January 13, 2026 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Eight year old Nadia is excited for Ramadan. She and her best friend, Yasmin, are going to fast for the first time, and plan on supporting each other. When her family plans a trip to visit relatives in Bangladesh, Nadia is not happy. She is very interested in being the editor in chief of her elementary school newspaper after summer break is over, and thinks that the current editor, Millie, is “the coolest fifth grader”. She confers with Yasmin, and the two decide that the article Nadia submits in the fall can be about her visit. Nadia’s Aunt Khalamoni is a reporter for a big national newspaper, and is also going to Bangladesh. She hopes to write an article about how climate change is affecting the country, and wants to start doing more freelance writing about issues that affect her deeply. Nadia and her older brother, Adam, meet their three cousins, and decide that they will have a “Ramadan Race” to see who can fast the most days. They make a bet that the winner can have everyone’s Eid money. The adults don’t know about this, and encourage the children to only fast every other day, but Nadia is still focused on her goal. She accompanies Khalamoni to a shelter that has been set up by Reem, who is just a bit older than Nadia. Flooding has driven many people out of their homes, and Reem’s shelter for victims is very helpful. Nadia is excited about the writing, but she is at odds with Yasmin, who doesn’t agree with the direction Nadia wants to take with their article for school, and is definitely against the fasting race. The race escalates, with the girls trying to trick Adam into breaking his fast by giving him sweet treats, and with the cousins putting a glass of water by Nadia’s bedside. When the adults find out, they put an end to it, and encourage the children to learn the true meaning of Ramadan. When Khalamoni’s article is cut by the outlet that was going to run it, Nadia makes a video with Reem so that her story is not ignored. She also reconciles with Yasmin.
Strengths: Reading about children who go to visit relatives outside of the US is always interesting, and a good way for students to learn about different ways of life. Including information about climate change adds another level of interest to this, and Reem’s shelter is a great example of how even younger people can help make the world a better place. Many of my Muslim students face similar struggles with fasting for Ramadan, especially when there are not as many of their friends who are fasting, so reading about Nadia’s experiences with it is interesting, especially since she has friends, cousins, and family who are right there to support her.
Weaknesses: There have been a number of books about children who want to write news articles, but they don’t circulate well with my students, perhaps because none of the K-8 schools in my district produce any newspapers. The tone of this veered often into the didactic, which middle schoolers won’t like, but which might not bother younger ones.
What I really think: This is a good choice for elementary school readers who enjoyed Ramadan stories like Algarmi’s Almost Sunset or Zia’s The Garden of My Imaan, or newspaper stories like Dassori’s Greta Ever After or Lobenstine and Na’s The Barking Puppy.
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