February 18, 2025 by HarperAlley
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Hassan falls asleep in math class, drooling on his arm and dreaming of food. He's fasting for Ramadan, but doesn't want any of his friends to know why he is struggling. Not only is school a struggle, but his soccer team is approaching the playoffs, and he has to leave early to be with his family, and doesn't have a lot of energy on the field. Another teammate, Rosie, is often called in to replace him, and when Hassan doesn't have time to keep up with the video game his friends play, he finds out that Rosie is subbing for him there as well. He hangs out with his cousins, who go to a convenience store to get snacks, ostensibly for after their fast ends, and he's shocked to find out that they eat them before sundown! They tell him that if he closes his eyes, god won't see him, and he is tempted by a churro. He finally tells his coach why his performance isn't as good as it could be, and is surprised to find out that his coach is also Muslim and fasting. This helps only temporarily; he gets mad and shoves Rosie on the soccer field, and this, combined with his failing grade in math, gets him removed from the team. His parents ground him from video games until his grades improve, further distancing him from his friends. He laments that Ramadan is much harder than it was when he celebrated it in Yemen, but once he realizes that he needs to focus on school and his grades, things slowly improve. He feels bad that he won't be able to join his teammates for pizza after their playoff game, but they surprise him and come to his house with pizza. Hassan admits to his father that he broke his fast, and his father says that he can be forgiven, and can even make it up by fasting for a day after Ramadan if he would like.
Strengths: Since Ramadan doesn't fall on the same dates every year, many young athletes will have seasons where fasting impacts their sports performance. I can't imagine having a cross country runner in early September running a race without hydrating! Hassan has to balance schoolwork, soccer, and hanging out with his friends with the time his family spends in the evenings, and struggles with getting everything done. I'd love to see more middle grade books showing this balance, and the fact part of Hassan's time commitment involves video games will definitely speak to today's young reader. The Muslim representation seems like it will appeal to those who practice the religion as well as those who don't. The only other middle grade graphic novels I can recall with Muslim main characters are Galligan's Freestyle, Jamieson's When Stars Are Scattered, Fahmy's Huda F series, Huq's Piece by Piece.
Weaknesses: While many negative aspects of fasting are shown, albeit along with positive portrayals of family time and religious practices, I wish this had given some of Hassan's reasons for wanting to fast and for keeping it from his friends. Motivation is somewhat more difficult to portray in a graphic novel, but would be a useful explanation for readers who aren't Muslim or who don't have any spiritual beliefs.
What I really think: Since this involves soccer and is a graphic novel, this has immediate appeal to middle grade readers, and provides a good window or mirror for students wanting a little more information about practices during Ramadan.
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