Children's Book Suggestions | Middle Eastern & North African Heritage Month

Celebrate Middle Eastern & North African Heritage Month with these books for older readers! (For younger readers, we have Middle Eastern & North African Picture Books list.)

Updated April 29, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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Meet Yasmin!
Faruqi, Saadia
Paper Book
Meet Yasmin! Yasmin is a spirited second-grader who's always on the lookout for those "aha" moments to help her solve life's little problems. Taking inspiration from her surroundings and her big imagination, she boldly faces any situation, assuming her imagination doesn't get too big, of course! A...

A Muslim American elementary school girl gains confidence in this series of early readers. Join her friend Ali in his own Easy Reader series, Ali the Great! (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Salma makes a home
Ramadan, Ahmad Danny
Paper Book
Charming, creative Salma takes on big feelings with even bigger ideas as she navigates life in a new country, Syrian identity, family changes and new friendships in this engaging and heartfelt early chapter book series. After a year, eleven months, and six days apart, Salma's dad is...

A Syrian refugee makes a new home in Canada, expanding on her adventures in the picture book Salma the Syrian Chef. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

Accidental trouble magnet
Mian, Zanib
Paper Book
An exciting middle-grade debut starring a Muslim boy with a huge imagination. An NPR Best Book of the Year. Welcome to the imaginative brain of Omar! Omar and his family have just moved, and he is NOT excited about starting at a new school. What if the work is too...

A British Muslim kid struggles with prejudice and fitting in when his family moves to a new neighborhood in this Diary of a Wimpy Kid style hybrid graphic novel. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Everything sad is untrue : (a true story)
Nayeri, Daniel
Paper Book
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award Christopher Award Winner Middle East Book Award Winner National Indie Bestseller NPR Best Book of the Year New York Times Best of the Year Amazon Best of the Year Booklist Editors' Choice ...

An award-winning fictionalized memoir from an Iranian American author about his experiences immigrating to Oklahoma as a young teen. His 2023 Newbery Honor Book The Many Assassinations of Samir, The Seller of Dreams is also a great choice! (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Grounded
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
Four kids meet at an airport for one unforgettable night in this middle-grade novel by four bestselling and award-winning authors--Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S. K. Ali When a thunderstorm grounds all flights following a huge Muslim convention,...

Four authors tell four intertwined stories about a group of Muslim kids trapped in an airport after a storm grounds their planes, great for kids who love behind-the-scenes stories like From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)


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