Image: HarperCollins Publishers
Unsettled by Reem Faruqi. Unabridged e-Audiobook, ~2.5 hours. HarperAudio/ HarperCollins Publishers, May, 2021. 9780063044739. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)
The stress has definitely impacted my reading. I'm finding it difficult to maintain concentration and even though I've read roughly a book a day this summer, I went into the break 28 books behind my GR goal and was hoping to catch up. That won't happen and that is okay.
Middle Grade Monday features Unsettled by Reem Faruqi. This blank verse novel is loosely based on the author's childhood. Nurah has a perfect life in Karachi, Pakistan. She has a best friend, lives with her beloved grandmother and gets to swim in the ocean with her brother often. One perfect day at the beach turns into Nurah's worst day when her father announced plans to move to Peachtree City, Georgia for a new job. Suddenly, Nurah's life is unsettled as she realizes that everything about her from her accented English through her clothing and brown skin makes her stick out when all she wants to do is blend in. Joining the swim team helps, but she becomes jealous of her brother's ability and seeming ease at fitting in.
This moving novel is told in verse in nine sections. Issues of racism, Islamophobia, racial profiling and friendship are explored. Back matter includes a glossary of Arabic and Urdu terms that are woven into the text, an author's note and a recipe.
Middle Grade Monday features Unsettled by Reem Faruqi. This blank verse novel is loosely based on the author's childhood. Nurah has a perfect life in Karachi, Pakistan. She has a best friend, lives with her beloved grandmother and gets to swim in the ocean with her brother often. One perfect day at the beach turns into Nurah's worst day when her father announced plans to move to Peachtree City, Georgia for a new job. Suddenly, Nurah's life is unsettled as she realizes that everything about her from her accented English through her clothing and brown skin makes her stick out when all she wants to do is blend in. Joining the swim team helps, but she becomes jealous of her brother's ability and seeming ease at fitting in.
This moving novel is told in verse in nine sections. Issues of racism, Islamophobia, racial profiling and friendship are explored. Back matter includes a glossary of Arabic and Urdu terms that are woven into the text, an author's note and a recipe.
The audio was well-paced. The narrator's voice sounded youthful and I appreciated her fluency with Arabic. When I read foreign language words with my eyes, I tend to butcher the pronunciation or skim right by. I know I should stop and look the words up, but I often sacrifice that in favor of staying in the flow of the book.
Unsettled should appeal to a wide range of middle grade readers.
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