Booktalks Quick and Simple

	Khan, Hena. AMINA'S VOICE New York : Salaam Reads, 2017 IL 3-6, RL 4.6 ISBN 1481492063 (4 booktalks)
Click on the book to read Amazon reviews	Booktalk #1 Amina and Soojin have been best friends for a long time but now things are changing. They are in middle school and Soojin is including Emily in their group. This throws Amina for a loop since Emily has always been so mean to them. As she gets to know Emily, she doesn't seem so bad. But to add to the changes in her life, Amina's uncle from Pakistan has come to stay with them for a few months. And Soojin is becoming an American citizen and talking about changing her name. Why can't things just stay the same? Booktalk #2 Middle school is hard for everyone, but especially Amina. Her best friend Soojin is befriending a girl who used to bully them, and Amina feels left behind. On top of that, Soojin may not even be “Soojin” much longer- she is becoming a citizen soon and wants to change her name to something more “American”- sounding. Add in a bad case of stage fright keeping her from singing in the upcoming school concert, and the WORST boy in school stuck in their social studies group, and Am-ina wishes she were back in elementary school. At home, things are changing, too. Her older brother is too cool for her now, and her parents are distracted by the upcoming arrival of her uncle from Pakistan. Her uncle is a very devout Muslim, and Amina worries she might disappoint him, and her parents by extension. Amina escapes into her music, both singing and playing the piano, but her uncle disapproves of this. He feels both siblings should be focused on learning the Quran, and their father has even signed them up for a recitation contest at their mosque. Amina feels lost and dreads the upcoming contest. But when a hateful tragedy occurs, she realizes that despite lots of changes, she is very much still connected to her family, her friends, and in fact, to her entire community. Will it be enough to truly find her voice? (New Hampshire Great Stone Face nominee, 2018-2019) Booktalk #3 Amina is a new middle-schooler struggling to find her place in school, her family, and her faith. She is a Pakistani-American Muslim girl who just wants to be a singer, but because of a disastrous experience in 2nd grade, she can't perform on stage. Her family believes her singing is "anti-Muslim” and has signed her up for a Quran recitation competition. Her best friend has started hanging out with the "cool" girls, and Amina feels all alone at school. On top of that, her local mosque has been vandalized, leaving Amina with many questions about her faith and her place as a Muslim in America. Will Amina be able to face her challenges and find the answers to her questions? Read Amina's Voice to find out. (Prepared by: Jill Tyner, Bethel Elementary, jmtyner@greenville.k12.sc.us for South Carolina Book Award) Booktalk #4 Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school, everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class and is even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized. Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other. (Garden State Children's Book Awards nominee, 2020)
	SUBJECTS: Friendship -- Fiction. Muslims -- Fiction. Pakistani Americans -- Fiction.

Khan, Hena.
AMINA'S VOICE
New York : Salaam Reads, 2017
IL 3-6, RL 4.6
ISBN 1481492063

(4 booktalks)

Click on the book to read Amazon reviews

Booktalk #1

Amina and Soojin have been best friends for a long time but now things are changing. They are in middle school and Soojin is including Emily in their group. This throws Amina for a loop since Emily has always been so mean to them. As she gets to know Emily, she doesn't seem so bad. But to add to the changes in her life, Amina's uncle from Pakistan has come to stay with them for a few months. And Soojin is becoming an American citizen and talking about changing her name. Why can't things just stay the same?

Booktalk #2

Middle school is hard for everyone, but especially Amina. Her best friend Soojin is befriending a girl who used to bully them, and Amina feels left behind. On top of that, Soojin may not even be “Soojin” much longer- she is becoming a citizen soon and wants to change her name to something more “American”- sounding. Add in a bad case of stage fright keeping her from singing in the upcoming school concert, and the WORST boy in school stuck in their social studies group, and Am-ina wishes she were back in elementary school.

At home, things are changing, too. Her older brother is too cool for her now, and her parents are distracted by the upcoming arrival of her uncle from Pakistan. Her uncle is a very devout Muslim, and Amina worries she might disappoint him, and her parents by extension. Amina escapes into her music, both singing and playing the piano, but her uncle disapproves of this. He feels both siblings should be focused on learning the Quran, and their father has even signed them up for a recitation contest at their mosque.

Amina feels lost and dreads the upcoming contest. But when a hateful tragedy occurs, she realizes that despite lots of changes, she is very much still connected to her family, her friends, and in fact, to her entire community. Will it be enough to truly find her voice? (New Hampshire Great Stone Face nominee, 2018-2019)

Booktalk #3

Amina is a new middle-schooler struggling to find her place in school, her family, and her faith. She is a Pakistani-American Muslim girl who just wants to be a singer, but because of a disastrous experience in 2nd grade, she can't perform on stage. Her family believes her singing is "anti-Muslim” and has signed her up for a Quran recitation competition. Her best friend has started hanging out with the "cool" girls, and Amina feels all alone at school. On top of that, her local mosque has been vandalized, leaving Amina with many questions about her faith and her place as a Muslim in America. Will Amina be able to face her challenges and find the answers to her questions? Read Amina's Voice to find out. (Prepared by: Jill Tyner, Bethel Elementary, jmtyner@greenville.k12.sc.us for South Carolina Book Award)

Booktalk #4

Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school, everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class and is even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized. Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.
(Garden State Children's Book Awards nominee, 2020)

SUBJECTS:     Friendship -- Fiction.
                        Muslims -- Fiction.
                        Pakistani Americans -- Fiction.