Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational
Weblink
www.reemfaruqi.com

GOLDEN GIRL

Reem Faruqi

From the award-winning, ALA Notable author of Unsettled and Lailah's Lunchbox, this is a captivating coming-of-age middle grade novel in verse about seventh grader Aafiyah Qamar, a Pakistani American girl who hatches a special plan to help her family but finds that doing what's right isn't always easy.

Seventh grader Aafiyah loves playing tennis, reading Weird but True facts, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. However, Aafiyah has a bad habit that troubles her - she's drawn to pretty things and can't help but occasionally "borrow" them.

But when her father is falsely accused of a crime he hasn't committed and gets taken in by authorities, Aafiyah knows she needs to do something to help. When she brainstorms a way to bring her father back, she turns to her Weird but True facts and devises the perfect plan.

But what if her plan means giving in to her bad habit, the one she's been trying to stop? Aafiyah wants to reunite her family but finds that maybe her plan isn't so perfect after all.

For fans of The Thing About Jellyfish and Clean Getaway, this is a heartfelt, soul-searching story with laughter, hope, and lessons learned.

Reem Faruqi is the ALA Notable author of Lailah's Lunchbox, Amira's Picture Day, I Can Help, Golden Girl, and Unsettled, which is loosely based on Reem's own story. Of Pakistani descent, Reem immigrated to Peachtree City, Georgia, in the United States from the United Arab Emirates when she was thirteen years old. Reem is also a teacher and photographer who loves to doodle. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three daughters.

Available products
Book Published 2022-02-22 by HarperCollins

Comments

This story [has] a well-characterized, flawed heroine and a lot of heart.

Reem Faruqi's novels in verse are absolutely stunning. The way her words create vivid pictures in your mind is simply magical.

Reem Faruqi has done it again - another fabulous MG novel in verse that needs to be in every school and classroom library.

In Aafiyah, Faruqi creates a relatable but flawed protagonist whose road to redemption makes for an engaging, warmhearted story.

Faruqi proves herself once again a master of middle grade verse novels. Golden Girl is a phenomenal story which will engage readers with its unique main character and plot. Faruqi maximizes the impact of her words and gives a story loaded with heart and hope.

Seventh-grader Aafiyah's charmed life is not without flaws, but it takes a sudden turn when her father is falsely accused of a crime. As Aafiyah tries to help her family, she ends up making all the wrong choices for all the right reasons and has to face her own challenges in a new way. Faruqi's beautifully observed and page-turning novel in verse overflows with compassion, honesty, and hope.

Faruqi has the ability to infuse so much story and feeling into so few words. Her verse is beautiful, accessible, and relatable.

This novel in verse has all the ingredients of an unforgettable book.

Reem Faruqi's Golden Girl is a soul-stirring novel in verse. It evokes tenderness and togetherness while invoking truth-telling and transformation. With impeccable poetic finesse, Faruqi tells an honest story that gives young readers permission to make mistakes and grow from them while being held by friendship, family and faith.

This skillfully imagined novel is immediately absorbing. Faruqi's lilting lines have plenty to savor, but her pages turn quickly, drawing readers easily into Aafiyah's story... Golden Girl cements [Faruqi's] place as one of the brightest rising stars in children's literature.

Defying cliche, Faruqi paints an unflinchingly honest portrait of a protagonist who makes mistakes - serious mistakes - and whose heroism lies in her ability to own up to her worst errors and do her best to make amends. A story that sends an important message - that people who make bad choices are not bad people.

Much like in her previous novel Unsettled, Faruqi's elegantly crafted verse illuminates a Muslim family navigating and ultimately transcending domestic challenges.

A relatable, real and raw account of what it is like to be a teenage Muslim girl, and it is a must-have on every bookshelf!

I was swept away so completely and so fully in a story that is wonderful and memorable, and truly sets a higher standard for the way that a story can be told. Faruqi's voice and authenticity had me in tears.

A story about family, friendship, change, and hope.