February 24, 2026 by Kokila
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Mariam Hassan is concerned about starting 6th grade at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, especially since her family is Muslim. Her mother, an Iraqi immigrant, has been told by one of her friends that the school is more academically rigorous, but Mariam is concerned about the fact that there are so many depictions of Jesus around the school, since she thought the Muslim faith (which considers Jesus a prophet) didn't approve. Her younger sister, Salma, doesn't have to attend. Sister Geraldine seems nice, and Mariam decides to run for class president, devising a clever speech complete with props. She makes friends with Isabella, whose family is Latine, and even gets along fairly well with the popular Lauren despite her political run and the fact that she is cast as Mary in the Nativity play, a role that Lauren was hoping to get. Mariam encounters some academic trouble with her penmanship and math, and worries about what her parents will think of her role in the play. When Salma is diagnosed with a lung problem that might be cancerous, Mariam doesn't want to bother them about issues at school. She even manages to message her teacher, writing as her mother, about several different problems. One of these arises when she whispers to another student during a service at school. A nearby adult thinks that she is being disrespectful because she is Muslim, but Mariam is actually trying to get help because she has just gotten her period. Not wanting other students to think poorly of Muslims, she asks Lauren for help in spreading the information that she was talking because she got her period to all of the students! When her grandmother (Bibi) visits, Mariam wonders if she is right, and that if Mariam were a better Muslim and wore a hijab, her sister wouldn't have gotten sick. Mariam also asks to read a passage about Jesus from the Quran before the Christmas play, since she has dropped out of playing Mary after Salma's diagnosis. She isn't granted permission, but reads it anyway, with the help of her schoolmates. It is a huge relief to find out the truth about her sister's condition, and Mariam makes a tentative peace with being a Muslim student in a Catholic school.
Strengths: This story is based on the author's own life. She is Muslim and attended Catholic schools, which is a rather singular experience! I grew up in a largely Catholic community, so many of my classmates transitioned back to public school after elementary; I can't imagine hitting middle school and starting at a religious school! There was a lot of fairly positive, open religious discussion, and I learned some things, like the fact that there isn't music in masjid. Mariam's desire to fit in but also remain true to her background is realistic, and she has a fairly positive attitude, running for class office and putting herself forward for the play. It was interesting to see Ramadan occur right around Thanksgiving and Christmas time. The impact of Salma's health on the entire family was also informational. This author also had a story in Ali's and Saeed's Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, and I'll be interested to see what else she writes.
Weaknesses: Other than the mention of Mariam's period, this didn't seem to have much in common with Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. I reread the Blume title not long ago (and watched the movie; have to love the vintage set design!), and just didn't see many similarities. While the religious details are interesting, they do slow the story down a bit.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who would like to see more representation of children coming to terms with religion in books like Butler's Rabbit, Rabbit, Ma's Rainbow Fair, Algarmi's Almost Sunset, Siddiqui's Barakah Beats or Braden's Opinions and Opossums.
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Cora and Oliver both live in San Francisco in 1906. Their families were friends, but after Cora's father lost the family gold mine and he went to Los Angeles for work, the two were forbidden to speak. Cora owes money to bullies Vincent and Tony, of the Union Street Gang, and when she is going to meet them in the early morning hours, she sees them bullying a young Chinese girl, Chi, and trying to take her bicycle. Cora intervenes, and the girl gets away, but an earthquake hits. Both girls are trapped underground, but work to escape. When they finally free themselves and see the devastation, they both want to find their families. Cora has stolen some gold coins while trapped. Cora runs into Oliver, whose father is a fireman, and the two defy the authorities and head back to her house to find her my other and brothers. They aren't there, but Cora picks up some possessions. Vincent is looting, and tries to extract payment from Cora; he shows up and again and again, as does Mr. Hinkle, who seems helpful but who hides a secret. General Funston is trying to help the fire by blowing up buildings, which seems like a bad idea. Oliver and Cora occasionally listen to the authorities and evacuate to Union Square and the Praesidio, but always seem to go back to get into more trouble. Cora also comes across Chi several times, and eventually helps her get to her family on a boat. She also finds her mother, but goes off and loses her again. In the end, it turns out the gold she is worried about really belongs to her grandfather and will help the family after the father miraculously returns and finds everyone.
I love Nielsen's work (Free State of Jax, One Wrong Step, Uprising, Iceberg, Lines of Courage, Rescue, Words on Fire, Resistance, A Night Divided, The False Prince )generally, but this novel had so many coincidences and bad safety protocols that it wasn't my favorite. It was well written, compelling, and had a lot of historical details that will appeal to readers of historical fiction. Since I already have Hopkinson's Into the Firestorm: A Novel of San Francisco 1906 and Deadliest Fires: Then and Now, Blundell's A City Tossed and Broken, and Lee's Outrun the Moon, I may pass on purchase. If I buy it, I'll feel compelled to tell all students who check this out "What do you do in case of fire/flood/earthquake? If authorities tell you to evacuate, FOLLOW THEIR DIRECTIONS!" May have grilled my daughter about this, and luckily she knew that if you go into a danger zone, it endangers not only you but the rescue workers, as well as other people they might have helped had you not been stupid.
Whew. Sorry. Visceral reaction to this one.
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