Saving Sunshine

As a school librarian I try to stay away from comics and graphic novels but I was curious about this title and pre-ordered it just so I could read it. Little did I know how much I would love it! My library currently has 2 copies of this book and I can't keep it on the shelf! I wouldn't mind getting a 3rd!My kids love this book, from 4th grade all the way through 8th. The anime style art is very attractive and the actual story itself is very relatable! You won't be sorry if you're looking for an easy, clean, story about a family and fighting siblings ;)

Zeesh is obsessed with space while his sister loves animal rescue. This makes it easy for them to tease each other. When, during a trip to Florida, the twins go too far and lose their phone privileges, they have to find other ways to express their passions. Zara finds an unwell turtle stranded on the beach and names him Sunshine. While dealing with ignorant and racist comments, the twins have to find a way to save Sunshine without getting on each others' nerves.This story, while delivering quite a few snippets of fact and adventure, is primarily focused on sibling dynamics and the strain that can come from dealing with prejudice. It's rather slow paced at times, and the sibling arguing is a constant annoying thrum throughout the story. Yet I love the way that it clues readers in on the ways that other peoples' actions can affect you without you realizing it. It's easy to feel alone when you can't turn to the people most like you for support. The ending was powerful, and the story believable.Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Zara and Zeeshan are twins who never get along. All they do is fight and poke fun at each other. Things come to a head when they go on a trip to Florida. What is supposed to be a trip to celebrate their mom and the ceremony she’s being awarded at quickly goes south when their bickering finally becomes too much. The punishment? No phones! Now they’re forced to be in each other’s company without a buffer. Everything changes when they find a sick turtle, Sunshine, which gets them to slowly put aside their differences.This is such an amazing book following twins, Zara and Zeeshan, who are similar yet very different. Because of this, all they do is butt heads left and right! However, they don’t realize they’re much more alike than they could ever see. They’re both very passionate about their interests and very caring people, so it was great to see them slowly bond throughout the book. Saadia captures their sibling dynamic extremely well. It was very realistic!The book also captures the struggles of the siblings as well as their family very well, but also light enough for the young readers this is aimed at. We see how they face prejudice and racism as well as how even Zara’s friends treated her differently when she started wearing a hijab. The book keeps it light enough for young readers, but older readers can easily pick up how much depth there is to the prejudice and racism they face.All in all, this is a wonderful book. I loved seeing how passionate Zara was about animals and Zeeshan is about space, so it was wonderful seeing them bond with each other about their differences and similarities. It also deals with prejudice and racism in a way that’s easy for young readers to digest and also feel seen and noticed if they have already experienced it themselves. The artwork is beautiful and helps give even more depth to the story. I highly recommend this book!

It's not easy being different. When you are always fighting with your annoying sibling, the worst punishment ever is being forced to spend time together! UGH! Zara and Zeeshan are on a family vacation in Florida. Someone has just commented on their "foreign names" or Zara's hijab and in frustration, she runs to the beach, despite the stormy weather. When she discovers an injured turtle, unable to make it back to the ocean, she'll have to work together with her brother to save it. Can they make a difference before it's too late? No one allows middle grade readers a glimpse into the Muslim American identity quite as well as Saadia Faruqi and this graphic novel provides her another way to reach readers and guide them toward empathy.