Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Amal Unbound was the middle-grade global read aloud for the fall of 2018 and has been read in many classrooms around the world. https://theglobalreadaloud.com/  What a great choice! This is a must-read for students, teachers, and parents. I was worried that it would be for mature readers or extremely sad, however, it is an empowering story of a modern Pakistani girl who seeks justice after being forced to quit school and become an indentured servant. It would be a great choice for 4th grade and up. I give it a 4 out of 4 rating!

Amal is a teen who dreams of becoming a teacher but has a run-in with their landlord who then requires her to come to his house as a servant as a punishment. She learns that despite her father trying to pay her way home, her room and board bills make this impossible. She is stuck like many of the people who have been caught in a similar situation. Amal works hard at her job and makes friends with the other servants as well as the landlord's mother who she serves. Amal risks much and comes up with a plan to fight for justice for herself and others. 

This story was inspired by the true story of Malala Yousafzai. Watch the following video where Amal Unbound is compared with the Young Readers version of I am Malala.

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• Age Range: 10 and up 
• Grade Level: 5 - 6
• Reading Level: 4.2 (6 points)
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books (May 8, 2018)

ALSC Notable Children's Books - 2019 

CCBC Choices 2019 Choice: Fiction for Children 

ILA Teachers' Choices - 2019 

ALA-CBC Building a Home Library Booklist - 2018 

CSMCL Best Books - 2018 

Publishers Weekly Best Books - 2018 

Kirkus Best Books, Middle-Grade - 2018 

NYPL Best Books for Kids - 2018 

NPR’s Book Concierge - 2018 

School Library Journal Best Books - 2018

Ten Diverse Books I Loved

If you wanted me to gift you with ten diverse books with different genres that are great reads I would give you this set of books!  All of these titles are only a few years old and should be really easy to find in libraries both in audio, print or electronic formats. Click on the links for previous book reviews. 

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
| 4.2 | 5-8 | Pakistani | Contemporary

Apple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley
| 5.1 | 6-9 | Ojibwe | Contemporary

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome 
| 4.2 | 5-8 | African American | Historical

4 stars! Historical fiction set in Chicago during the migration of African Americans from South to North. The boy in this story is Langston and his father and he has moved to Chicago. His mother died and he is still grieving. His new school has a couple of bullies that make life miserable. He finds peace and solace at a neighborhood library where he is welcomed. The book is like a love story to this library which is also named after a famous African American from Chicago. I listened to this book and read it too. I highly recommend listening to this gem! I think this could be a crossover book. It would be a great read-aloud or book club for kids. 

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes 
| 4.2 | 5-8 | African American | Contemporary

Jerome is a black 7th grader in Chicago who tries to avoid the bullies and do well in school. A new boy comes to school and Jerome tries to help him avoid a bully attack. The new boy uses a toy gun to scare them away and then gives the gun to Jerome to play with. Later, in the park, as Jerome plays, a police car arrives and shoots Jerome and he dies. Jerome now looks on as a ghost at how the rest of the days play out. 

Jerome meets the Ghost of Emmitt Till and is also able to communicate with Sarah who is the daughter of the police officer who shot him. Sarah begins to see how she can become an activist to make a change in our world. 

This book is heart-breaking and outstanding. It is so well written and tells an important story. History is so important in helping us change for the better if we could only learn our lessons well. I hope parents and teachers use this book for a discussion or read aloud.  I rated it a 5 because it gave me that reading feeling at the end where I want to press this book into everybody’s hands to read.

Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell
| 4.2 | 5-8 | Native American | Historical

Love Sugar Magic by Anna Meriano
| 4.2 | 5-8 | Mexican American | Fantasy

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
| 4.2 | 5-8 | Cuban American | Contemporary

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani  

| 4.2 | 5-8 | India-Pakistan | Historical

This book is set in 1947 when India was given independence from Britain and India was divided into the two countries of India and Pakistan. Pakistan became a Muslim country, and India was mainly Hindu. People were forced to leave and go to the country based on their practices. 12-year-old Nisha is the daughter of a doctor and he is Hindu. Nisha's mother has passed and she was Muslim. When it is no longer safe for them to stay in the country of Pakistan because of the danger they begin a difficult trek to India.  Nisha writes in her diary every night to her deceased mother and tells the story of the journey and her feelings about what is happening and how confusing it is for religion and beliefs to cause such anger. 

I loved this book because it taught me about something in history I was not aware of. It is very interesting and heartbreaking.   

A Place to Belong by Cynthian Kadohata
| 4.2 | 5-8 | Japanese | Historical

Stargazing by Jen Wang
| 4.2 | 5-8 | Chinese American | Contemporary