Reviewed by Paige Pagan
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Saadia Faruqi
Saving Sunshine is a contemporary graphic novel that makes issues such as Islamophobia and covert racism accessible for a middle grade audience.
Zara and Zeeshan can’t remember the last time they had anything in common — they’re the epitome of opposite twins. Neither one of them is happy when they’re forced to spend time together during the family’s trip to a conference in Key West where their mother will be honored as the first Muslim woman recipient of a Pediatrician of the Year award. Despite the siblings’ differences, one glaringly clear similarity is the discrimination they face as Muslims in predominantly white spaces. Unbeknownst to the brother and sister, they each experience bullying — Zeeshan in space club where his peers exclude him for not being a “real American” and Zara is judged and assumed by her classmates and teachers to be “suppressed” when she decides to adorn the hijab publicly. It’s not until they discover Sunshine, the sick and endangered tortoise washed up on the shore near their hotel, that they reunite to not only fight for Sunshine, but also for each other.
Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan handle the instances of Islamophobia and covert racism with care, while still presenting the bare bones reality that many Muslims in America face daily. The family experiences profiling in the airport, as well as microaggressions like the concierge assuming that they’re in the wrong hotel, constant “where are you from” inquiries, ogling over their ethnic attire, and the assumption that they’re “illegal aliens.” The siblings’ father teaches them about the dangers associated with defensiveness morphing into a constantly combative disposition and their mother shows them that openly displaying pride in their religion and finding peace within themselves are ways to spite others.
For educational resources to help guide conversations with young people about these topics, please refer to Challenge Islamophobia.
Paige Pagan is a Social Justice Books program specialist at Teaching for Change.
Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi
Published by First Second on September 5, 2023
Genres: Asian American, Graphic Novels and Comics, Nature, South Asian
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9781250348951
Review Source: Teaching for Change
A Kirkus Best Book of 2023
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids 2023
A 2024 Texas Library Association Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List SelectionFrom Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan comes a relatable, funny, and heart-wrenchingly honest graphic novel about Muslim American siblings who must learn how to stop fighting and support each other in a world that is often unkind.
It's hard enough being a kid without being teased for a funny sounding name or wearing a hijab.
It's even harder when you're constantly fighting your sibling — and Zara and Zeeshan really can't stand each other. During a family trip to Florida, when the bickering, shoving, and insults reach new heights of chaos, their parents sentence them to the worst possible fate — each other’s company! But when the twins find an ailing turtle, it presents a rare opportunity for teamwork — if the two can put their differences aside at last.
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