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 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...
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, Haley Joy. ...
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...
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...
The seven wise princesses : a medieval Persian epic
Tarnowska, Wafa'.
Paper Book
Ah, I told myself, these houris must have a queen! And I was right, for there she came, looking as beautiful as the moon on a starry night.
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...
Silverworld
Abu-Jaber, Diana
Paper Book
Fall under the spell of this fantasy-adventure story about a Lebanese-American girl who finds the courage to save her grandmother. Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Teta, Sami's Lebanese grandmother, has been ill for a while, slipping from reality and...
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 Muslim girl
Courtney, Nadine Jolie
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of 2019 A 2021 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book Nadine Jolie Courtney's All-American Muslim Girl is a relevant, relatable story of being caught between two worlds, and the struggles and hard-won joys of finding your...
Home is not a country
Elhillo, Safia
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD   "Nothing short of magic." --Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X   From the  acclaimed poet featured on Forbes Africa's "30 Under 30" list, this...
Travelers along the way : a Robin Hood remix
Safi, Aminah Mae
Paper Book
Winner of the 2022 Middle East Book Award in Youth Literature In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This thrilling female-led Robin...
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
Celebrate the end of Ramadan with this luminous Muslim family story about faith, history, and delicious foods. On the night before Eid, it's finally time to make special sweet treats: Teita's famous ka'ak. Zain eagerly unpacks the ingredients from his grandmother's bulky...
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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