Hafsa’s Way
-
- Pre-Order
-
- Expected 28 Apr 2026
-
- $9.99
-
- Pre-Order
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this gripping and inspiring middle-grade novel, by the author of the bestselling Amal Unbound, Hafsa pushes back against her family’s expectations—and discovers her own power.
Hafsa has always dreamed of becoming a doctor, so when she’s accepted into a prestigious summer science camp, she’s thrilled. But her parents are not happy. The camp is expensive, it’s in a big city, and they don’t think a girl should aspire to be a doctor. Fortunately, her sister and brother-in-law invite her to stay with them.
But it turns out Hafsa has enrolled in the wrong course and her classmates treat her badly. She’s also worried about her sister, who is neglecting her career now that she’s married. Hafsa refocuses her energy on climate change. On a field trip to the city zoo, she encounters an elephant with bigger problems than her own and realises that standing up for what’s right, whether in the classroom, with her sister, or at the zoo, sometimes means breaking the rules. But Hafsa’s ready—even if it means getting in trouble.
Based on a true story, Hafsa’s Way is an uplifting novel about a girl who defies her family and community’s patriarchal expectations by pursuing her dreams for a better future.
Aisha Saeed, the Pakistani-American author of the New York Times bestseller Amal Unbound, is also a teacher and attorney. As one of the founding members of the We Need Diverse Books Campaign, she is helping to change the conversation about diversity in literature. Aisha lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and sons.
‘Omar Rising is irresistibly appealing and genuinely inspiring—a story that helps us to see the world more clearly, and to see ourselves as powerful enough to change it.’ Rebecca Stead on Omar Rising
‘Timely and stirring…reminds us that the powerful aren’t invincible—and that every action, no matter how small, bends the arc of the moral universe towards justice.’ Teen Vogue on Amal Unbound
‘Full of character and interest and written with a lovely balanced clarity, it celebrates the power of the gutsy individual.’ Magpies Magazine on Amal Unbound
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired in part, per an author's note, by the true story of an orphaned Asian elephant transplanted to the Islamabad Zoo, this tidy novel by Saeed (Omar Rising) traces a Pakistani youth's experience learning to advocate for others. Determined Hafsa dreams of becoming a medical doctor. She's thrilled when her traditional father, pressured by her older sister Shabnam and Shabnam's physician husband Sohail, reluctantly allows Hafsa to attend a prestigious science camp in Lahore, where the newly married couple lives with Sohail's wealthy parents. Hafsa is disappointed, however, to learn that the camp curriculum focuses not on medicine but on climate change. But her disappointment soon grows into curiosity and concern for the animals in the city zoo and their deteriorating living conditions—especially for elephant, Gulab. Hafsa's deepening attachment to Gulab and her activism against animal cruelty steadily unfolds alongside peripheral family struggles: after Shabnam abandons her goal of attending culinary school to instead help her mother-in-law fundraise for Sohail's hospital, Hafsa's attempted interventions sow resentment within the sisters' relationship. While Hafsa's emotional voice reads as somewhat young, and conflicts are resolved a bit smoothly, the development of Hafsa's passions evolves naturally and credibly, and her achievements feel well-earned. Ages 10–up.
