Arab American Heritage Month

This book list includes books for children and teens by Arab-American authors and illustrators that are available to borrow throughout the LMxAC Consortia.

Updated April 17, 2023
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Time to pray
Addasi, Maha
Paper Book
A visit with Grandmother in the Middle East is always special for Yasmin, but this time it is even more so in this picture book about faith and family. On her first night visiting her grandmother, Yasmin is wakened by the muezzin at the nearby mosque calling the faithful to prayer. She...
The white nights of Ramadan
Addasi, Maha
Paper Book
This picture book for young readers shows how a young girl named Noor, who lives with her family in Kuwait, prepares for the Muslim festival known as Girgian along with her family. Mid-Ramadan is a special time for families in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf. These middle days are known...
The three Lucys
Charara, Hayan
Paper Book
Luli likes to sit in the shade of an olive tree with his beloved cats: Lucy the Fat, Lucy the Skinny, and Lucy Lucy. But when Luli and his parents go to the city to see his aunt and uncle one weekend, the cats must stay behind at home. After a fun visit with family, Luli is looking forward to...
The Arabic quilt : an immigrant story
Khalil, Aya
Paper Book
Kanzi's family has moved from Egypt to America, and on her first day in a new school, what she wants more than anything is to fit in. Maybe that's why she forgets to take the kofta sandwich her mother has made for her lunch, but that backfires when Mama shows up at school with the sandwich. Mama...
Mirage
Daud, Somaiya
Paper Book
"A refreshing and unique coming-of-age story...a beautiful and necessary meditation on finding strength in one's culture." --Entertainment Weekly, Top Pick of the Month "A YA marvel that will shock breath into your lungs. If you loved The Wrath and the...
I've loved you since forever
Kotb, Hoda
Paper Book
New York Times #1 Bestseller! I've Loved You Since Forever is a celebratory and poetic testament to the timeless love felt between parent and child. This beautiful picture book is inspired by Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb's heartwarming adoption of her baby girl,...
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine
Moushabeck, Hannah
Paper Book
A father and his daughters may not be able to return home . . . but they can celebrate stories of their homeland! As bedtime approaches, three young girls eagerly await the return of their father who tells them stories of a faraway homeland--Palestine....
Egyptian Lullaby
Pliska, Zeena M.
Paper Book
A rich, beautifully layered ode to the great city of Cairo, Egypt, its people, and culture. Every night, my Ametti Fatma sings the sounds of Egypt to me as I fall asleep. This is the Nile, that flows through the city. ...
Nour's secret library
Tarnowska, Wafa'
Paper Book
★ "A beautiful and poignant coming-of-age book . . . Based on the author's and illustrator's personal experiences, this unique war story is full of hope and resilience that shines through even the worst of situations" - School Library Journal, starred review ...
Amazing women of the Middle East : 25 stories from ancient times to present day
Tarnowska, Wafa'
Paper Book
Discover Sheherazade, the famous storyteller, dive into the musical world of the beautiful singer Fairuz and meet Amal Clooney, an outstanding international lawyer. Feel inspired by twenty-five amazing women from the Middle East, who have created a legacy through strength of vision, leadership,...
Balcony on the moon : coming of age in Palestine
Barakat, Ibtisam
Paper Book
Picking up whereTasting the Skyleft off, Balcony on the Moon follows Ibtisam Barakat through her childhood and adolescence in Palestine from 1972-1981 and chronicles her desire to be a writer. A Junior Library Guild Selection A Palestine Book Award...
Tasting the sky : a Palestinian childhood
Barakat, Ibtisam.
Paper Book
Winner, Arab American National Museum Book Award for Children's/YA Literature, among other awards and honors. "When a war ends it does not go away," my mother says."It hides inside us . . . Just forget!" But I do not want to do what Mother says . . . I want to...
Honeybee : poems & short prose
Nye, Naomi Shihab.
Paper Book
"Nye's sheer joy in communicating, creativity, and caring shine through."--Kirkus Reviews A moving and celebratory poetry collection from Young People's Poet Laureate and National Book Award Finalist Naomi Shihab Nye. This resonant volume explores the similarities we share with the people...
Other words for home
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book! A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she'd be...
Golden girl
Faruqi, Reem
Paper Book
From the award-winning, ALA Notable author of Unsettled and Lailah's Lunchbox, this is a captivating coming-of-age middle grade novel in verse about seventh grader Aafiyah Qamar, a Pakistani American girl who hatches a special plan to help her family but finds that doing what...
Hello, little one : a monarch butterfly story
Pliska, Zeena M.
Paper Book
Caterpillar crawls from leaf to leaf, eating and waiting, all alone in a big, green world. Then Orange appears--Orange floats, and flits, and flies, graceful and beautiful. In this sweet, moving story of intergenerational friendship, a small caterpillar is befriended by a glorious monarch butterfly,...
Unsettled
Faruqi, Reem
Paper Book
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year · Kid's Indie Next List · Featured in Today Show's AAPI Heritage Month list · A Kirkus Children's Best Book of 2021 · A National Council of Teachers of English Notable Verse Novel · Jane Addams 2022 Children's Book Award Finalist · 2021...
Farah rocks summer break
Darraj, Susan Muaddi
Paper Book
It's summer break, and Farah is eager to attend an enrichment camp at her new school. But with car trouble and other family expenses, Farah's parents won't be able to pay for the camp this year. Taking matters into her own hands, Farah takes various odd jobs, including selling items at a yard sale,...
A rover's story
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller * Best Book of the Year from The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library The One and Only Ivan meets The Wild Robot in this unique and deeply moving middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional Mars rover, from...
The shape of thunder
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
An extraordinary new novel from Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor-winning author of Other Words for Home, about loss and healing--and how friendship can be magical. Cora hasn't spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year. Despite living next door to each other, they exist...
All-American Muslin girl
Courtney, Nadine Jolie
Paper Book
When Allie Abraham starts to explore her Muslim faith, embracing her religion makes her question her own identity in All-American Muslim Girl, a timely YA story from #ownvoices author and blogger Nadine Jolie Courtney. Allie Abraham has it all going for her--she's a straight-A...
Driving by starlight
Deracine, Anat
Paper Book
In this debut YA friendship story set in Saudi Arabia, two girls navigate typical teen issues--crushes, college, family expectations, future hopes, and dreams. Sixteen-year-olds Leena and Mishie are best friends. They delight in small rebellions against the Saudi cultural...
Home is not a country
Elhillo, Safia
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * A CORETTA SCOTT KING HONOR BOOK * A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE CENTURY "Nothing short of magic." --Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X From the ...
Huda F are you
Fahmy, Huda
Paper Book
From the creator of Yes, I'm Hot In This, this cheeky, hilarious, and honest graphic novel asks the question everyone has to figure out for themselves: Who are you? A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century Huda and her family just moved to...
Habibi
Nye, Naomi Shihab.
Paper Book
An award-winning novel about identity, family, and friendship from renowned writer and editor Naomi Shihab Nye. The day after Liyana got her first real kiss, her life changed forever. Not because of the kiss, but because it was the day her father announced that the family was...
Farah rocks fifth grade
Darraj, Susan Muaddi
Paper Book
Farah and her best friend, Allie Liu, are getting excited to turn in their applications to the Magnet Academy, where they both hope to attend sixth grade. But when new girl Dana Denver shows up, Farah's world is turned upside down. As Dana starts bullying Farah's little brother, Samir, Farah begins...
Here we are now
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
A book about love, loss, and the power of music, perfect for fans of Nick Hornby and Fangirl.  Taliah Sahar Abdallat lives and breathes music. Songs have always helped Tal ease the pain of never having known her father. Her mother, born in Jordan and very secretive about her past, won...
The night before Eid : a Muslim family story
Khalil, Aya
Paper Book
★ "A beautiful story of joy, tradition, and family."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review Celebrate the end of Ramadan with this luminous Muslim family story about faith, history, and delicious foods. On the night...
My heart and other black holes
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
A stunning novel about the transformative power of love, perfect for fans of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a...
We hunt the flame
Faizal, Hafsah
Paper Book
An Ignyte Award Winner 2020 A TIME Magazine Top 100 Fantasy Book of All Time A Paste Magazine Best YA Book of 2019 A PopSugar Best YA Book of 2019 A TeenVogue Book Club Pick for 2019 A Barnes & Noble Teen Book Club Pick for 2019 ...

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