The Next New Syrian Girl (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780316432634)

Furia meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter about the unlikely friendship between two very different Syrian girls, the pressures and expectations of the perfect Syrian daughter, and the repercussions of the Syrian Revolution both at home and abroad.

Khadija Shami is a Syrian American high school senior raised on boxing and football. Saddled with a monstrous ego and a fierce mother to test it, she dreams of escaping her sheltered life to travel the world with her best friend.

Leene Tahir is a Syrian refugee, doing her best to adjust to the wildly unfamiliar society of a suburban Detroit high school while battling panic attacks and family pressures.

When their worlds collide the result is catastrophic. To Khadija, Leene embodies the tame, dutiful Syrian ideal she's long rebelled against. And to Leene, Khadija is the strong-willed, closed-off American who makes her doubt her place in the world.

But as Khadija digs up Leene's past, a startling and life-changing discovery forces the two of them closer together. As the girls secretly race to unravel the truth, a friendship slowly and hesitantly begins blooming. Doubts are cast aside as they realize they have more in common than they each expected. What they find takes them on a journey all the way to Jordan, challenging what each knows about the other and herself.

Fans of Samira Ahmed's Love, Hate, and Other Filters and Tahereh Mafi's A Very Large Expanse Of Sea will love Khadija and Leene's sharp-witted voices in this dual POV narrative. The Next New Syrian Girl is a poignant and timely blend of guilt, nostalgia, devotion, and bad-ass hijabees.


Author: Ream Shukairy
ISBN-10: 0316432636
ISBN-13: 9780316432634
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Language: English
Published: 03/14/2023
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.50d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.3
Point Value: 14
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 522513 / Next New Syrian Girl


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2023
Booklist 03/01/2023 pg. 53
Publishers Weekly 03/27/2023
BookPage 03/01/2023
School Library Journal 12/15/2023 pg. 1