Amina's Song (Amina's Voice)

This is such a lovely read. Everyone in my family read it and all have warm genuine smiles on their faces when they reflect on it. We are now getting copies for friends on their birthdays. The only problem is wondering if they need to read Amina's Voice first.

My daughter loves this book! Has reread several times.

Engaging and well written

5 stars! I loved this book even more than the first one. The first part of the book describes Amina's time in Pakistan with her family and the connections she makes there. While she was nervous about visiting there, she ends up forming a strong friendship with her cousin, who becomes the sister she never had, and uncle, who becomes a beloved mentor. One of the things he asks that she does is share the beauty of Pakistan with her friends. When she returns to the states, she struggles with the misconception her classmates have about Pakistan as well as the fact that her best friends are not as excited by her trip as she was. Ultimately, Amina has to find her voice so that she can share both who she is to her friends and family, as well as her love of Pakistan in part to break down barriers and show how we are more alike than unalike. This book also talked about friendships, including friendships between boys and girls, and that it does not have to be romantic or weird. I really appreciated this #ownvoice book and it made me want to visit Pakistan and see some of what she loved about it. In fact, some of what she loved about Pakistan is what I love about Taiwan. I also liked that one of her best friends is Korean and that another one of her best friends who used to make fun of them for "ethnic" foods has grown to love and appreciate other cultures. Highly recommend this one, both for middle schools and anyone else who appreciates learning about other cultures and/or religions.I received an advance review copy from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Amina's Song is a contemporary story that beautifully combines family, culture, and elements of middle school life. I absolutely loved the first book in this duology, Amina's Voice, and enjoyed this follow up just as much. In this book Amina is returning home after a long summer trip visiting family in Pakistan. She is excited to share about her trip when she starts school, but her friends do not seem as interested as she had hoped. She gets the chance to tell her classmates more about Pakistan through a history project where each student is supposed to pick a person who has affected the world in some positive way. Amina chooses Malala Yousafszai for her project since she is from Pakistan. But things don't go as planned when students start to focus only on the negative parts of Malala's story.I really enjoy Amina as a protagonist because she has so much love for her family, religion, and culture. She also is passionate about music, and I always like to read about a main character who has a hobby that they love. This book is packed full of so many elements of being a kid from creating new friendships, staying on top of school projects, to deciding what extracurriculars to participate in. I also appreciate that this book contains so much detail about her family's culture and religion without over explaining. Meaning that there are times when Urdu words are thrown into conversations without translation or names for Pakistani clothes or foods are used. I like having those elements prevalent in the story and gives me (or middle schoolers) the chance to learn more about the culture through further research outside of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book in exchange for an honest review.Amina's Song picks up toward the end of Amina’s first visit to Pakistan to spend time with her extended family. While she was nervous going into the trip, the experience has been amazing. In addition to learning more about her heritage, she’s grown much closer to her uncle and cousins. Before leaving Pakistan, she promises her Thaya Jaan that she will find a way to communicate the nation’s beauty after she returns home.As she did in Amina’s Voice, Amina must again push beyond her comfort zone in order to accomplish the task her uncle has set for her. She’s excited to share the details of her visit with her friends, but they’re more focused on talking about their own summertime experiences. As Amina attempts to fulfill her promise to Thaya Jaan, she grapples with finding her place with her peers, her culture, and even her own family.I really enjoyed this book, and I’m excited to recommend it to my students, especially the sixth graders. The characters as a whole rang true to me, especially Amina and her peers. As the story progresses, Amina, Soojin, and Emily begin to pursue different interests, which Amina worries will pull them apart. She herself begins spending time with a new friend as they pursue music together. Throughout the novel, Amina continues to learn and grow as a character. While she finds new ways to use the voice she worked so hard to find in the previous novel, it’s still not easy for her to be in the spotlight. This adds to the sense of realism.I really enjoyed the focus on service and helping others, the message that friendships can survive despite differing interests, and learning more about Pakistan. I loved the scenes that took place there as I (and many American students) are not familiar with what life is like there. Those scenes helped me to better understand the similarities between life there and in the U.S.I can see some children having difficulty with some of the vocabulary that’s used in the book, but I also think it adds to the authenticity of living in a family with parents who grew up in another country. It seems like a place for readers with those experiences to see themselves and maybe even have a chance to share their culture with their peers.