Samira's Worst Best Summer

April 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 Sammy was adrift this school year after a falling-out with her cruel ex-BFF, although hiding behind a camera for the yearbook club helped pass time. "Middle school was a crusher of dreams," and 13-year-old Sammy is grateful to have two unscheduled weeks of summer vacation during which to recover. Instead, an act of vandalism sends Sammy into a busy tailspin just as Umma arrives from India to babysit, and Sammy's days are now full of adventure. Delightful Umma, a unifier with a magnetic personality, enables Sammy to take small steps outside of her comfort zone. As she forms new friendships in the neighborhood, she increasingly asserts herself, reclaiming her given name (Samira) and speaking up for herself. Hamza (Ahmed Aziz's Epic Year, 2021) centers an exceedingly insecure seventh-grader as she examines her South Indian Muslim identity and uses her quiet and shy personality to be an astute observer and kind friend. A bolstering pick for introverts and fans of friendship dramas, with positive incidental representation of autism in the family.

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April 1, 2024
When a seventh grader's favorite tree gets toilet-papered, it's the catalyst for either her worst or best summer ever. Sammy's school year was terrible. Not only did her former best friend, Kiera, dump her, but she even became Sammy's bully. But the last day of school seems to set the tone for a summer that Sammy dreads. The beautiful maple in front of her house that she loves to sit in and read is T.P.'d, upsetting the whole family, especially Imran, her autistic 7-year-old brother. After Sammy mentions prejudice as a possible motive, Imran becomes fixated on the idea that they've been targeted because they're Indian American and Muslim. Making things worse, Sammy's parents and older sister, Zaara, will be visiting India, while Sammy will stay behind with Imran and Umma, their grandmother. But things start looking up when a new girl moves in nearby. Alice and Sammy become fast friends until Kiera tries to split them apart. What Sammy doesn't anticipate is how the power of Umma's quiet strength and compassion will transform not only Sammy herself, but the whole community. Hamza takes readers on a roller coaster of emotions in this authentically written story that addresses important topics, such as bullying, finding a sense of belonging, learning how to self-advocate, building community, and staying true to one's identity. The characterization is robust: Against the backdrop of her rich cultural heritage, Sammy's middle school struggles are hugely relatable, and Imran is sensitive, insightful, and funny. Simply charming. (Fiction. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2024
Thirteen-year-old Samira's parents and older sister are in India for two weeks for a wedding, leaving her and her younger brother, Imran, at home in Minnesota with their maternal grandmother, Umma. Recovering from an awful seventh-grade year, Sammy hopes the time without her immediate family's interference will help her cope with the isolation she feels since being targeted by former-best-friend-now-bully Kiera. It is almost certainly Kiera who toilet-papered the tree in their front yard; Imran (who has autism) fixates on Sammy's offhand remark that they were targeted because they are brown and Muslim. New neighbor Alice seems eager to solve the mystery of who did it -- which makes nonconfrontational Sammy deeply uncomfortable. And she is wary of Alice's overtures of friendship, especially when Kiera tries to interfere. The protagonist is a relatable character; as an awkward middle child, she both craves and pushes away attention. Hamza tackles cultural diversity and prejudice with nuance, showing both overt occurrences of prejudice and microaggressions. The story features allies of different ages and appearances, along with Samira's own growing advocacy for herself and others. Ariana Hussain

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Thirteen-year-old Samira's parents and older sister are in India for two weeks for a wedding, leaving her and her younger brother, Imran, at home in Minnesota with their maternal grandmother, Umma. Recovering from an awful seventh-grade year, Sammy hopes the time without her immediate family's interference will help her cope with the isolation she feels since being targeted by former-best-friend-now-bully Kiera. It is almost certainly Kiera who toilet-papered the tree in their front yard; Imran (who has autism) fixates on Sammy's offhand remark that they were targeted because they are brown and Muslim. New neighbor Alice seems eager to solve the mystery of who did it -- which makes nonconfrontational Sammy deeply uncomfortable. And she is wary of Alice's overtures of friendship, especially when Kiera tries to interfere. The protagonist is a relatable character; as an awkward middle child, she both craves and pushes away attention. Hamza tackles cultural diversity and prejudice with nuance, showing both overt occurrences of prejudice and microaggressions. The story features allies of different ages and appearances, along with Samira's own growing advocacy for herself and others.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)