A few weeks ago I read The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan, and I knew I needed to read her first book- Zara Hossian is Here. Today was the first really nice day of the spring, and so it was a great excuse to sit outside and finish this book.
Zara Hossian is Here is the story of Zara, a 17 year old Muslim girl who is living in Texas. She has been there since her family moved there from Pakistan when she was 3 years old. Her father is a doctor whose hospital has been sponsoring the families green card application so that they can become citizens of the United States. So far, the family has been waiting for over 8 years for this to happen. At her high school, Zara is the only Muslim girl and she faces constant racist comments from Tyler- the hero of the football team. But when Tyler takes things too far one day, suddenly Zara's whole future is put in jeopardy.
I found this story to be really interesting. I loved the description of the food Zara's mother makes for her. I have decided I want to learn to make my own chai because of how often it was mentioned in this story. Zara's family is really just working to live their best life and to be contributing members of society. Zara is also a great character. I love that her best friend is the boy next door and that she doesn't back down when faced with a challenging situation. The racist comments she deals with on a daily basis is heart breaking. Even though Zara is 17, this book is very appropriate for kids in grade 7 and 8.
No comments:
Post a Comment