Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab

Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin's Hijab
Author: Priya Huq
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2021-11-16
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1647004845

In this middle-grade graphic novel, Nisrin will have to rely on faith, friends, and family to help her recover after she is the target of a hate crime Nisrin is a 13-year-old Bangladeshi-American girl living in Milwaukie, Oregon, in 2002. As she nears the end of eighth grade, she gives a presentation for World Culture Day about Bangladesh while wearing a traditional cultural dress. On her way home, she is the victim of a hate crime when a man violently attacks her for wearing a headscarf. Deeply traumatized by the experience, Nisrin spends the summer depressed and isolated. Other than weekly therapy, Nisrin doesn’t leave the house until fall arrives and it’s time for her to start freshman year at a new school. The night before class starts, Nisrin makes a decision. She tells her family she’s going to start wearing hijab, much to their dismay. Her mother and grandparent’s shocked and angry reactions confuse her—but they only strengthen her resolve. This choice puts Nisrin on a path to not only discover more about Islam, but also her family’s complicated relationship with the religion, and the reasons they left Bangladesh in the first place. On top of everything else, she’s struggling to fit in at school—her hijab makes her a target for students and faculty alike. But with the help from old friends and new, Nisrin is starting to figure out what really makes her happy. Piece by Piece is an original graphic novel about growing up and choosing your own path, even if it leads you to a different place than you expected.

The PLAIN Janes

The PLAIN Janes
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Total Pages: 483
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0316522740

Meet the Plain Janes--artist activists on a mission to wake up their sleepy suburban town. This cult classic graphic novel is perfect for fans of The LumberJanes and Awkward. When artsy misfit Jane Beckles is forced to leave her beloved city life behind for the boring suburb of Kent Waters, she thinks her life is over. But then she finds where she belongs: at the reject table in the cafeteria, along with fellow misfits Brain Jayne, Theater Jane, and sporty Polly Jane. United by only two things-a shared name and frustration with the adults around them--the girls form a secret club dedicated to fighting suburban apathy with guerrilla works of art scattered around their small town. But for Main Jane, the group is more than simple teenaged rebellion; it's an act of survival. She's determined not to let fear rule her life like it does her parents' and neighbors' lives. Armed with her sketchbook and a mission of resistance, the PLAIN Janes are out to prove that passion, bravery, and a group of great friends can save anyone from the hell that is high school. With each installment printed in its own distinct color, this volume includes the original two stories--The Plain Janes and Janes in Love--plus a never-before-seen third story, Janes Attack Back. The Janes are back, and better than ever.

The Secret Loves of Geeks

The Secret Loves of Geeks
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2018-02-13
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 1506704735

Following the smash-hit The Secret Loves of Geek Girls comes this brand new anthology featuring comic and prose stories from cartoonists and professional geeks about their most intimate, heartbreaking, and inspiring tales of love, sex and, dating. Including creators of all genders, orientations, and cultural backgrounds. Featuring work by MARGARET ATWOOD (The Handmaid's Tale), GERARD WAY (Umbrella Academy), PATRICK ROTHFUSS (The Name of the Wind), DANA SIMPSON (Phoebe and Her Unicorn), GABBY RIVERA (America), HOPE LARSON, (Batgirl), CECIL CASTELLUCCI (Soupy Leaves Home), VALENTINE DE LANDRO (Bitch Planet), MARLEY ZARCONE (Shade), SFÉ R. MONSTER (Beyond: A queer comics anthology), AMY CHU (Wonder Woman), a cover by BECKY CLOONAN (Demo) and many more.

All Summer Long

All Summer Long
Author: Hope Larson
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Total Pages: 91
Release: 2018-05-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1466898186

*A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2018!* All Summer Long, a coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about summer and friendships, written and illustrated by the Eisner Award–winning and New York Times–bestselling Hope Larson. Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he's off to soccer camp for a month, and he's been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it's up to Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first it's a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin's older sister, who enjoys music just as much as Bina. But then Austin comes home from camp, and he's acting even weirder than when he left. How Bina and Austin rise above their growing pains and reestablish their friendship and respect for their differences makes for a touching and funny coming-of-age story.

Muslims of the World

Muslims of the World
Author: Sajjad Shah
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2018-10-09
Genre: Photography
ISBN: 1683353471

We are living in a time of unrest for many members of the Islamic faith around the globe. Enter Muslims of the World, a book based on the popular Instagram account @MuslimsoftheWorld1. Like the account, the book’s mission is to tell the diverse stories of Muslims living in the US and around the world. Illustrated throughout with moving photographs, each chapter will focus on different aspects of the Islamic faith and the many varying cultures it encompasses, offering tales of love, family, and faith while empowering Muslim women, refugees, and people of color. Whether it is telling a story about a young Syrian refugee who dreams of being a pilot or about a young girl’s decision to not remove her hijab, which in turn saved her family’s life, Muslims of the World aims to unite people of all cultures and faiths by sharing the hopes, trials, and tribulations of Muslims from every walk of life.

Accused: My Story of Injustice (I, Witness)

Accused: My Story of Injustice (I, Witness)
Author: Adama Bah
Publisher: WW Norton
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2021-10-05
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1324016647

Launching a propulsive middle grade nonfiction series, a young woman shares her harrowing experience of being wrongly accused of terrorism. Adama Bah grew up in East Harlem after immigrating from Conakry, Guinea, and was deeply connected to her community and the people who lived there. But as a thirteen-year-old after the events of September 11, 2001, she began experiencing discrimination and dehumanization as prejudice toward Muslim people grew. Then, on March 24, 2005, FBI agents arrested Adama and her father. Falsely accused of being a potential suicide bomber, Adama spent weeks in a detention center being questioned under suspicion of terrorism. With sharp and engaging writing, Adama recounts the events surrounding her arrest and its impact on her life—the harassment, humiliation, and persecution she faced for crimes she didn’t commit. Accused brings forward a crucial and unparalleled first-person perspective of American culture post-9/11 and the country’s discrimination against Muslim Americans, and heralds the start of a new series of compelling narrative nonfiction by young people, for young people.

Haven's Secret (The Powers Book 1)

Haven's Secret (The Powers Book 1)
Author: Melissa Benoist
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2021-10-26
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1647002109

Two sisters come to terms with their extraordinary powers in a new middle grade fantasy from Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist and her sister, the writer Jessica Benoist, with the New York Times bestselling author, Mariko Tamaki Ellie McFadden has intuitive gifts. She can sense what other living things are feeling. She can even talk to animals! Too bad she can’t connect with her twin sister, Parker. Parker McFadden has kinetic gifts. She can cause shocks to the earth and produce heat energy that explodes from her body like fire, especially when she is angry. The sisters aren’t aware of the legacy they inherited from their mother until, on their thirteenth birthday, two mysterious relatives on the Power side whisk them off to an isolated sanctuary called Haven. Ellie immediately adapts to their new routine, but Parker has one impulse: to get back to her normal life of friends and sports, fast. Unlocking Haven’s secrets is just the beginning of what Ellie and Parker can do if they choose to work together to harness their abilities. But the sinister force that took their mother has other plans; and if the sisters’ fragile relationship succumbs to The Danger, a terrible fate may befall the people they love. This epic tale of two remarkable girls and the powers they wield is sure to appeal to fans of Chris Colfer, Rick Riordan, and Tui T. Sutherland.

Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero
Author: Saadia Faruqi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2021-09-07
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0062943243

At a time when we are all asking questions about identity, grief, and how to stand up for what is right, this book by the author of A Thousand Questions will hit home with young readers who love Hena Khan and Varian Johnson—or anyone struggling to understand recent U.S. history and how it still affects us today. Yusuf Azeem has spent all his life in the small town of Frey, Texas—and nearly that long waiting for the chance to participate in the regional robotics competition, which he just knows he can win. Only, this year is going to be more difficult than he thought. Because this year is the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an anniversary that has everyone in his Muslim community on edge. With “Never Forget” banners everywhere and a hostile group of townspeople protesting the new mosque, Yusuf realizes that the country’s anger from two decades ago hasn’t gone away. Can he hold onto his joy—and his friendships—in the face of heartache and prejudice?

Don't Cosplay with My Heart

Don't Cosplay with My Heart
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2018-01-02
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1338125508

This sweetly snarky, romantic YA novel follows Edan as she tries to gather the strength to be the hero in her own real life even as she connects with her dream boy at a costume competition. When Edan Kupferman dresses up like her favorite character, Gargantua, she feels tall and powerful. That's important right now, because her family is a mess, her best friend is gone for the summer, her crush is confusing, and Edan's feeling small and not sure which end is up. When Edan's cosplaying, she can be angry, loud, and not the good girl everyone thinks she is. And when she's at conventions, she feels like she's found her own Team Tomorrow. But when her personal life starts to spiral out of control, Edan has to figure out whether she needs a sidekick, or if she has the strength to be the hero of her own story.

Fear of a Muslim Planet

Fear of a Muslim Planet
Author: Arsalan Iftikhar
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1510763635

Human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar takes on Islamophobia through the lens of the brutal Christchurch slaughter. In March 2019, a heavily-armed white supremacist walked into two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and slaughtered fifty-one innocent Muslim worshippers while broadcasting on Facebook Live for the world to see. After the Christchurch mosque massacre, authorities found the white supremacist’s seventy-four-page racist manifesto called “The Great Replacement,” which railed against Muslims and the idea that brown Muslim folks were ultimately going to “replace” white people in his irrational “Fear of Muslim Planet.” Fear of a Muslim Planet begins with the treacherous legacy of the white supremacist “Great Replacement” theory in the aftermath of the Christchurch massacre. One of the heroes for the Christchurch shooter was the infamous Norwegian anti-Muslim terrorist named Anders Breivik, who brutally murdered seventy-seven people in 2011 in Norway’s worst terrorist attack ever and whose own 1,500-page fascist manifesto promoted thr “Great Replacement” worldview that Muslim immigrants posed a danger to Western societies. As the book further illustrates, minority victims of the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory are not limited to Muslims alone. In October 2018, the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was devastated when a white supremacist brutally executed eleven innocent Jewish congregants in a horrific act of anti-Semitic terrorism (it was the single deadliest attack exclusively targeting Jews ever to happen in the United States). The shooter later told police that he was inspired to commit these murders because Donald Trump was not doing enough to stop immigration. “Open your Eyes!” the shooter posted on social media in a disjointed anti-Semitic and Islamophobic manifesto. “It’s the filthy EVIL jews Bringing the Filthy EVIL Muslims into the Country!!” The presidency of Donald Trump has only exacerbated the growth of Islamophobia in America today. Fear of a Muslim Planet outlines the blatantly anti-Muslim statements and policies of Trump and his closest political circle. From telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper that “I think Islam hates us” to calling for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States, the Trump presidency has only made the xenophobic specter of Islamophobia grow today. The book will also show that Islamophobia is not simply an American (or Western) problem either. Fear of a Muslim Planet will show the genocidal levels of Islamophobia in places like China and Myanmar. The European fixation on policing Muslim women’s hijab (headscarf) is another focal point. The book ends with a clarion call for mutual understanding and coexistence among people of all backgrounds, if we have the courage to summon our better selves and look beyond each other’s race, religion, and ethnic backgrounds.