Saving Kabul Corner

by N. H. Senzai

Published 4 February 2014
From Afghanistan to America, family matters most in this "empowering mystery" (Publishers Weekly), a companion to Shooting Kabul, which Kirkus Reviews called a "story with much to offer."

A rough and tumble tomboy, twelve-year-old Ariana couldn't be more different from her cousin Laila, who just arrived from Afghanistan with her family. Laila is a proper, ladylike Afghan girl, one who can cook, sew, sing, and who is well versed in Pukhtun culture and manners. Arianna hates her. Laila not only invades Ariana's bedroom in their cramped Fremont townhouse, but she also becomes close with Mariam Nurzai, Ariana's best friend.

Then a rival Afghan grocery store opens near Ariana's family store, reigniting a decades-old feud tracing back to Afghanistan. The cousins, Mariam, and their newfound frenemy, Waleed Ghilzai, must ban together to help the families find a lasting peace before it destroys both businesses and everything their parents have worked for.

"Senzai successfully weaves the dynamics of Afghan culture, history and political wranglings into a classically American mystery story (Kirkus Reviews)."


Shooting Kabul

by N. H. Senzai

Published 22 June 2010
Fadi never imagined he’d start middle school in Fremont, California, thousands of miles from home in Kabul—and half a world away from his missing six-year-old sister, Mariam.

Adjusting to life in the United States isn’t easy for Fadi’s family, and as the events of September 11 unfold, the prospects of locating Mariam in war-torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize of a trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. But can one photo really bring Mariam home?

Based in part on Ms. Senzai’s husband’s own experience fleeing Soviet-controlled Afghanistan in 1979, Shooting Kabul is a powerful story of hope, love, and perseverance.