Publishers Weekly
04/10/2023
In this multi-POV collaboration, four kids leaving the Muslims of North America conference are stranded with their families at Zora Neale Hurston Airport after a thunderstorm grounds their flights. When 12-year-old aspiring lyricist Feek Stiles, from Philly, loses track of four-year-old sister Ruqi, he’s thrown into the company of perpetually anxious Sami Iqbal, from Orlando, who’s afraid of missing his upcoming karate competition; 13-year-old Nora Najjar, a social media enthusiast struggling to share the attention of her busy Michigan “Congressmom”; and 11-year-old animal lover Hanna Chen, from Doha, who’s devoted herself to finding Snickerdoodle, a cat lost in the airport. Once Ruqi is found, Hanna presses the others into joining her cause, precipitating a revealing adventure that pushes each character—all of them navigating personal challenges—to confront whatever it is they’re facing, now that there’s nowhere to go. Humorous dialogue balances intensely emotional moments throughout alternating chapters by Saeed, Al-Marashi, Thompkins Bigelow, and Ali. Spirited characters with distinctly wrought backgrounds prove both idealistic and realistic while emphasizing the importance of community and the idea that there is more than one way to honor Muslim identity. Ages 8–12. Authors’ agents: (for Saeed) Faye Bender, Book Group; (for Ali) Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties; (for Thompkins Bigelow) Essie White, Storm Literary. (May)
Victoria Jamieson
I loved this thrilling airport adventure, complete with friendship, thunderstorms, chocolate, and a missing celebrity cat. I couldn’t put it down! Kids will love the comfort the book offers, as well as the adventure.
Booklist
In alternating points of view, the four authors—who collaborated on Once upon an Eid (2020)—have crafted a book that, while it brims with unapologetic Muslim rep, is not about religion but friendship and adventure. Hand to readers seeking a quick escape.
From the Publisher
I loved this thrilling airport adventure, complete with friendship, thunderstorms, chocolate, and a missing celebrity cat. I couldn’t put it down!Kids will love the comfort the book offers, as well as the adventure.”—Victoria Jamieson, author of Roller Girl, a Newbery Honor book
"I love this book! It's the exact type of story I dreamed about finding as a kid—fun and funny with diverse Muslim representation. So charming and full of heart!"—Jasmine Warga, New York Times bestselling author of A Rover’s Story
“Saeed, Al-Marashi, Thompkins-Bigelow, and Ali write four relatable, well-developed characters from different backgrounds who represent the diversity of Muslim communities, seamlessly connecting their individual and collective stories into a single whole. A positive, engaging story centering Muslim kids.”—Kirkus Reviews
“In alternating points of view, the four authors—who collaborated on Once upon an Eid (2020)—have crafted a book that, while it brims with unapologetic Muslim rep, is not about religion but friendship and adventure. Hand to readers seeking a quick escape.”—Booklist
"Spirited characters with distinctly wrought backgrounds prove both idealistic and realistic while emphasizing the importance of community and the idea that there is more than one way to honor Muslim identity."—Publishers Weekly
This will appeal to a wide audience, with important topics addressed smartly, including the positives and negatives of social media, and fitting in with peers while staying connected to one’s family.—School Library Journal
"This is more than a cute kitty caper with humorous airport antics: it’s a thought-provoking adventure about growing up and the need for individuality, independence, and autonomy."—The Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine
"This is more than a cute kitty caper with humorous airport antics: it’s a thought-provoking adventure about growing up and the need for individuality, independence, and autonomy."
Jasmine Warga
"I love this book! It's the exact type of story I dreamed about finding as a kid—fun and funny with diverse Muslim representation. So charming and full of heart!"
New York Times bestselling author of A Rover’ Jasmine Warga
"I love this book! It's the exact type of story I dreamed about finding as a kid—fun and funny with diverse Muslim representation. So charming and full of heart!"
AudioFile
Each kid is a carefully developed individual whose complex emotional interiority emerges in thoughtful vocal performances.
School Library Journal
07/01/2023
Gr 4–7—In a book written in alternating chapters by four well-known, Muslim authors, four tweens with seemingly little in common are stranded at an airport. Bad weather has grounded all flights following a Muslim convention. Feek, an aspiring poet, wants to gain the approval of his famous father through his writing but is instead babysitting his little sister Ruqi. Hanna, animal protector extraordinaire, is trying to find a cat named Snickerdoodle, who was lost in the airport the week before, while also avoiding her dad's talk about finding her a new mom. Sami, forever anxious, is worried the grounded flights will keep him from his important karate tournament. Nora, daughter of a congresswoman, just wants to make videos for social media and work out her friend issues. When Hanna recruits the others to find Snickerdoodle, all four embark on an adventure through the airport (with Ruqi in tow), and uncover potentially sinister happenings with animals. The story contains just the right number of twists and turns to keep middle grade readers engaged. The authors have seamlessly overlapped each family's trials, keeping the characters likable and believable. Muslim readers will be happy to be represented, and will connect with one or more of the kids, whether they feel like they fit in or not, and non-Muslim readers will see the universality of friendship and families. VERDICT This will appeal to a wide audience, with important topics addressed smartly, including the positives and negatives of social media, and fitting in with peers while staying connected to one's family.—Michele Shaw
SEPTEMBER 2023 - AudioFile
An ensemble cast brings listeners to Zora Neale Hurston Airport, where bad weather grounds four preteens who are traveling home with their families from the Muslims of North America conference. Animal lover Hanna, aspiring poet Feek, NokNok influencer Nora, and martial artist Sami take turns recounting the events that occur when Hanna recruits them to help search for a lost cat. Each kid is a carefully developed individual whose complex emotional interiority emerges in thoughtful vocal performances. A key secondary character, however, Feek's sister, Ruqi, a 4-year-old dynamo, is denied this. She's infantilized with an overly babyish characterization, primarily by Amir Abdullah, whose baritone is particularly unsuited to the challenge. Annoying little sister aside, there's much to enjoy. V.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-02-08
Four tweens stuck in an airport come together for a rescue mission.
When 12-year-old Feek Stiles loses his 4-year-old sister, Ruqi, at the airport, he meets Hanna Chen and Sami Iqbal, who try to help him locate her. But Nora Najjar finds her first. The kids are waiting with their families to fly home after attending the Muslims of North America conference when flights are grounded due to inclement weather. Eleven-year-old Hanna, armed with flyers and Meow Mix, is determined to find Snickerdoodle, a cat who has been missing for a week in the airport, and she recruits Feek, Sami, and Nora to help. The story unfolds in chapters that alternate among the viewpoints of aspiring poet Feek from Philadelphia; Doha animal lover Hanna; Sami, who is from Orlando and does karate; and Nora, a Michigan congresswoman’s daughter who posts on social media about sweet treats. Each one has something they are struggling with, including parents with busy work schedules, a sports competition, their sense of Muslim identity, and more. They end up going on an adventure throughout the airport that involves unexpected twists and turns, in the process learning more about themselves and one another and finding their voices. Saeed, Al-Marashi, Thompkins-Bigelow, and Ali write four relatable, well-developed characters from different backgrounds who represent the diversity of Muslim communities, seamlessly connecting their individual and collective stories into a single whole.
A positive, engaging story centering Muslim kids. (Fiction. 9-13)
