Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

KAREEM BETWEEN

Shifa Saltagi Safadi

This heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school.

Seventh grade begins, and Kareem's already fumbled it. His best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kida Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accentaround school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There's a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong. Then, like a surprise blitz, Kareem's mom returns to Syria to help her family but can't make it back home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness. Kareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parentsand between right and wrong. It's up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle. SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the author of Kareem Between and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor's degree in English literature, teaches ELA at a local middle school, and reviews Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children. Find her on Instagram @MuslimMommyBlog.

Available products
Book Published 2024-09-10 by Putnam Young Readers

Comments

Riveting, powerful, and soul-stirring, this is a beautifully written story of triumph amid tragedy that I know every young readerand their adultswill love. Fresh, accessible, and compelling, middle grade at its very best!

A masterfully written, deeply resonant tale.

As an Arab-American and a football fan, this book spoke directly to me. It's the exact type of book I would've loved, and needed, as a kid. A perfect mix of a fun and enjoyable read, while being an important book, too.

An immersive story that captures the nuances of middle school friendships, family challenges, and the difficult realities of being "stuck" between two different worlds.

Safadi cleverly weaves together spare verse creating an emotionally compelling and action-packed story.

Longlisted for the National Book Award

I was moved by this tender-hearted story told in verse about Kareem, a Syrian-American boy, who dreams of playing for the NFL. Like in a game of football, Kareem's story will pull you in with each emotion-filled play and pass as he navigates friendships, straddles between childhood and adolescence, discovers the U.S. isn't always a safe place for his family and people, and learns how to find his power and voice. From the sidelines, my heart raced and ached for Kareem and his family hoping all would be well when he reached the other side of the field. KAREEM BETWEEN is an important addition to middle grade literature, a new perspective we desperately need to find hope and empathy in our divided world.