What It Is About: Some people use their voice for good. Others may use it for bad; while some won't use it at all. Amina is a young girl that has a beautiful singing/speaking voice, but doesn't always use it because of her shyness and not wanting attention drawn to herself. Her best friend tries to encourage Amina to show people just how talented she is. Amina isn't sure she wants to do that. When her best friend begins to include a girl they use to dislike, Amina isn't so sure how she feels about it. When Amina's family's Mosque is vandalized, she isn't sure why this happened and how her family fits into the world. As she navigates these difficult times, she learns so much about herself, her friendships, her family, and those that are out in the bigger (sometimes cruel) world.
What I Thought Of It: I thought this was a beautiful story of courage, uniqueness, and above all friendship. Amina was a special character and taught me so much about what it feels like to come from a different cultural and religious background. The theme of inclusion, acceptance, and tolerance was woven throughout the pages of this book. There were so many different aspects to the plot. I liked learning about Amina and her talent. It was enjoyable to read about her friendships and how those were changing. The most important part for me was reading about her family, their culture, and how they dealt with the "incident" to their Mosque. I know this story would be important for all of our students, but especially those that come to our schools with cultural differences.
Who Should Read It: In my opinion this novel should be shared with fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Of course readers in middle-school would be ideal for the story. They would have no problem reading the story on their own. If used in an elementary setting, I would lean toward a read aloud so that a class discussion could be had while you share the story with the students . Happy Reading!
Rating: 4 STARS out of 5 Stars
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