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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Salma Makes a Home
Ramadan, Danny/ Bron, Anna (ILT)
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)

City of the plague god
Chadda, Sarwat
Paper Book
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents an adventure based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology by Sarwat Chadda, author of the Ash Mistry series. "An epic worthy of Gilgamesh. Chadda brings attention to the less well-recognized mythology of ancient Mesopotamia with engaging...

A fantasy adventure story from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint features a modern Iraqi American middle schooler immersed in a world inspired by Mesopotamian myth. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The Button Box
Hodder, Bridget
Paper Book
After Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her Muslim best friend Nadeem are called hateful names at school, Ava's Granny Buena rummages in her closet and pulls out a glittering crystal button box. It's packed with buttons that generations of Ava's Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of...

A Jewish and Muslim author team join forces to tell as story about Sephardic Jewish and Muslim cousins who travel back in time to medieval Spain where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived peacefully together. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Zara's rules for record-breaking fun
Khan, Hena
Paper Book
From the beloved author of Amina's Voice comes the first book in a humor-filled middle grade series starring a young Muslim girl with an endless list of hobbies who searches for ways to maximize fun for her family and neighborhood friends. Meet Zara Saleem, the queen of...

A Muslim girl struggles with jealousy when a new girl threatens her role as the de factor leader of the neighborhood kids. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Once upon an Eid : stories of hope and joy by 15 Muslim voices
Saeed, Aisha
Paper Book
A joyous short story collection by and about Muslims, edited by New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed and Morris finalist S. K. Ali Once Upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year:...

A collection of short stories set around Eid by 15 Muslim authors. A great way to try short samples of writing by a variety of authors! (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

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)

The magical reality of Nadia
Yūsuf, Bāsim
Paper Book
Inspired by the author's real life experiences, this rollicking, charming novel follows sixth grade Egyptian immigrant Nadia as she navigates the ups and downs of friendships, racism, and some magic, too! Nadia loves fun facts. Here are a few about her: * She collects bobbleheads -- she...

A souvenir from a trip to Cairo introduces an Egyptian American tween to a magical world inspired by Egyptian history and mythology. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Yusuf Azeem is not a hero
Faruqi, Saadia
Paper Book
At a time when we are all asking questions about identity, grief, and how to stand up for what is right, this book by the author of A Thousand Questions will hit home with young readers who love Hena Khan and Varian Johnson--or anyone struggling to understand recent U.S. history and...

A Muslim American middle schooler grapples with belonging in his small Texas town on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The secret diary of Mona Hasan
Hussain, Salma (Young adult fiction writer)
Paper Book
Mona learns to find her voice over the course of a year that sees her immigrating from Dubai to Canada in this novel for fans of Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Mona Hasan is a young Muslim girl growing up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, when the first Gulf War breaks out in...

An Emirati middle schooler chronicles her move from Dubai to Canada during the first Gulf War in this diary-style novel that mixes the ordinary drama of being a teen girl with a major historical event. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Barakah Beats
Siddiqui, Maleeha
Paper Book
"This book about friendship and faith absolutely sings." -- Buzzfeed Perfect for fans of The First Rule of Punk or Save Me a Seat, this is a sweet, powerful, and joyous novel about a girl who finds her voice on her own terms. Twelve-year-old Nimra...

Attending public school for the first time, a Muslim teen girl tries to repair a fractured relationship with her non-Muslim best friend by joining a pop band despite her parents' objections. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Muzoon : a Syrian refugee speaks out
Almellehan, Muzoon
Paper Book
"Muzoon takes readers on her perilous and ultimately hopeful journey from refugee child to advocate for others in need." -Malala Yousafzai, bestselling author and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize When her family had to flee Syria, 14-year-old Muzoon was told to pack only the...

A Syrian refugee tells her story in this memoir for older readers. (Children's Nonfiction Age 8-12)

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...

An award-winning novel in verse about a Syrian girl who immigrates to the US to live with relatives in Ohio when war breaks out in her homeland. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Wishing upon the same stars
Feldman, Jacquetta Nammar
Paper Book
This powerful and poignant coming-of-age middle grade debut novel follows an Arab American girl named Yasmeen as she moves to San Antonio with her family and navigates finding friendship--and herself. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home, Front Desk, and American as Paneer Pie. ...

An Arab Christian girl with Palestinian heritage makes friends with a Jewish classmate after a difficult move to San Antonio. (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)

Nayra and the djinn
Ata, Iasmin Omar
Paper Book
In this coming-of-age graphic novel with a fantastical twist, Nayra Mansour, a Muslim American girl, is helped on her journey to selfhood by a djinn. Nothing is going right for Nayra Mansour. There's the constant pressure from her strict family, ruthless bullying from her...

A bullied Muslim American girl befriends a djinn in an online chatroom and gets drawn into a world of magic inspired by Islamic folklore. (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

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...

A Palestinian American girl deals with bullying as she prepares to apply for a competitive middle school. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

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. A Walter Award Honor Book When a...

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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