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Barakah Beats



by
Maleeha Siddiqui

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Scholastic
Imprint
Scholastic Press
ISBN
9781338702064
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Language: Mild Language , Language: Infrequent Use
$19.56   $16.30
SEE MEMBER PRICE
QTY
Out of stock

JLG Category

PG Middle Plus

For fans of The First Rule of Punk and Save Me a Seat, Barakah Beats is a sweet, powerful, and joyous novel about a Muslim girl who finds her voice on her own terms... by joining her school's most popular boy band.

Twelve-year-old Nimra Sharif has spent her whole life in Islamic school, but now it's time to go to "real school."

Nimra's nervous, but as long as she has Jenna, her best friend who already goes to the public school, she figures she can take on just about anything.

Unfortunately, middle school is hard. The teachers are mean, the schedule is confusing, and Jenna starts giving hijab-wearing Nimra the cold shoulder around the other kids.

Desperate to fit in and get back in Jenna's good graces, Nimra accepts an unlikely invitation to join the school's popular 8th grade boy band, Barakah Beats. The only problem is, Nimra was taught that music isn't allowed in Islam, and she knows her parents would be disappointed if they found out. So she devises a simple plan: join the band, win Jenna back, then quietly drop out before her parents find out.

But dropping out of the band proves harder than expected. Not only is her plan to get Jenna back working, but Nimra really likes hanging out with the band -- they value her contributions and respect how important her faith is to her. Then Barakah Beats signs up for a talent show to benefit refugees, and Nimra's lies start to unravel. With the show only a few weeks away and Jenna's friendship hanging in the balance, Nimra has to decide whether to betray her bandmates -- or herself.

Author’s note.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
Language: Mild Language , Language: Infrequent Use

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

288

Trim Size

8 3/10" x 5 1/2"

Dewey

F

AR

4.3: points 7

Lexile

650L

Genre

Fic

Scholastic Reading Counts

0

JLG Release

Feb 2022

Book Genres

Realistic Fiction

Topics

Muslims. Music. Rock groups. Friendship. Honesty. Religious faith. Conduct of life. Middle schools. Discrimination. 

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Praise & Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-When Nimra memorizes the Qur'an ahead of schedule, her parents decide to send her to public school as a seventh grader, an entire year earlier than planned. At least Nimra will have her longtime friend Jenna to show her the ropes--right? But Nimra's new classmates have all kinds of assumptions about her faith, and Jenna isn't defending her. So when Barakah Beats, the popular Muslim boyband at school, wants her to sing with them, Nimra agrees, even though performing goes against her beliefs. But as lies build, Nimra is torn between friends, family, and faith, until she's no longer sure who she is. From the very beginning, this is an excellently constructed story. Nimra's dilemmas and challenges will be understood by every reader, regardless of faith or background. Nimra spends the book feeling deeply conflicted about music and its role in her faith and life, but the book's ultimate strength is in demonstrating how, just like there is no one right way to be a teenager, there is no one right way to practice faith. Nimra's decision at the story's end will likely surprise many, but it is one that feels absolutely true to the character. And when she does find her voice, readers will feel the chills right along with her. VERDICT Every elementary and middle school library will benefit from this touching story about a preteen struggling to reconcile faith, friends, and family against the backdrop of an American middle school.-Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elem. Sch., Arlington, VA

Praise & Reviews

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-When Nimra memorizes the Qur'an ahead of schedule, her parents decide to send her to public school as a seventh grader, an entire year earlier than planned. At least Nimra will have her longtime friend Jenna to show her the ropes--right? But Nimra's new classmates have all kinds of assumptions about her faith, and Jenna isn't defending her. So when Barakah Beats, the popular Muslim boyband at school, wants her to sing with them, Nimra agrees, even though performing goes against her beliefs. But as lies build, Nimra is torn between friends, family, and faith, until she's no longer sure who she is. From the very beginning, this is an excellently constructed story. Nimra's dilemmas and challenges will be understood by every reader, regardless of faith or background. Nimra spends the book feeling deeply conflicted about music and its role in her faith and life, but the book's ultimate strength is in demonstrating how, just like there is no one right way to be a teenager, there is no one right way to practice faith. Nimra's decision at the story's end will likely surprise many, but it is one that feels absolutely true to the character. And when she does find her voice, readers will feel the chills right along with her. VERDICT Every elementary and middle school library will benefit from this touching story about a preteen struggling to reconcile faith, friends, and family against the backdrop of an American middle school.-Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elem. Sch., Arlington, VA

Grades 5-8
PG Middle Plus
For Grades 5-8

For middle school readers who enjoy fascinating stories but want less edgy content, PGM is the perfect choice. Be assured that the 12 books offered in this category will be inoffensive to readers, teachers and parents.

14 books per Year
$285.46 per Year
Interests
Clean Books,Chapter Books/Novels,Diversity,Fiction,Funny/Humorous,Reluctant Readers
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Grades 5-8
PG Middle Plus
14 books per Year
$285.46 per Year

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