4 stars
A sweet story of a girl’s first time fasting for Ramadan. At first, Lailah is excited about being able to fast, but after moving from Abu Dhabi to American, she’s worried about explaining fasting and Ramadan to her teachers and classmates who might not understand.
One aspect I loved about the book is that Lailah doesn’t feel ashamed at any point about her religion, culture, or practices. She worries about others not knowing or understanding, but never questions her beliefs. It’s great to have such a positive story that still teaches an important lesson about sharing your experiences with others.
I also loved how wonderful Mrs. Carman, the librarian, was (shout out to all the awesome librarians out there!). Mrs. Carman provides an open space where Lailah feels comfortable, listens to her concerns, and gives helpful advise on how to move forward without doing everything for Lailah. With so many representations of evil librarians who shush people all the time, it’s wonderful to have such a great representation of a librarian.
A lovely, positive story that embraces the idea of sharing your experience with others and teaching them about yourself. Would work well in a classroom setting as an introduction to Ramadan.