I hope the younger generation gets to experience.
I’m biased but Hanna was obviously my favourite. And I want to see more of her so badly. But I also really related a lot with Sami and his anxiety. It was nice to see him realizing that his anxiety isn’t always a negative thing and how he can use it to help himself and his friends. And also just seeing him become more confident in himself and speaking up!
Definitely a book I would have liked as a kid and would recommend to all the Muslim kids who want to see themselves in a book. Also, while airport anxiety is a think that is briefly hinted at in the book (with the kids being Muslim and all), this book doesn’t focus on Islamophobia and how Muslims are treated at airports, which I really appreciated because it felt like just a bunch of normal kids at an airport, doing things they shouldn’t, but no stress about them getting actually arrested and harassed and violated. Muslim kids are allowed to have fun after all.