January 22, 2024
Palestinian American middle schooler Deena is experiencing stress so severe it’s affecting her body, resulting in panic attacks, daily nausea, and a cracked tooth. Some of her anxiety stems from interpersonal relationships: her cool cousin Parisa is a social media star, but Deena isn’t allowed to have her own account and doesn’t want to make one without her super-smart best friend Lucia anyway. Worries relating to her family’s finances and how often her parents fight about money, as well as her desire to become an artist—despite the disapproval she suspects she’d receive from her family were she to voice her dreams—further exacerbate her stress. When Deena decides to make a social media account for her mother’s tailoring business, she hopes that the exposure will help the boutique take off and ease her worries—but they only get worse. Mildly uneven pacing gives way to authentic-feeling and engaging character interactions. Through candid first-person narration, Khan (Zara’s Rules for Living Your Best Life) examines adolescent anxiety and its various triggers and depicts adaptive coping mechanisms, including making the most of mentorship and support from one’s community. Ages 8–12.
April 1, 2024
Gr 3-6-"I know I'm pretty good at art, but I'm not amazing," 13-year-old Deena believes. "And I want to be amazing at it." For now, though, additional classes and camps aren't possible, with her immigrant parents bickering often about money. Assisting her mother with her Pakistani clothing import business is a way to lessen some of the family's stress, but Deena's own anxiety persists and worsens. Between nighttime teeth grinding and recurring nausea, Deena can't find relief. Accepting support from understanding adults is the only way she's going to move ahead. Dutt, whose audio credits particularly for South Asian children's titles are quickly multiplying, is an accomplished cipher, sensitive to ages and backgrounds, effortlessly channeling conversations with distinctive characterizations. VERDICT Khan integrates all manner of teen topics-social media dangers, school challenges, stereotypes, parent/child dynamics, and cultural differences-ensuring resonance with broad audiences.
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