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A review by kayscr33klibrarian
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
5.0
I googled books that might be Newbery contenders this year, and this book was listed. I loved it! I'm glad I found it.
Kareem Between follows Kareem, a Muslim American middle school student who loves football. Each chapter includes a football rule that relates to the narrative, which I found delightful. It reminded me of how Gary Schmidt weaves Shakespeare into Wednesday Wars and the labors of Hercules into The Labors of Hercules Beal. Turns out I really like that approach.
Kareem faces typical middle school problems like not fitting in and dealing with peer pressure. He also struggles with his identity as a Muslim American. Throughout the story, Kareem learns valuable lessons about friendship, family, and self-acceptance.
What also stands out to me is the prose. The author uses it to enhance the storytelling, employing techniques like concrete poetry. This use of words to tell the story more powerfully was beautifully done.
Kareem Between follows Kareem, a Muslim American middle school student who loves football. Each chapter includes a football rule that relates to the narrative, which I found delightful. It reminded me of how Gary Schmidt weaves Shakespeare into Wednesday Wars and the labors of Hercules into The Labors of Hercules Beal. Turns out I really like that approach.
Kareem faces typical middle school problems like not fitting in and dealing with peer pressure. He also struggles with his identity as a Muslim American. Throughout the story, Kareem learns valuable lessons about friendship, family, and self-acceptance.
What also stands out to me is the prose. The author uses it to enhance the storytelling, employing techniques like concrete poetry. This use of words to tell the story more powerfully was beautifully done.