Bestest. Ramadan. Ever.

June 1, 2011

When a 15-year-old contemporary American Muslim from a "half-way religious" family opts to observe Ramadan, she has no idea how difficult and rewarding it will be.

As Ramadan begins, Almira vows this will be her "first successful month of fasting" after last year's disgraceful encounter with some Oreos. Her grandparents "follow Islam to the tee," and her parents are "pretty religious," while Almira's only "sort of religious" and one of just two Muslim students at her Miami-Dade high school. Her parents have high expectations, including medical school and an arranged marriage, but Almira's focused on her weight, hair, braces and boys. Ready and determined to have a boyfriend despite parental prohibitions, Almira has a crush on classmate Peter, but so does her best friend, who disses her when Peter chooses Almira. Ramadan proves to be a "month of discovery" as Almira sheds pounds and gains an "inner pool of strength." She chronicles her Ramadan experience from beginning to end in a breezy banter that progresses from the shallow to the insightful as she learns humility, patience and the importance of faith.

A humorous, hip look at the ups and downs of fasting for Ramadan within the context of intergenerational and cultural challenges. (Fiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

November 1, 2011

Gr 6-10-Fifteen-year-old weight-obsessed Almira is trying to fast through her first Ramadan. She looks forward to slimming down during the month. She and her best friend, Lisa, both develop a crush on the same boy and conflict ensues. Almira has to balance her religious beliefs, her parents' expectations of her, and the pressure to "fit in." The teen is described as being a size eight, and while she may feel chubby next to her exercise-obsessed mother (whom she consistently and somewhat creepily describes as "hot"), a girl who wears a size eight is not fat and neither is Ramadan a holy diet plan. Also, Lisa's stupidity is played for laughs, although someone in an honors class not knowing that The Diary of Anne Frank was written by Anne Frank is hardly amusing. The book is too long, and Almira's incessant whining about her size becomes tiresome. There is a sweet scene in which Almira goes to mosque and enjoys the experience of practicing her faith with other Muslims; during this passage she finally seems real and not a caricature of a weight-obsessed teen. While books with Muslim lead characters are needed, this one is an additional purchase for libraries in which Randa Abdel-Fattah's (very fine) books are popular.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2011
Grades 7-10 Almira's sixteenth birthday falls during the monthlong celebration of Ramadan, which will be the first time she joins the adults in her family to fast from sunup to sundown (she hopes not to slip up and cheat like last year). Along with the physical and social challenges of the fast come pride in knowing she is being observant and the added benefit of losing some unwanted tummy pudge. As one of only two Muslim girls in her posh Miami school, Almira contemplates the meaning of and balance between being a typical American girl and an observant Muslim as she navigates friendship, a love triangle, and learning to drive. Although the writing is upbeat and breezy, there is more telling than showing throughout, which works well enough in her journal entries for class but is less effective elsewhere. Still, this novel will be a useful addition to many YA collections seeking diversity with a light tone and a focus on family, friends, and faith.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)