There’s more to being a great basketball team than mere talent. In Hena Khan and Safiya Zerrougui’s We Are Big Time, Aliya and the Peace Academy Girls Varsity Basketball Team had a headline worthy season. As the team gained confidence and became recognized for their basketball talents they also strengthened their Muslim identities and combated stereotypes. Not only does this story capture the everyday struggles of growing up, but it also highlights the complexities of identity in a relatable storyline.
Moving from Tampa to Milwaukee was a big change. For Aliya this move meant giving up her school, friends, and everything she had ever known. Little by little Aliya adjusts to her new life in Milwaukee especially when she tries out for the all-Muslim Peace Academy Girls Varsity Basketball Team. In the beginning, the girls struggle to connect as a group. After hours of conditioning, skill building, team bonding and extra practices they finally begin to learn what it means to be a team. They soon realize that their commitment to basketball was “more than the score” and that what unites them most is that they are in this together. Throughout their basketball season, the Peace Academy Girls Varsity Basketball Team are forced to navigate judgements and stereotypes placed on them for being Muslim women by other players and journalists. The girls find strength in playing as a team and combating these stereotypes by fighting for respect both on and off the court. In the end they shift assumptions of what people think an all-muslim team can be and the future of the sport in America.
Hena Khan retells the real-life experience of the all-hijab-wearing Salam School Girls’ Varsity High School Basketball Team. Khan has adequately captured an Own Voice story that centers the team’s dedication through` the fictional characters and storyline of We Are Big Time. In order to create this story she conducted several interviews that allowed the voices of these girls to shine through the book. Khan has painted a beautiful portrait of what entering a new school environment can entail and the struggles and triumphs that can come with growing up.
Safiya Zerrougui’s art is joyful and expressive and brings this memorable story and cast of characters off the page. Zerrougui’s visuals and comics use a format that readers of Swim Team and The Tryout are familiar with. She uses a warm purple, yellow and red color scheme, allowing the basketball team spirit to truly shine. For example, in the cover of the book Zerrougui encapsulates the movement of basketball by highlighting the team’s spirit.
For fans of attention-grabbing graphic novels that revolve around teens who share a common goal, and characters that confront racism in their daily lives, this is the story for you. Hena Khan’s voice is distinctive and fun, and as Zerrougui exclaims, this story is sure to inspire more Muslim girls to get into basketball. Public and school libraries should consider this book for their juvenile collections. All in all, readers gear up for an engaging story about unexpected talents and being seen for who you truly are.
We Are Big Time By Hena Khan Art by Safiya Zerrougui Penguin Random House, 2024 ISBN: 9780593430484
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11) Creator Representation: Pakistani-American, Muslim, Character Representation: Pakistani-American, Muslim ,
Zara and Zeeshan, twin Muslim Pakistanian American siblings, love to spend time on their phone apps. Zara keeps a photo journal of different animal species she encounters and Zeeshan geeks out on space exploration facts by tuning in to NASA videos. While preparing for a family trip to Florida, a series of mishaps, jabbing insults, and mistaken interpretations deprives them of their phone privileges, stirring up heated resentment between the two. Bouts of sibling rivalry abound in Saving Sunshine, a heartfelt graphic novel written by Saadia Faruqi (Yasmin and Ali the Great series) and illustrated by Shazleen Khan.
From the moment their mom receives an invitation to accept an award at a medical conference in Key West, Florida, the fun begins. As they are packing, Zeeshan kicks over Zara’s neatly stacked pile of clothes. Upon arriving at the airport, he accidentally bumps into Zara’s luggage cart, causing her to trip over and fall. Their parents execute the ultimate punishment by confiscating their phones and demanding that they stick together, forcing them to work out their differences throughout the trip. After kayaking to a nearby island resort, Zara discovers a lone, ailing loggerhead turtle whom she names “Sunshine.” Little by little, the two team up to nurture it back to health, gaining a deeper understanding and respect for each other’s hobbies in the process.
Beyond the central sibling conflict, the twins also face microaggressions in various guises throughout the story. Classmates poke fun at Zeeshan’s name. In a flashback from sixth grade, Zara wears a hijab for the first time in school only to become the target of jeers from taunting classmates. They are frequently greeted with the question, “Where are you from?” At an airport security checkpoint, a security guard pulls their father aside for questioning. Their parents handle these discriminatory gestures with respect, aplomb, and resilience.
Charmingly sketched characters and scenic backgrounds fill the narrative panels rendered in a watercolor style complemented by soft pastels. Anecdotal flashbacks and memories colored in sepia tones add insight to the backstories of the siblings, elucidating their childhood escapades in some panels that spread out as a series of overlapping photos. Pop-up notifications containing factoids of the siblings’ specialized interests sporadically appear, enhancing the narrative flow of information. Overall, Faruqi incorporates elements of sibling rivalry, reconciliation, animal activism, and Islamophobia into the plot, making this story an enriching addition to middle-grade collections and reinforcing the enduring message of standing strong and true for oneself and others in solidarity.
Saving Sunshine By Saadia Faruqi Art by Shazleen Khan Macmillan First Second, 2023 ISBN: 9781250793805
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12 NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
Creator Representation: Pakistani-American Character Representation: Pakistani-American
Kamala Khan’s keeping it together. Sure, she’s got high school, family obligations, moderator duties on her favorite site, updating her fan fiction, and Avengers training. She might be falling asleep during her classes and her body does keep randomly reshaping itself. But trust her, she’s got this.
Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin, written by Nadia Shammas and art by Nabi H. Ali, is a stand-alone middle grade graphic novel from Scholastic Graphix about Jersey City’s resident teen superhero. It focuses on the pressures of being both a teenage Muslim Pakistani-American girl and one of the younger members of the Avengers. The story begins less than a year after the Terrigen Mist, the event that gave her the power to shapeshift.
Kamala is still learning how to navigate her body’s ability to embiggen and her secret identity as Ms. Marvel. She trains at Avengers Tower in Manhattan with fellow teen superheroes Squirrel Girl and Spider-Man under the one and only Iron Man; together, they’re Team Awesome Next-Gen Superheroes. In her regular life, she’s got her best friends Nakia and Bruno, as well as her increasingly worried parents on her case. She’s messing up at Avengers training, she’s napping through her entire school day, and one of her hands keeps randomly turning into a baby sized hand. At one point, she is literally stretched thin, as Nakia points out to her.
At least Kamala has babysitting her nephew Malik mostly under control, thanks to a weird rechargeable action figure one of her fellow website mods sent her. It might not hold a charge very long but it keeps him occupied while she updates her latest fanfic, the one she’s been getting lots of positive comments on. Things are somewhat more manageable until, while at an important party with her family, Malik’s new favorite toy turns out to be much more than just some random toy. Suddenly, on top of everything else going on in her already strained life, Kamala must focus on keeping her Ms. Marvel identity under wraps and protecting the people around her.
Throughout the book, Kamala faces the reality of being an overworked teenager. The stress starts to manifest in her physically, due to her sometimes uncontrollable ability to shapeshift. Her parents are brushed to the side and she hides in her bedroom, behind her computer screen, away from her family. She begins to recognize the impact this is having on their relationship and it seems like every conversation ends with someone’s feelings getting hurt. Kamala realizes her parents’ stress is actually out of concern and love for her and maybe she hasn’t been the daughter she’d like to be..
Kamala Khan is scheduled to make her official debut into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in late 2021 so be prepared for readers looking for more Ms. Marvel content. Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin is a great introduction to the character and one only needs a basic idea of the Marvel universe to enjoy the story. The art is perfectly suited to the story being told, including slight changes in the color palette when the action ramps up. The shapeshifting scenes and the character’s excellent facial expressions will make readers laugh.
Readers who enjoy middle grade Marvel books like Miles Morales: Shock Waves and the Marvel: Avengers Assembly series will get to see some familiar faces and get to know Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel herself.
Ms. Marvel: Stretched Thin By Nadia Shammas Art by Nabi H. Ali Scholastic GRAPHIX, 2021 ISBN: 9781338722581
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13) Character Representation: Pakistani-American, Muslim
There’s more to being a great basketball team than mere talent. In Hena Khan and Safiya Zerrougui’s We Are Big Time, Aliya and the Peace Academy Girls Varsity Basketball Team had a headline worthy season. As the team gained confidence and became recognized for their basketball talents they also strengthened their Muslim identities and combated stereotypes. Not only does this story capture the everyday struggles of growing up, but it also highlights the complexities of identity in a relatable storyline.
Zara and Zeeshan, twin Muslim Pakistanian American siblings, love to spend time on their phone apps. Zara keeps a photo journal of different animal species she encounters and Zeeshan geeks out on space exploration facts by tuning in to NASA videos. While preparing for a family trip to Florida, a series of mishaps, jabbing insults, and mistaken interpretations deprives them of their phone privileges, stirring up heated resentment between the two. Bouts of sibling rivalry abound in Saving Sunshine, a heartfelt graphic novel written by Saadia Faruqi (Yasmin and Ali the Great series) and illustrated by Shazleen Khan.
