Aaliya, Sukhi, and Lisa are best friends until one night when they go to a pop concert and a bomb explodes at the venue. Scared and shaking outside the venue, Aaliya is then left astounded and terrified when Lisa's brother blames her for the bombing due to her religion. The book then follows the impact that the bombing has on Aaliya's family and how white supremacist racism threatens to tear everything apart.
What I think is so important about this book is the positive representation of a Muslim family as just an ordinary family trying to go about their everyday lives. It gives us a window into the way that different people live but, more importantly, it solidifies the idea that humans are humans whatever their differences. It is only through focusing on our shared humanity that we will overcome the racism and hate and fear that threaten to divide us. I really like the way the book explores the ideas behind some of the far right ideology, reaching back into the past to discuss narratives that are challenging to deal with in a book aimed at young teenagers. Yet this book does it well. It is so important that we do discuss this, challenge it, and get behind the fear that the far right spread to see that the real fear is caused by white supremacists and extremists. This idea of everyone coming together to celebrate our differences, and not be scared by them, is portrayed really well here, especially in the silent protest and the summer fete speeches scenes.
The hijab is a really interesting aspect to this book. I admit to not thinking too much about it before now and it was interesting to hear from Aaliya's mum about why she wears it and what it stands for to her. The school's actions in banning religious symbols was also thought provoking; at first glance, that seems like the easiest thing to do, but thinking more deeply about it shows us that denying people their right to wear religious symbols is not the best way of celebrating diversity. This book also deals very well with the idea that not all grown ups are the best type of people, as we can see here with the Head, and this is also a lesson that all children have to learn as they grow up.
I really enjoyed this book and I think it is so important to have positive representation of Muslims in children's literature to encourage pupils to learn more about various cultures and to help them understand that most Muslim people are as scared of terrorism as non-Muslim people. Seeing the backlash that the bombing had on Aaliya's family can, therefore, create empathy within those who read this book.
Oh, and I loved the cat too, of course! Five stars!
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