Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by librarybookfamily
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
fast-paced
5.0
This fantastic middle grade novel is written in verse. It plays with form and language concepts to emphasize points. Kareem Between takes place during the Muslim Ban in 2017, where President Trump banned people from six predominately Muslim countries from entering the United States. This ban has a huge impact on Kareem's family who are Syrian American.
Middle school is tough, it's even harder when your best friend moves away and you don't make the football team. Kareem struggles finding his place. He faces racism and bullying from the football QB, but doesn't let his hope falter. When a new Syrian immigrant arrives Kareem has to decide what he stands for and how to make real friends.
I loved the emphasis of American football rules on every day life. I learned more about the game as Shifa Salvage Safari expertly wove America's favorite sport into her novel. She also included English grammar concepts and how tricky it is to learn a new language. I can see this being a popular book to read and analyze in school.
Middle school is tough, it's even harder when your best friend moves away and you don't make the football team. Kareem struggles finding his place. He faces racism and bullying from the football QB, but doesn't let his hope falter. When a new Syrian immigrant arrives Kareem has to decide what he stands for and how to make real friends.
I loved the emphasis of American football rules on every day life. I learned more about the game as Shifa Salvage Safari expertly wove America's favorite sport into her novel. She also included English grammar concepts and how tricky it is to learn a new language. I can see this being a popular book to read and analyze in school.