Saving Sunshine
-
-
4.5 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
From Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan comes a relatable, funny, and heart-wrenchingly honest graphic novel about Muslim American siblings who must learn how to stop fighting and support each other in a world that is often unkind.
Being a kid is hard enough without having to deal with teasing about your name, assumptions about your identity, or standing out because you wear a hijab. But for twins Zara and Zeeshan, the biggest challenge might just be each other.
The two siblings are constantly at war, trading insults, pushing buttons, and driving their parents to the brink. So when a family trip to Florida turns into their most chaotic battle yet, their parents deliver the ultimate punishment: they’re stuck together with no escape.
But when Zara and Zeeshan discover an injured turtle in need of help, they’re forced to put aside their differences and work as a team. Can they stop fighting long enough to save a tiny creature—and maybe discover that they’re stronger together than they ever imagined?
Eisner-nominated
A 2024 Bank Street Best Books of the Year
Nominated for the 2024 Jane Addams Children's Book Award
A Kirkus Best Book of 2023
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids 2023
A YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens selection
A 2024 Texas Library Association Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List Selection
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tween twins with a strained relationship must overcome their differences to save the day—and each other—in this moving graphic novel by Faruqi (the Ali the Great series) and debut creator Khan. Muslim Pakistani American twins Zara and Zeeshan have been bickering nonstop as they pack for their family trip from New York to Key West, Fla. When their tension—exacerbated by Islamophobic experiences at the airport—reaches a boiling point, their exasperated parents confiscate the twins' phones until they can "figure out how to be friends." Arriving in Florida without their devices, Zara and Zeesh must work together if they want to enjoy their trip and get their phones back. Collaborating on a mission to save a sick turtle allows the siblings to demonstrate each other's individual passions, resulting in newfound connection and understanding. Khan's digital illustrations mimic the free-flowing feel of watercolor; shifts between soft pastels and saturated primary colors evoke changes in mood, and creative angles, detailed expressions, and dynamic paneling portray characters' interactions and relationships. Poignant flashbacks to the twins' tumultuous childhood, as well as their present-day encounters with racism, supplement this stirring and uplifting story of family and identity. Ages 8–12.
