|
|
Middle Eastern Culture Booklist for Children and Teens |
|
Here are some of our favorite books that depict Middle Eastern cultures for children and teens. These books can all be found in the Easy, Juvenile, and Teen sections of the library, unless otherwise noted.
|
|
|
|
The House Without Lights by Reem FaruqiHouse watches as its neighbors' lights twinkle during the winter holidays, hoping it will one day shine too, and after new owners move in, House learns that families celebrate joy and togetherness in their own way.
|
|
|
|
Looking for the Eid Moon by Sahtinay AbazaTwo sisters search the night sky, looking for the crescent moon that signals the start of Eid, the Muslim holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan.
|
|
|
|
Moon's Ramadan by Natasha Khan KaziCombining glimpses of different countries' celebrations with corresponding phases of the moon, this accessible book introduces the holiday of Ramadan—a month of peace during which children and their families do good deeds in honor of those who have less.
This title can be found in the Easy Holiday - RA section of the library.
|
|
|
|
Salma the Syrian Chef by Ahmad Danny RamadanWhen Salma wants to cheer her mother up by cooking a homemade Syrian meal, the staff and other newcomers in her welcome center are happy to lend a hand.
|
|
|
|
Under My Hijab by Hena KhanAs a young girl observes that each of six women in her life wears her hijab and hair in a different way, she considers how to express her own style one day.
|
|
|
|
Seven Special Somethings: A Nowruz Story by Adib KhorramWanting to add his cat to his family’s haft-seen to honor the Persian New Year, young Kian accidentally upsets the whole table and is challenged to find alternate special symbols in time for the Nowruz celebration.
|
|
My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin The true story of a young girl in Iran and her grandmother in a heartwarming ode to families that celebrates small moments of love that become lifelong memories.
|
|
|
|
Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin KheiriyehRashin is an Iranian immigrant girl living in New York, excited by her first trip to Coney Island, and fascinated by the differences in the beach customs between her native Iran and her new home--but she misses the saffron flavored ice cream that she used to eat.
|
|
|
|
Fawzia Gilani's Treasury of Eid Tales by Fawzia Gilani-WilliamsTeeming with faith, kindness, and charity, this wonderful collection of 14 Eid tales features a colorful cast of characters who embrace the traditions and customs of this Muslim holiday.
|
|
|
|
Grounded by Aisha SaeedTold from alternating viewpoints, this story of one unexpected night at an airport brings together four kids—poet Feek, cat lover Hanna, karate champ Sami, and politician's daughter Nora—in an encounter that forever changes their lives.
|
|
|
|
Unsettled by Reem FaruqiYoung Nurah reluctantly moves with her family from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, but, after some ups and downs, begins to feel at home.
|
|
Silverworld by Diana Abu-Jaber Casting a desperate spell to save a beloved grandmother who everyone else thinks is ill, a Lebanese-American girl finds herself in an enchanted world that is falling dangerously out of balance.
|
|
|
Please note: This list include both Teen Middle and Teen High School titles, unless otherwise noted.
|
|
|
|
Sisters of the War by Rania AbouzeidAn award-winning journalist and author of No Turning Back documents the tragic story of the Syrian civil conflict that has caused millions to become refugees and ended hundreds of thousands of lives, sharing insights into the war from the perspectives of two pairs of siblings on opposing sides.
|
|
|
|
A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia AbawiWhen the city where he lives with his large, loving family is destroyed by Daesh fighters who bomb buildings, commit acts of violence, and publicly execute anyone who resists, a heartbroken Tareq embarks on the perilous life of a refugee traveling a dangerous route from Syria through Turkey and Greece.
|
|
|
|
A Bit of Earth by Karuna RiaziIn this captivating retelling of The Secret Garden, difficult child Maria Latif arrives in Long Island from Pakistan to live with the strange Clayborne family where she discovers an off-limits garden that becomes a place where she finally feels at home.
|
|
|
|
Perfectly Parvin by Olivia AbtahiHeartbroken and humiliated when she is dumped just days into her first relationship, Iranian American Parvin Mohammadi struggles to remain true to herself while attempting to prove to a school heartthrob that she is rom-com girlfriend material.
|
|
|
|
City of the Plague God by Sarwat ChaddaThirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz has to team up with the hero Gilgamesh in order to stop Nergal, the ancient god of plagues, from wiping out the population of Manhattan.
|
|
Internment by Samira Ahmed Set in a futuristic United States where Muslim-Americans are forced into internment camps, Layla Amin must lead a revolution against complicit silence.
|
|
|
|
Nowhere Boy by Katherine MarshFourteen-year-old Ahmed, a Syrian refugee living on his own in Brussels, Belgium, meets Max, a thirteen-year-old American boy, and the two form an important friendship.
|
|
|
|
Code of Honor by Alan GratzWhen Iranian-American Kamran Smith learns that his big brother, Darius, has been labelled a terrorist, he sets out to piece together the codes and clues that will save his brother's life and his country from a deadly terrorist attack.
|
|
|
|
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib KhorramA Persian-American youth who prefers pop culture to the traditions of his mixed family struggles with clinical depression and the misunderstandings of older relatives while bonding with a boy who helps him embrace his Iranian heritage.
|
|
|
|
|
|