Sadia

by Colleen Nelson

Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award — Winner, Young Adult • High Plains Book Award — Winner, Young Adult • Red Maple Fiction Award — Shortlisted • Snow Willow Award — Shortlisted

Sadia wishes life in high school was as straightforward as a game of basketball.

Fifteen-year-old Sadia Ahmadi is passionate about one thing: basketball. Her best friend Mariam, on the other hand, wants to get noticed by the popular crowd and has started de-jabbing, removing her hijab, at school every morning. Sadia’s mom had warned her that navigating high school could be tricky. As much as she hates to admit it, her mom was right.

When tryouts for an elite basketball team are announced, Sadia jumps at the opportunity. Her talent speaks for itself. Her head scarf, on the other hand, is a problem; especially when a discriminatory rule means she has to choose between removing her hijab and not playing. Mariam, Sadia’s parents, and her teammates all have different opinions about what she should do. But it is Sadia who has to find the courage to stand up for herself and fight for what is right — on and off the court.

• ISBN10: 1459740297
• ISBN13: 9781459740297
• Publish Date: 12 April 2018 (first published 3 February 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Dundurn Group Ltd
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 240
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

Sadia is a Syrian-Candian whose family immigrated before everything got really bad in Syria. This not only saved her family from death but also kept them from seeing a lot of the horror that the refugees have had to live in.

Sadia has acclimated to Candian life fairly easy as her family had been in the UK before for a few months. Now she is used to Candian life and even plays a sport basketball!

She also has a best friend Miriam who is also an Immigrant. They've both connected over the years through church and how they are the only two in their school to wear a hijab.
As well as a surprise character that I was not expecting but showed me how hard it can be to acclimate to a whole new life in real time.

Overall I really enjoyed this story. It is for the 9th-grade reader as well! Sadia and Miriam are such relatable girls and while this book does focus a lot on the hijab. It feels like at times the only things Miriam and Sadia have in common is their religion and their solidarity in wearing the hijab. Outside of that though we see them both grow as individuals, as well as still being there for each other.
I do highly recommend this book, but also take it with a grain of salt. I say that because Miriam and Sadia are told they will be wearing the hijab by their parents at a certain age. This makes it kind of look like they had no choice in the matter as is shown by Miriam's struggle with it as time goes on.
I also really liked how we got to see Sadia's brother doing something, and them interacting as real siblings! I love seeing this in YA books as well as parents that are actually involved in the child's life.

If I am wrong about anything I said in this trilogy please let me know and I will change it to the correct information.