As this sequel to Amina’s Voice opens, Amina’s family is visiting Uncle Thaya Jaan’s family in Pakistan. Amina loves Pakistan and spending time with her cousins, especially Zohra, 16, but also sometimes feels like she isn’t Pakistani enough. Before going home, she promises her uncle, whose health issues have her worried, that she’ll “show people in America the beauty of Pakistan.” Back in Wisconsin, Amina feels changed by her trip and disappointed that her two best friends, Soojin and Emily, aren’t interested in hearing about it as the three start 7th grade. For a social studies project on a person she admires, Amina chooses Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, but after her short presentation to introduce the person she’ll be researching, the other students express dismay at the attack on Malala and Taliban restrictions to girls’ education in Pakistan. Knowing Pakistan is so much more than these two things, Amina feels like she’s failed her uncle and the country. She rethinks her approach to the assignment, willing to take a risk to broaden their perspectives. Amina’s appreciation for her culture and parents’ homeland is woven throughout a story that is also a wonderful look at middle school-age friendships, from Amina’s changing but still strong relationships with Soojin and Emily to Rabiya, her friend at mosque, and her new friend, biracial Nico (Black/African and Middle Eastern Arab), a boy who shares her interest in music and is teaching her how to record an original song she’s writing. (Ages 9-12)

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature

“For inspiring empathy in young readers, you can’t get better than this book.” —R. J. Palacio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wonder

In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina’s Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves—this time across continents.

It’s the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she’s spent with her family—all of it holds a special place in Amina’s heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she’s sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale.

After she’s home, though, her friends don’t seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen?