-Saadia Faruqi
Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents she’s never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal.
The cook’s daughter, Sakina, still hasn’t told her parents that she’ll be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test score—but then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich family’s kitchen?
Although the girls seem totally incompatible at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty in common—and that they each need the other to get what they want most.
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This was a beautifully written heart-felt friendship where both girls ultimately helped each other see past their prejudices. They each had differences to acknowledge and challenges to overcome, especially about being native-born vs foreign-born, cultural differences and class privilege. I especially liked how their different family dynamics were portrayed as it gave the reader insight into each girl’s thought processes.
Many of the topics covered in this story are ones adults struggle with and to see this presented in such an honest and accessible way was refreshing.
Heidi Y.