Huda F Cares: (National Book Award Finalist)

by Huda Fahmy

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This laugh-out-loud graphic novel sequel to Huda F Are You? follows the Fahmy family on a 24-hour road trip to Disney World. With four sisters fighting for space (and air) in the back of a car, what could go wrong?

A National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist

In this laugh-out-loud funny sequel to the graphic novel Huda F Are You?, the Fahmys are off to Disney World, but self-conscious Huda worries her family will stand out too much.

Huda and her sisters can’t believe it when her parents announce that they’re actually taking a vacation this summer . . . to DISNEY WORLD! But it’s not quite as perfect as it seems. First Huda has to survive a 24-hour road trip from Michigan to Florida, with her sisters annoying her all the way. And then she can’t help but notice the people staring at her and her family when they pray in public. Back home in Deerborn she and her family blend right in because there are so many other Muslim families, but not so much in Florida and along the way.

It's a vacation of forced (but unexpectly successful?) sisterly bonding, a complicated new friendship, a bit more independence, and some mixed feelings about her family's public prayers. Huda is proud of her religion and who she is, but she still sure wishes she didn’t care so much what other people thought.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593532805
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	44,025
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	HL360L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Huda Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and has loved comics since she was a kid. She attended the University of Michigan where she majored in English. She taught English to middle and high schoolers for eight years before she started writing about her experiences as a visibly Muslim woman in America and was encouraged by her older sister to turn these stories into comics. Huda, her husband Gehad, and their children reside in Houston, Texas.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Huda F Cares
National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist
NPR Best Book of the Year Selection
Rise: A Feminist Book Project Selection
Muslim Bookstagram Awards' Best Muslim Middle Grade Book of 2023

“One of the rare books where I literally laughed out loud! I loved Huda’s story of standing out from the mainstream, and her real, funny, and complex sisterly relationships.” —Victoria Jamieson, creator of National Book Award Finalist When Stars Are Scattered

"Touching and laugh out loud funny! Huda F Cares is a relatable ode to sisterhood and what it means to have your family’s back while being true to yourself." —Claribel A. Ortega, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlings Series and Frizzy

"Infused with the perfect balance of warmth and humor, Huda Fahmy’s latest is a gem of a story exploring everything from sisterhood to identity. An absolute delight.” —Hafsah Faizal, New York Times bestselling author of We Hunt the Flame

"Comedic and poignant, Fahmy’s narrative captures universal feelings of fluctuating confidence and self-deprecation, the ups and downs of family dynamics, and the growing awareness of siblings’ humanity outside the family unit. The cartoonlike, full-color artwork is dynamic, with simplified features that accentuate facial expressions. Delightfully heartwarming." —Kirkus

"This follow-up to Huda F Are You? is a delightful story, even when addressing difficult issues. Picturing a tiny 'Thoughtful Huda and 'Selfish Huda' on Huda’s shoulders as she wrestles with decisions is one way the creator employs humor in both narrative and art without lessening the impact of what the girls face. This strong addition to any collection wraps messages about stepping into new experiences while staying true to yourself within a funny, enjoyable story."  —School Library Journal

"Fahmy’s signature simplified cartooning style softens some ofthe tougher moments the sisters encounter, while still enabling her quick, sharp humor to stick the landing." —Booklist

“[I]ncredibly charming . . . Fahmy’s jokey style mixes beautifully with a story of learning to be both strong and joyful, and that maybe, just maybe, it’s not so bad to hang out with your sisters.” —Vox

From the Publisher

09/01/2023

Gr 6–10—Huda and her sisters are excited about their upcoming trip to Florida. They'll endure the 24-hour car ride from their home in Dearborn, MI, knowing Disney World is on the other end. Leaving home, where they are part of a large and visibly observant Muslim community, means they'll now be in a far different place. Seeing people drink beer or show affection in public is a new and awkward experience. Huda and her sisters are subjected to stares and rude questions. Regardless, they deal with the discomfort and understand their right to practice their religion, including praying in public. The sisters enjoy exploring everything Disney World has to offer. Huda makes some questionable decisions while navigating this unfamiliar environment; one leads to a scary situation. Although it's a fun trip overall, Huda questions why their parents would bring them to a place where so much of what goes against their beliefs is on display. Huda gets her answers and learns more about her family in the process. This follow-up to Huda F Are You? is a delightful story, even when addressing difficult issues. Picturing a tiny "Thoughtful Huda" and "Selfish Huda" on Huda's shoulders as she wrestles with decisions is one way the creator employs humor in both narrative and art without lessening the impact of what the girls face. VERDICT This strong addition to any collection wraps messages about stepping into new experiences while staying true to yourself within a funny, enjoyable story.—Carla Riemer

School Library Journal

2023-07-26
In this follow-up to Huda F Are You? (2021), Egyptian American Huda and her family take a summer vacation.

Huda isn’t looking forward to the summer after ninth grade, until her father announces that they’ll be going to Disney World—sans sister Amani, who’s excited for her Quran intensive. But the 24-hour road trip from Michigan hardly nurtures close sisterly bonds as her parents intended. Instead, four sisters and two parents are packed into annoyingly tight quarters, using rest stops to eat, make ablutions, and pray with all eyes on them. Wishing she could just blend in, Huda is further discomfited by the prevalence of revealing clothing, alcohol consumption, and public intimacy at the theme park—not to mention their parents’ buddy system of assigned pairs of sisters for each day. Huda makes a literary connection with Kylie, a white girl she meets while waiting in line. But when Kylie’s bigoted friends harass Huda and her youngest sister for their Islamic practices and one boy makes unwanted advances, the fallout leads to Huda’s learning something important about her older sister and reinforces her family’s belief in having the right to joy and claiming their place as Muslim Americans. Comedic and poignant, Fahmy’s narrative captures universal feelings of fluctuating confidence and self-deprecation, the ups and downs of family dynamics, and the growing awareness of siblings’ humanity outside the family unit. The cartoonlike, full-color artwork is dynamic, with simplified features that accentuate facial expressions.

Delightfully heartwarming. (making a graphic novel) (Graphic fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews