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Amina's song
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2021
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Feeling pulled between two cultures after a month with family in Pakistan, Amina shares her experiences with Wisconsin classmates through a class assignment and a songwriting project with new student Nico. - (Baker & Taylor)

A companion to the award-winning Amina’s Voice finds Amina discouraged by the lack of interest her Greendale friends show in her visit to Pakistan before giving a class presentation about Malala Yousafzai. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina's Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves'this time across continents.

It's the last few days of her vacation in Pakistan, and Amina has loved every minute of it. The food, the shops, the time she's spent with her family'all of it holds a special place in Amina's heart. Now that the school year is starting again, she's sad to leave, but also excited to share the wonders of Pakistan with her friends back in Greendale.

After she's home, though, her friends don't seem overly interested in her trip. And when she decides to do a presentation on Pakistani hero Malala Yousafzai, her classmates focus on the worst parts of the story. How can Amina share the beauty of Pakistan when no one wants to listen? - (Simon and Schuster)

Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature

In the companion novel to the beloved and award-winning Amina’s Voice, Amina once again uses her voice to bridge the places, people, and communities she loves—this time across continents.

It’s the last few days of an amazing trip to Pakistan, and Amina finds it hard to leave the sights, the shops, and, most of all, her family. As she heads back to Greendale to start seventh grade, the experience has changed her, and she’s eager to share it with her friends.

At home, though, Amina discovers her friends don’t seem interested in hearing about her trip. With everyone growing in different directions, Amina wonders where she belongs—especially after her school presentation on Malala goes sideways, leaving her feeling like nobody understands both her worlds. When Amina turns to songwriting, a boy named Nico who shares Amina’s love for music becomes a welcome new friend. Will Amina find a way to remain true to herself, and to honor everyone and everything that make her who she is? - (Simon and Schuster)

Author Biography

Hena Khan is a Pakistani American writer. She is the author of the middle grade novels Amina’s Voice, Amina’s Song, More to the Story, Drawing Deena, and the Zara’s Rules series and picture books Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George, among others. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland, with her family. You can learn more about Hena and her books by visiting her website at HenaKhan.com or connecting with her @HenaKhanBooks. - (Simon and Schuster)

Hena Khan is a Pakistani American writer. She is the author of the middle grade novels Amina's Voice, Amina's Song, and More to the Story and picture books Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It's Ramadan, Curious George, among others. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland, with her family. You can learn more about Hena and her books by visiting her website at HenaKhan.com or connecting with her @HenaKhanBooks. - (Simon and Schuster)

First Chapter or Excerpt
Chapter 1
1


As I reach for a pair of silver earrings that my best friend, Soojin, might like, Zohra smacks my hand away.

“Don’t touch anything!” she hisses.

“How am I supposed to look, then?” I laugh as I rub my wrist.

“With your eyes, and then keep walking. Tell me what you like, and I’ll go back and get a good price.”

“What if I want to see something up close?” The market is overflowing with a dizzying array of goods—rows of glittery bangles in every color imaginable, bolts of silky fabric, and mounds of beaded slippers, hair accessories, and evening bags. It’s all screaming to be picked up, or at least photographed. I’ve already taken at least fifty photos and videos, and we’ve only been here for half an hour.

“Don’t act interested in anything, Amina! And put your phone away.” Zohra’s tone is firm, and she suddenly sounds more like my mother than my sixteen-year-old cousin.

I glance at my older brother, Mustafa, who’s walking a few paces behind us, like a bodyguard. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a T-shirt, and his short scruffy beard makes him look older than Zohra, even though they’re the same age.

“Do what she says.” He shrugs. “You don’t want to get ripped off.”

I slip my phone back into my bag, resist inspecting the earrings, and keep moving. It took a bit of convincing to get Zohra to bring us here, instead of the fancy shopping center we’ve already been to twice in three weeks. Being there made me feel like I was back at Southridge Mall in Greendale, Wisconsin, instead of where I am: Lahore, Pakistan.

I’ve been wanting to visit Anarkali Bazaar despite Zohra’s warnings about pushy salespeople and pickpockets. Mustafa and I grew up hearing Mama’s stories about how she’d wait for school to end and catch a rickshaw here when she was a teen. When she described sharing freshly squeezed sugarcane juice and spicy samosa plates with her girlfriends in vivid detail, I could almost taste them.

My hopes of finally tasting those things in real life were crushed when Mama cautioned, “Don’t eat anything off the street” as the three of us left my uncle’s home with his driver, who dropped us off at the market. Mama’s worried that our American stomachs won’t be able to handle anything but filtered water, home-cooked meals, and a handful of approved restaurants. That means no samosa plates from the carts we pass, no matter how incredible they smell.

“Imported from China.” Zohra clicks her tongue against her teeth as she watches me eye a sparkly clip that I can picture in my friend Emily’s long blond hair. “You want things made in Pakistan, don’t you?”

“Yeah. Stuff my friends can’t get in Greendale.”

“Your friends can get anything from anywhere,” Mustafa reminds me. “Thanks to something called the Internet.”

“Okay, stuff they don’t have, then.” Mama already bought gifts for our closest family friends, Salma Auntie and Hamid Uncle. I picked out an outfit for their daughter, Rabiya, since we have the same taste in desi clothes: nothing itchy or “auntie-looking.”

Zohra links her arm with mine and navigates me through the crowds, warning me for the seventeenth time to watch my purse. I wouldn’t be carrying a purse if I were wearing jeans, but I’m in a thin cotton shalwar kameez that’s more comfortable in the fierce summer heat. My hand is gripping the bag that’s stuffed with the money I collected from generous relatives excited to see me for the first time in eight years, and I try not to bump into people.

“Your friends will like those.” Zohra points with her eyebrows toward a stall filled with colorful lacquered boxes and figurines. “They’re made in Kashmir.”

“They’re pretty,” I agree.

“Go see, but don’t say anything. Once the shopkeeper hears your English, the price will triple.”

I wander over and pretend to admire a shawl when I notice a green-and-gold box with a curved lid. It’s shaped like a little treasure chest and would be perfect for Soojin. Then I spot some stunning jewelry in a glass case, including a silver necklace with a row of small cobalt-blue stones. I try not to stare at it.

Zohra turns to the shopkeeper after I secretly signal what I want to her.

“Bhai Sahib,” she beckons in Urdu, calling the man with a mustache and thick glasses Mister Brother to be polite. “Tell me the right price for this. No ripping me off.” Her tone is surprisingly aggressive.

Then Zohra picks up a candleholder, instead of the green box. When I start to protest, she gives me a death stare. I watch in silence as they haggle in Urdu over the price of something I don’t want. Mister Brother claims excellent quality. My cousin complains it’s robbery and says she isn’t a fool. Then Zohra suddenly drops the candleholder as if she’s deeply offended by it and starts to walk away.

Mustafa watches, his dark eyes amused, as Zohra yanks my arm and starts to drag me off with her.

“Sister, see this,” Mister Brother offers when our backs are turned and we’re almost in the next stall. “I give you this for a good price.”

Zohra turns around reluctantly.

“Don’t waste our time. We’re in a hurry.”

“Come, see, very good price.”

Zohra squeezes my arm and returns to the stall, acting like she’s doing Mister Brother a favor. He shows her some bowls and gives her a number in rupees. I have no idea how much money that is since my Urdu is especially terrible when it comes to numbers. Plus, I forget how to convert Pakistani currency into dollars. Zohra shakes her head and then points toward the box I want.

“How about that? Can you live with it?” she asks me, wrinkling her nose as if it’s barely worth considering.

I start to sweat.

Am I supposed to say yes or no?

I take a gamble and nod yes.

“Okay, final price. No games.” Zohra challenges the shopkeeper.

The arguing continues until Mister Brother finally gives Zohra a number she grudgingly accepts.

“What color?” she asks me. I point to the green box for Soojin and a turquoise one for Emily. Zohra adds another bright red one to the pile.

“From me to you,” she says.

“What about that necklace?” I whisper to Zohra. She starts to shake her head, but Mister Brother has superhuman hearing and whips the case open and hands me the necklace before she finishes.

“Very nice,” he says in English.

Zohra gives me another glare, and Mustafa starts to chuckle. I giggle too. There’s no way Mister Brother hasn’t figured out we aren’t from here, no matter how hard Zohra tries to hide it. We’ve got American written all over us. Mustafa’s T-shirt literally has the Captain America logo on it.

“It’s very pretty,” I say in my best Urdu, although I know my accent sounds pathetic. “What are these stones?”

“Lapis,” Mister Brother replies in English, beaming. “Very real, very cheap.”

Zohra tries to convince me to walk away again, but I won’t budge.

“Can you give me your best price, please?” I imitate the Urdu phrase I’ve heard Zohra use. Mister Brother gives me a nod of acknowledgment, but then Zohra takes over, speaking for me. My face burns.

How am I supposed to get better at Urdu if no one lets me practice?

I can’t understand everything they’re saying, but it’s obvious Mister Brother has the upper hand. After he names his final price, I pull out the wad of rupees from my purse, and Zohra counts some and hands them over in defeat. She won’t look at me. But I take the necklace and thank the man in Urdu. And he grins like he just won the lottery.

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Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* After Amina's monthlong trip to Pakistan with her family, she finds it difficult to leave her ancestral country behind, feeling that she is somehow losing an important part of herself and suddenly less certain about who she is. Back home, Amina tries to make sense of these feelings, and when she attempts to share them with her friends, she begins to wonder if they, too, are growing apart. As Amina comes to better understand her friends, she finds a way to share the beauty of Pakistan with her classmates and to work together with those around her to help others in the community. Along with a new friend, Amina uses her beautiful voice to share her love of both Pakistan and America with others, helping those just like her who may feel part of two beautiful worlds. Revisiting Amina's world (Amina's Voice, 2017) is, in a way, similar to Amina's own experience visiting Pakistan—readers will experience the joy of family, along with the sadness of knowing the visit will end soon. Khan excellently weaves together complex issues of feeling torn between two parts of one's identity, illness in the family, helping others, and finding out that growing up does not have to mean growing apart. Highly recommended for all collections. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

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