Abdel-Fattah, Randa. Does My Head Look Big In This? New York: Orchard Books, 2005.Summary
Amal is a typical 16 year old. She loves watching TV, texting with her friends, and has a crush on her lab partner. Amal is also Muslim and has decided on her own- in fact her parents try to talk her out of this a number of times- to wear the hijab full-time. Overnight, everything becomes an issue of religion and the problems Amal encounters are suddenly about so much more than fitting in with the cool kids at school.
Impressions
This book goes back and forth between being very stirring, and being completely forgettable. For example, the chats Amal has with her elderly Greek Orthodox neighbor are very touching ,and I have found myself thinking about them often. On the other hand, most of this book is written very weakly with bland, flat characters. I can't remember what some of Amal's best friends' names are or even how the book ends. Abdel-Fattah needs to work on consistency. Overall, this is an ok book that would certainly appeal to teenage girls.
Some of the words and references used by the characters don't make a lot of sense so I wonder if the American version has been changed from the original Australian or if Australian teens actually talk that way?
Reviews
Andronik, Catherine M.. Library Media Connection, Nov. 2007, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p78-78. Retrieved October 10, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.
"Amal, whose parents are Palestinian immigrants, is, like all teens, intent on discovering who she is including the depth of her religious beliefs. One of the decisions she must make is when to start wearing the hijab, or headscarf. Her choice to wear the hijab results in controversy in school, among her friends, and within her immediate and extended family. Just when Amal starts coming across as too preachy, fortunately, her funny, spunky, and irreverent nature asserts itself. Some of the pop culture references seem dated. With so much misunderstanding surrounding Islam in today’s world, teens may appreciate a high school-centered story featuring a Muslim girl who is more like than unlike them in many ways."
Rochman, Hazel. Booklist, 7/1/2007, Vol. 103 Issue 21, p60. Retrieved October 10, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.
"The first-person present-tense narrative is hilarious about the diversity, and something heartbreaking... Without heavy preaching the issues of faith and culture are part of the story, from fasting at Ramadan to refusing sex before marriage. More than the usual story of the immigrant teen's conflict with her traditional parents, the funny, touching contemporary narrative will grab teens everywhere."
Suggestions for Library Use
I would like to use this in my library's after school program. Because my library is located in a very multi-ethnic community, this book is a positive, uplifting way to teach about diversity, especially to girls who can be very cruel to each other for many reasons including religion and ethnic background. This would also be an excellent book for high school students to read and discuss in a social studies class. This book is vibrant and the dialogue would certainly appeal to the 15-18 year old crowd.
Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2002.Summary
All the students at Mica High are more or less the same. They don't attend football games, they all dress roughly alike, and they all know their places within different circles of friends. When Stargirl, a girl who has actually named herself Stargirl, transfers to Mica High everything begins to change. Stargirl dresses any way she wants- often in costume- writes greeting cards, finds out when classmate's birthdays are and sings "Happy Birthday" in the lunchroom on her Ukelele, and cheers for the other team in basketball. At first Stargirl is an enigma and other students find her intriguing, but as the schoolyear wears on they begin to find her personality and differences annoying and Mica High bands together to make her life miserable.
Leo, the narrator of this book, is one of the average Mica High students. He is also in love with Stargirl. And Stargirl loves him back. Together they do all the things Stargirl loves- play with her pet rat, meditate in the desert, document the neighbor kid's life through photo-essay, etc. until the kids at school make Leo's life too miserable. Leo knows Stargirl should mean more to him than the approval of Mica High, but in the end, peer pressure wins out. The book ends with Stargirl's heartbreaking disappearance from Leo's life.
Impressions
I loved this book! Loved it! This book is written so lyrically it's like poetry. The characters are so full of life, wit, and charm. Spinelli makes you fall in love with Stargirl and yet still see how she's so annoying. You want Leo to forget his friends and just be with Stargirl, and at the same time you want him to have other friends and a positive high school experience. And while the ending breaks your heart, you feel happy at the same time because ultimately both Stargirl and Leo end up with what is best for them.
Reviews
Follos, Alison. School Library Journal, November 2004, Vol. 50 Issue 11, p. 65. Retrieved October 12, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.
"Stargirl is eccentric, creative, and kind. She strums her ukulele while singing in the high school cafeteria. She's the embodiment of creative optimism and wears her heart upon her sleeve. She is oblivious to the adolescent affront caused by her idiosyncrasies. Then one day she hears the whispered sneers, and Stargirl is no more. Spinelli captures the magic of individualism while encouraging readers to honor differences and avoid the traps of conformity."
Emminger, Kelly. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Oct2001, Vol. 45 Issue 2, p170. Retrieved October 12, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.
"Stargirl touches upon many issues that teens can relate to such as individuality, conformity, first love, school, the power of love and hate, the power of an individual over a group and the power of a group over an individual, loneliness, and cliques. Stargirl had the power to ignite and captivate the attention of an entire high school. She captivated the other students simply because she was not like "them." What could possibly be so scary about a genuinely nice person like Stargirl? She is not a part of any existing groups or cliques such as the jocks, the nerds, or the pretty cheerleaders. She is an outsider. The cliques are "them" and Stargirl is simply Stargirl. Soon, as a result of his affection for Stargirl, the students also shun Leo. In the end he chooses "them" over her.
Spinelli's novel raises issues about individuals who live on the fringe. Stargirl is an example, because other students see who she is as unacceptably different. She can never be one of them."
Suggestions for Library Use
This is not necessarily a good book about how being yourself is ok as Stargirl and Leo are themselves and get torn to shreds by their classmates, however, this book would start a good discussion with teens about bullying. Specifically why people who are different, even if their differences are refreshing, optimistic, or otherwise good are picked on. For example, who decides why we bully other people? Why do we allow others to be bullied?
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