Teen Tuesday: Huda F are You? by Huda Fahmy

Image: Penguin Random House

Huda F are You? by Huda Fahmy. 188 p. Dial Books for Young Readers/ Penguin Young Readers Group, November, 2021. 9780593324301. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Tuesday! It's still winter here in NJ, a brisk 24 degrees when I took the hounds out for their morning trot at 5AM. The title of our Teen Tuesday feature sure is attention-grabbing, so hang on to your hat! 

Teen Tuesday features Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy. Did you see what the author did there? The main character in this fictionalized graphic novel memoir is Huda Fahmy, Huda F. is an Egyptian-American. She is also a hijab-wearing Muslim who has recently moved from a town in Michigan, wear she was the only hijabi, to Dearborn, where she is one of so many, that there are hijabi cliques, like the athletes, gamers and fashionistas. As the second of five daughters, she knows exactly who she is in her family, the smart one, but in her new high school? Not so much, so she experiments with personas with often humorous but embarrassing results. Sadly, Huda still deals with micro-aggressions and outright hostility, especially from her English teacher, who thinly hides her racism.

The art is simple and clean with lots of white space and easy to follow panels. Readers are sure to root for Huda F. as she finds herself. I'd love to read a sequel.

Fact Friday: This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kay

Happy Friday! It has been a bit of a week. 

Image: Kids Can Press

This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kya and illustrated by Drew Shannon. 88 p. Kids Can Press, September, 2020. 9781525300165. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features This is Your Brain on Stereotypes: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias by Tanya Lloyd Kya and illustrated by Drew Shannon. Uncomfortable thought for the day: We all have implicit/ unconscious bias. The author explains how the human brain sorts and labels information. In general, this is a good thing-necessary for survival, but sorting and labeling can cause harm. 

This short, easily digested book breaks down the scientific research that has been done and presents it in a relatable, thought-provoking manner. It covers the history of stereotypes, secret stereotypes in our brain and how we can work to identify them if we are motivated. Brightly colored illustrations, diagrams and charts add interest and further understanding. 

This book is an excellent introduction for young (and older) readers hoping to become better allies and better people. I'm looking forward to adding it to my school library's collection and sharing it with my students.