So my favorite part about this book, and it sounds kinda stupid now that I think about it, was the fact that the main character, Amal, lived in Australia. The reason for this favoritism is because I went to Australia for a track meet two years ago and am determined to go back. But this blog post isn’t about me.
Amal is a sixteen year old girl attending high school and decides to take the next big step in her religious practice. Wearing the hijab. To a teenager attending a school with many other judgmental peers, this is a brave move to make. She endures many taunts from her high school nemesis but she benefits from wearing the hijab. I would probably have never been that brave when I was her age so this is something that I like about her character.
Another thing I liked about this book was the relationship Amal develops with her neighbor. For me these parts of the book, her meetings with her neighbor, were the funniest and most enjoyable to read. I liked to see how Amal changed her neighbor into an approachable, lovable person that was just as outcast as Amal felt. I liked how Amal finally got her neighbor to call her son after so many years of silence between them.
My classmate, Jaycie, had a very difficult time reading this book and I completely understand why. The book had its moments but it just wasn’t as captivating to me as other books I’ve read this semester. I mean, I liked it…kinda. It didn’t take me as long to read as I thought it would but maybe that’s because I had Divergent to motivate me to finish the book.
I think I’ll have this book in my classroom library, although I may never read it again. I think some kids could definitely benefit from reading this book, especially those that need encouragement or inspiration to be brave to do and wear what they want, no matter what their classmates say. It would help me teach students to be individuals, because that is one of my pet peeves, when people try to fit in so hard that they become fake.
All in all, I am neutral with this book. It was OK.