Set against the backdrop of Karachi,
Pakistan, Saadia Faruqi's tender and honest middle grade novel tells the story
of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval with kind
hearts, big dreams, and all the right questions.
Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her
summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she's never met. Secretly, she
wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her
beautiful new journal.
The cook's daughter, Sakina, still hasn't told her parents that she'll be
accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score—but then, how
could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her
Abba in a rich family's kitchen?
Although the girls seem totally incompatible
at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty
in common—and that they each need the other to get what they want most.
This relatable and empathetic story about
two friends coming to understand each other will resonate with readers who
loved Other Words for Home and Front Desk.
