Starred review from December 1, 2023
Seventh grader Deena has a passion for art, a supportive Pakistani American community--and anxiety. Deena feels nauseated every morning; her clenched jaw has even resulted in a cracked tooth. Her parents already fight over finances, so an expensive nightguard adds to the stress. If Mama could earn more from her small home business designing and selling desi clothing, the family would also have enough money for Deena to take drawing lessons. With the help of cousins and friends, Deena successfully executes an online marketing campaign for her mom's business, unfurled with careful attention to internet safety and featuring a logo she designed herself. These achievements, plus encouragement from a new artist customer, help grow Deena's confidence in her creative abilities. But now that she's getting accolades, she encounters relationship turmoil. That, plus the impact of her parents' fighting, leads to a scary panic attack in math class. Deena embraces help from a team of adults at school, but will her parents be able to understand and accept her mental health needs? Meanwhile, through her art, Deena goes on a journey of personal and creative discovery and self-expression. Readers will delight in Deena's endearing voice: She's an inventive and relatable protagonist. Khan skillfully weaves in cultural references and Urdu phrases alongside thoughtful questions about the arts, mental health, social media, parent-child relationships, and the pressures adolescent girls face about their appearances. A nuanced and quietly powerful story. (Fiction. 8-13)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2024
Thirteen-year-old Deena Rahman's world revolves around spending time with her friends, creating art, and appeasing her Pakistani American family. Deena also helps her mother run a clothing boutique selling Pakistani outfits, hoping to alleviate tension in their home over finances. Deena often overhears her parents fighting about money and feels guilty for their having to spend it on things she needs, such as dental work. She also hesitates to tell them about things she and her brother, Musa, would benefit from, such as art classes for her and talent scouts to further Musa's chances at a soccer scholarship. She tries to ignore the daily nausea and gnawing in her stomach, but soon the physical manifestations of stress demand attention. Both Deena and her parents must confront her anxiety issues and the importance of support. With helpful friends and an artist mentor, she learns to deprioritize others' expectations and advocate for herself, including pushing back against her parents' reluctance to allow her to see a school psychologist. A sensitive look at the effects of anxiety and the pressures of today (including social media) on young people's mental health. Sadaf Siddique
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2024
Gr 3-6-Deena, a seventh grade Pakistani American girl, has such stress and anxiety over things like growing up, her family's finances, and not feeling quite as mature as her cousin, that she grinds her teeth at night and has trouble eating breakfast first thing in the morning. When she tries to use her artistic talents to help her mother's clothing business, she quickly hits some snags with family and friends. Can she get past her worries and find her voice to express her feelings? Like Khan's other middle grade novels, this book is written with an authentic middle school voice and blends culture, realistic worries, and mental health in a way upper elementary school and young middle school readers will appreciate. Deena is figuring out who she is in relation to her artistic skills, but still has to tow the line with her mother's expectations and concerns about what others will think of her. The chapters are quick and fast-paced, making the story fly by with proper resolutions. Readers will root for Deena because her struggles will resonate with their own. VERDICT An excellent read for elementary and middle school collections not the least because of its authentic voice and pacing.-Molly Dettmann
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 22, 2024
Palestinian American middle schooler Deena is experiencing stress so severe it’s affecting her body, resulting in panic attacks, daily nausea, and a cracked tooth. Some of her anxiety stems from interpersonal relationships: her cool cousin Parisa is a social media star, but Deena isn’t allowed to have her own account and doesn’t want to make one without her super-smart best friend Lucia anyway. Worries relating to her family’s finances and how often her parents fight about money, as well as her desire to become an artist—despite the disapproval she suspects she’d receive from her family were she to voice her dreams—further exacerbate her stress. When Deena decides to make a social media account for her mother’s tailoring business, she hopes that the exposure will help the boutique take off and ease her worries—but they only get worse. Mildly uneven pacing gives way to authentic-feeling and engaging character interactions. Through candid first-person narration, Khan (Zara’s Rules for Living Your Best Life) examines adolescent anxiety and its various triggers and depicts adaptive coping mechanisms, including making the most of mentorship and support from one’s community. Ages 8–12.
February 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 "Thirteen is no time to be stressed," Deena's mom admonishes. On the surface, she's right: Deena and her brother have a roof over their heads, parents who are doing their best, and a wider community of Pakistani Americans in Falls Church, Virginia. Still, kids the world over know otherwise, even those like Deena who live in relative privilege. They aren't always afforded the opportunity to express this emotion in a healthy manner, if at all. Deena's stress manifests itself physically--in her nighttime teeth clenching and persistent nausea during the daytime. It's unclear, too, whether the seventh-grader finds any relief by creating art. Despite an obvious talent for drawing, internal drive, and encouragement from friends and teachers, Deena remains unsure of the validity of her pursuits. Possible resolutions to these issues are introduced about halfway, including a budding relationship with a fellow Desi artist and mentor figure. Although Deena's anxiety isn't officially diagnosed until well after the midpoint, it's a minor flaw in an otherwise extremely relatable story.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2024
Thirteen-year-old Deena Rahman's world revolves around spending time with her friends, creating art, and appeasing her Pakistani American family. Deena also helps her mother run a clothing boutique selling Pakistani outfits, hoping to alleviate tension in their home over finances. Deena often overhears her parents fighting about money and feels guilty for their having to spend it on things she needs, such as dental work. She also hesitates to tell them about things she and her brother, Musa, would benefit from, such as art classes for her and talent scouts to further Musa's chances at a soccer scholarship. She tries to ignore the daily nausea and gnawing in her stomach, but soon the physical manifestations of stress demand attention. Both Deena and her parents must confront her anxiety issues and the importance of support. With helpful friends and an artist mentor, she learns to deprioritize others' expectations and advocate for herself, including pushing back against her parents' reluctance to allow her to see a school psychologist. A sensitive look at the effects of anxiety and the pressures of today (including social media) on young people's mental health.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)