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 1991. The war isn't what
she expects -- "We didn't even get any days off school! Just my luck" --
especially when the ground offensive is over so quickly and her family
peels the masking tape off their windows. Her parents, however, fear
there is no peace in the region, and it sparks a major change in their
lives.
Over the course of one year, Mona falls in love, speaks up to protect
her younger sister, loses her best friend to the new girl at school, has
summer adventures with her cousins in Pakistan, immigrates to Canada,
and pursues her ambition to be a feminist and a poet.