Review by Booklist Review
Aafiyah Quamar lives a charmed life with her family in Atlanta, spending days playing tennis, reading Weird but True! books, and hanging out with her best friend, Zaina. Despite her family's comfort and privilege, Aafiyah has a bad habit of "borrowing" things without asking. She knows it is wrong, but cannot help it. Upon returning from a trip to visit her Dadi and Dada Abu, her paternal grandparents, in Pakistan, her father is arrested and charged with a crime he did not commit. Aafiyah comes up with an idea to get money to help pay her father's legal fees, but it means that she must betray a friend and give in to her worst habits. Told in verse, Golden Girl is the tale of a young girl in crisis. In Aafiyah, Faruqi creates a relatable but flawed protagonist whose road to redemption makes for an engaging, warmhearted story. Readers who enjoyed Hena Khan's Amina's Voice (2017) or are looking for nuanced portrayals of South Asian Muslims will enjoy this selection.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A teen of Pakistani descent faces her penchant for "borrowing" things and navigates puberty-related changes in Faruqi's (Amira's Picture Day) novel in verse. When 13-year-old Aafiyah Qamar's Abba is arrested in Dubai for a theft that he didn't commit, Aafiyah is determined to help the family--not least because she feels guilt about enjoying "the feeling/ of something new in my hands/ that's not mine." The incident occurs as the Muslim family--Aafiyah, her parents, and younger brother Ibrahim--are returning home to Atlanta from Karachi, accompanying Aafiyah's Dada Abu, who seeks cancer treatment in the U.S. Unable to offer any help, her grandmother stays behind, while in America, her mother goes through their savings to hire lawyers for Aafiyah's father. When Aafiyah, whose family has always been "well off," sets out to help pay for her father's expensive lawyer, she gets caught, and consequences follow. Aafiyah, who has mild hearing loss in one ear, enjoys facts, tennis, and photography, and is deeply aware of her best friend's physical changes--and her own lack of them-- in this story with a well-characterized, flawed heroine and a lot of heart. An author's note discusses the real-life seeds of this story. Ages 8--12. Agent: Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Agency. (Feb.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Thirteen-year-old Pakistani American Aafiyah Qamar has a lot going on in her life. Aaifiyah lives with her family--Abba, who repairs airplanes; Mom; and younger brother Ibrahim--in Atlanta. She enjoys reading National Geographic fact books, playing tennis, spending time with Zaina, her best friend whose body is maturing more quickly than hers, and visiting her grandparents in Karachi. But Dada Abu, her paternal grandfather, has cancer, and Aafiyah is struggling with another problem: She sometimes takes--and keeps--things without asking. When Abba is accused of a crime and detained at the airport in Dubai, everything starts to fall apart. Dada Abu travels back to Atlanta with Aafiyah, Mom, and Ibrahim for medical treatment. Meanwhile Dadi, her paternal grandmother, stays behind with Abba, surrendering her passport for his bail. Aafiyah has never before had to worry about money; when she sees that they are struggling to pay for Dada Abu's treatment and her father's lawyers, she hatches a plan to help--but it involves taking something that is not hers. Aafiyah ultimately must face the consequences of her actions. Faruqi seamlessly weaves in elements of Aafiyah's Islamic identity while capturing telling details about Aafiyah, her family, and other characters. The verse format and ample white space will work well for struggling readers who are intimidated by dense paragraphs of text. A story about family, friendship, change, and hope. (author's note, resources, recipe, glossary) (Verse novel. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
