Amina's Voice Hardcover – March 14, 2017

This is a lovely and heartfelt story about a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, Amina, who is trying to navigate the complicated tides of middle school friendship where old friends are changing and old adversaries might be changing, too. Amina also has to deal with her rather traditional and more strict uncle visiting their family and figuring out for herself how to express her beliefs and culture. Here are three things to love about Amina’s Voice:1. Amina’s family! Her father - who is rather strict, does NOT care if he embarasses his kids by asking a million questions at Open House, but stands up for his daughter at a moment when she needs it. At first I wasn’t sure about him, but oh he grew on me! Her mom, who spends days preparing tons of traditional Pakistani food for their visiting uncle. That doesn’t quite go as planned. And Amina’s older brother, Mustafa, whose interest in trying out for the basketball team instead of joining something like Chess Club causes some friction at home. There was so much to relate to in those family moments in Amina’s Voice.2. That ending! I don’t want to give away too much but something bad happens in Amina’s Muslim community and the way things come together in the end makes me wish that every kid could read this story as a template of what to do in that kind of situation. It didn’t shy away from difficult realities or make problems seem easy to solve yet it was uplifting and perfect.3. That this novel offers Muslim students and students from the Middle East with a main character whose background and customs might be a reflection of their own, or have pieces they can relate to. I so wish that I had this book six years ago to offer to my own Amina. She was a student of mine when I taught 6th grade and Muslim. And may have connected to this Amina’s story but she was from Bosnia so although the religious details about the Imam and Sunday school and learning passages from the Quran may have been a connection, the food and other cultural details might not have been. So while this book is absolutely a great addition to any library, I just hope that people don’t stop there and think they’ve covered a niche. It’s one girl’s story and I just can’t wait to see what else this new imprint of Simon & Schuster, Salaam Reads, will bring to the kidlit community so we have more and more stories to offer kids.(Review from Books Between Podcast)

Kids loved the book and shared with their friends.

this book is entertaining and tells a really good story. i know it’s mainly for preteens but it would’ve been nice if it was a little longer to summarize some of the problems in deeper depth

This is a sweet, heartwarming story of a girl just entering middle school and trying to figure out who she is. I got this book for my daughter but I read it as well. (My daughter is still reading it. She is enjoying it so far since she's been reading it until lights out at bedtime and woke up early to keep reading.) The author does a great job of describing the feelings of the main character and the common feeling kids have as they enter those awkward middle/intermediate school years. It definitely brought back memories and reminded me of what my daughter may be feeling. It is so wonderful to have a book like this especially during this time when minorities in the US are being villianized. It highlights the strength in diversity and the commonalities among us all.

My daughter who is nine, and I, read this book last year. It is a wonderful story about a young girl growing into a young woman. It fostered a number of wonderful conversations about culture, relationships, and growing up, with my daughter. It is an inspirational story and I think that it worked out especially well as a dad reading it with my daughter.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The main character is very relatable, learns so much about others, and grows so much in this book. While the interfaith aspect is encouraging, it's a bit too rosy for me as an adult, but I don't see this being a problem for the targeted audience of this book. In spite of this, the characters are very realistic--developed with flaws, strengths, and all. It's so easy to experience the emotions of the characters because of Khan's powers of description. As a Muslim, I also enjoyed the gentle way Khan introduces aspects of our faith that are truly beautiful. And the end is very satisfying. Overall, this book is a much needed addition to children's literature. I recommend for grades 4-7.

I read this book a couple of months ago and knew it would be a hit for one of my Literature Circle groups (6th grade). The students really identified with the characters in the book. Today, I was lucky enough to have Ms. Khan visit my school. This was a wonderful visit, giving a whole new meaning to the word "voice." She spoke to the students in a way they understood (one of my students looked at me during the presentation and mouthed, "She's good" while showing two-thumbs up.). This book is a great read in today's environment ~ the message of acceptance, inclusion, friendship, and individual growth is perfectly delivered.

I felt the title all over the book. Very strong read. The main character Amina definitely finds her voice at the end of the book. Family is portrayed as a very healthy and a positive one that is with its strengths and flaws, yet growing with each other. I loved how respect is big, but also there comes a time to speak up. It was beautiful to see some of the Islamic faith through the read. Must read for grades 4-8.

Great for reading

good

This book is amazing. I read it in one go. And that’s very rare of me to do.The book is exciting and I absolutely love it. I would recommend it to kids from age 7-10 and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.WARNING ⚠️The beginning is a bit boring but as you read on it gets super exciting.😊😁😀

my daughter loved this bookshe is 8 years oldits been a great book to start her away from reading fantasy fairy books and a book with more real realstionships

パキスタン系アメリカ人の少女、在米韓国人の親友のアメリカ国籍取得、イスラムセンターに迫る危機など、トピックが新鮮で面白い。英語も比較的読みやすい。2017年ワシントンポスト紙ベストチルドレンブック賞受賞作。