



Four Eids and a Funeral
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Ex-best friends must work together in this romantic story of rekindling and rebuilding!
When Said Hossain's favorite hometown librarian dies, he must return from boarding school for her funeral and for the summer. Too bad being home makes it a lot harder to avoid facing his ex–best friend, Tiwa Olatunji, or facing the daunting task of telling his Bangladeshi parents that he would rather be an artist than a doctor.
Tiwa doesn’t understand what made Said start ignoring her, but it’s probably that fancy boarding school of his. Though he’s unexpectedly home for the summer, she’s determined to take a page from him and pretend he doesn’t exist. Besides, she has more than enough going on, between grieving her favorite librarian and her broken family while helping her mother throw the upcoming Eid celebration at the Islamic Center—a place that means so much to Tiwa.
But when the center accidentally catches fire, the mayor plans to demolish it entirely. Tiwa and Said will need to put their feelings aside if they're going to get the mayor to change his mind. Will all their efforts be enough to save the Islamic Center, save Eid, and maybe even save their relationship?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The week before summer break, junior Said Hossain is pulled out of class at his prestigious Virginia boarding school by his older sister Safiyah, who shares devastating news: Said's beloved childhood librarian and mentor, Ms. Barnes, has died and they must return home to New Crosshaven, Vt., for the funeral. There, Said encounters his former best friend Tiwa Olatunji; their simmering distaste for each other has only grown in the years they've spent apart. But when New Crosshaven's Islamic center catches fire the day of Ms. Barnes's funeral, Said and Tiwa set aside their feud to try and raise the money and support to both restore the building and throw an amazing Eid celebration. Their well-intentioned plan becomes complicated by family drama, a ticking clock, Safiyah's sisterly meddling, an unsupportive mayor, Said and Tiwa's joint ownership of Ms. Barnes's cat, and the teens' annoyingly amorous feelings. Via flashbacks to Eids past, Àbíké-Íyímídé (Where Sleeping Girls Lie) and Jaigirdar (A Million to One) craft a lighthearted rom-com that's bookended by potent depictions of cultural customs, personal revelations, past hurts, laugh-out-loud moments, and a satisfying romantic conclusion. Said is Bengali American and Tiwa is Nigerian American; both are Muslim. Ages 14–up.