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missbookiverse's review against another edition
3.0
[3.5 stars]
Super sweet family story about a first generation American girl and her dream of becoming a journalist. This book follows Jameela who has to deal with her gorgeous older sister and her two annoying younger sisters on a daily basis. Nevertheless, she loves her family and the relationships between parents, children, and relatives felt sincere and precious. Even though quite a lot is happening in the family's life at the point of narration I sometimes felt a little bored. The audiobook is only 5 hours long though, so I didn't have any trouble finishing it.
I liked how the book deals with racism only on the periphery (in the form of micro aggressions) because I'm sure that's something every Muslim girl living in a Western country has to deal with, but by not making it the centre of the story it becomes clear that Jameela doesn't let these issues rule her life and that not every story about immigrant children has to be about racism.
One topic I wish would've been presented more critically is the use of social media in times of need.
Overall, this is a wonderful addition to diverse, #ownvoices middle grade literature.
Super sweet family story about a first generation American girl and her dream of becoming a journalist. This book follows Jameela who has to deal with her gorgeous older sister and her two annoying younger sisters on a daily basis. Nevertheless, she loves her family and the relationships between parents, children, and relatives felt sincere and precious. Even though quite a lot is happening in the family's life at the point of narration I sometimes felt a little bored. The audiobook is only 5 hours long though, so I didn't have any trouble finishing it.
I liked how the book deals with racism only on the periphery (in the form of micro aggressions) because I'm sure that's something every Muslim girl living in a Western country has to deal with, but by not making it the centre of the story it becomes clear that Jameela doesn't let these issues rule her life and that not every story about immigrant children has to be about racism.
One topic I wish would've been presented more critically is the use of social media in times of need.
Spoiler
One of Jameela's sisters is diagnoed with cancer and in order to keep friends and relatives updated they create an online profile with pictures and everything. I understand the intent behind this but I was surprised that not even the parents question putting up photos and sensitive information about their child on the internet (despite them not allowing their younger daughters to have Instagram and Snapchat yet).Overall, this is a wonderful addition to diverse, #ownvoices middle grade literature.
migimon2002's review against another edition
5.0
What a sweet, updated, cultural re-telling of Little Women. I loved how More to the Story was it's own unique entity, yet the thoughtful (and obviously purposeful) parallels to Little Women made by Hena Khan paid homage to the classic. This is a completely 'safe', yet poignant book for younger readers - how refreshing!
rajacookie's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lovely retelling of Little Women! You can see the similarities, but it still feels like its own story. Loved the changes made to make it appropriate for younger audiences, and the overall message is adorable!
showell's review against another edition
5.0
The author describes this text as a love letter to her favorite book: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's a lovely and emotionally resonant story that draws on the parallels between cultural norms and expectations in modern Pakistani-American families and the lives of the characters in Alcott's original text to explore several issues, including microaggressions, ethics in journalism, supporting a loved one through a severe illness, and coping with familial expectations that clash with society at large.
I adore this middle grade novel.
I adore this middle grade novel.
adrzeck's review against another edition
4.0
Admittedly I haven't read Little Women, but I feel that this is a modern and fairly true retelling, while being original and unique to Khan's story. Would be happy to recommend it to anyone regardless of them being Alcott fans. Are you a fan of sisterhood? Is family the most important? I'm not crying. You're crying.
mbrandmaier's review against another edition
4.0
Loosely based on Little Women. Jam is obsessed with writing an award winning article for her school paper, but that takes a back seat when her little sister Bisma becomes seriously ill.
katie_esh's review against another edition
5.0
This is the type of book I wish had existed for me to read as a middle schooler (instead of the Clique series). This re-interpretation of Little Women is smart, heartwarming, and very well done. I loved the characters and feel like they each stood separate from the original source material. I highly recommend for a quick listen on audiobook!
Reading Women 21 - Muslim middle grade novel
Reading Women 21 - Muslim middle grade novel
mfumarolo's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved this modern retelling of Little Women, this time centering on a quartet of Pakistani-American sisters growing up in Georgia (the state, not the country). Given the way it was described in a few review journals, I wasn’t sure if this was going to read too young for my middle school students, but I was over the moon to discover this is one of those rare novels in which the characters ARE in middle school and it reads at that level! This will be joining my school library’s collection this fall as soon as it comes out!
reading_rachel's review against another edition
4.5
This is a sweet story with fun characters and just a little bit of conflict to keep readers interested. Nothing too heavy, but a very hopeful read.