She is also the author of the middle grade novel AMAL UNBOUND (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018) a Summer 2018 Indie Next Pick, An Amazon Best Book of the Month, has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus and is a Global Read Aloud for 2018. She wrote WRITTEN IN THE STARS (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015) which was listed as a best book of 2015 by Bank Street Books and a 2016 YALSA Quick Pick For Reluctant Readers. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.Īisha Saeed is a New York Times bestselling author. Most troubling, though, is Amal’s growing awareness of the Khans’ nefarious dealings. Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal–especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Then the unimaginable happens–after an accidental run-in with the son of her village’s corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family’s servant to pay off her own family’s debt. Amal is upset, but she doesn’t lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when–as the eldest daughter–she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal’s Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she’s busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. You’ll remember this one long after reading.īut did it really have to be this way? If I were a boy, would I be staying home to fold laundry and iron clothes? If I were a son, would he so casually tell me to forget my dreams? A compelling story about indentured servitude and the strength it takes to overcome.The author supplies Discussion Guides and other resources on her website.The power of reading comes through as a theme loud and clear, especially when Amal teaches another young servant the basic skills to untangle the written word.I doubt real world events would end on such a promising note, but doing so here gives much inspiration and hope.Short chapters are a welcome pull to bring in emerging readers who may be looking for brevity, along with teachers who only have five minutes left at the end of a class period to read a chapter out loud.Adult readers might prefer a longer, more in-depth study of the politics going on here, but for the intended audience it is a perfect look at another culture and how being a kid can be so different depending on where you live. Amal wants to do what’s right and stay out of trouble, but deep down she knows none of it is fair. She’s stronger than any of those who are in charge. I was glad to find a first person narration here as Amal gives the story heart. Amal discovers her temporary servitude could turn into a lifelong ordeal. She’s pulled away from friends, family, and a teacher she adores. Her so called disrespect leads to a sentence of being a servant at the family’s mansion. One day Amal has an unfortunate encounter with Jawad, the egotistical son of the ruling family. The law they go by is their own and it’s a do it our way or suffer the consequences.Īmal loves school and her family, but family comes first as she stays home to help her pregnant mother who will soon give birth to another child. Another family rules the town and have control of all the residents-most of whom are in financial debt to the Khan’s. Twelve-year-old Amal lives with her family in a Pakistani village. It’s Another MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY!
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