Drawing Deena by Hena Khan
This 232 page middle grade read with a beautiful cover, has a beautiful heart as well. A Muslim girl in a Muslim family is struggling with anxiety and family financial stresses, remarkably the book avoids tropes of blaming immigrant parents, culture, or religion. It also doesn’t have any relationship crushes, or catty friends, bullies, or annoying sibling squabbles. It was refreshing to see a strong character that seemed to not lack a voice, really find her voice, advocate for herself and those she loves, apologies when in the wrong, and be surrounded by friends and family members that truly love one another. I also appreciate that a licensed school psychologist was consulted and named in the backmatter. As with nearly all Hena Khan chapter books, there is Islam and culture, but as an Islamic school librarian, I long for more. There are a few inshaAllahs, mashaAllahs, salams, and references to praying, there is one solid paragraph that mentions dua, dhikr, and the Quran, but that is about it in a book that focuses a lot on fashion, make-up, social media, drawing portraits and hanging them in the home. The protagonist is in middle school, but this is a solid middle grade read that teachers and librarians can feel confident having on the shelves and sharing with students.
SYNOPSIS:
Deena loves art and to draw, she’s also really good at it. She longs to take extra classes outside of school, but she knows it isn’t a priority with her bite guard already causing a lot of stress on the already financially strapped family. Overhearing her parents fights about money adds to her anxiety and makes her nauseous every morning before school. Determined to help her mom grow her basement clothing boutique, and increase the family income, she dabbles in social media, designs a logo, and sets up a website. One of the new customers is a real life artist, who encourages Deena to look at art differently, and offers to take her under her wing to teach her about the power of art and decolonizing her mind. Things are starting to look up for Deena, but a disagreements with her cousin Parisa, feeling like she let a close friend down, and being overwhelmed at an immersive Van Gogh exhibit culminate with her having a panic attack at school. The school counselor wants her to attend some therapy sessions at the school, but first Deena will have to convince her parents that this is something she needs and wants.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I mentioned a lot of my likes and loves above, but really it is a solid middle grade read where the character just happens to be Pakistani American and Muslim. I like that Deena is just a sweet girl. I think a lot of kids that have the emotional intelligence to know how fortunate and privileged they are, often push down their emotions and troubles, because they know others have it worse, don’t want to worry their parents, and/or seem ungrateful, and that this book can normalize getting help, advocating for yourself, and communicating with your parents, is really quite impressive. Deena has a diverse group of friends, religion doesn’t come up much or seem to shape her perspective which is unfortunate, but it doesn’t make things harder for her either. She isn’t bullied, there is no Islamophobia, or self-othering or stereotypes. Deena is who she is, with a good head on her shoulders, and throughout the book you find yourself cheering for her and her success.
FLAGS:
She does draw faces, and they talk of hanging up the images in the living room. There isn’t lying, but it kind of skirts the line at times. Anxiety.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
For even a young middle school book club, I think this book would be a quick read, but open the door for some quality discussion about anxiety that would benefit middle graders and up. The book on the shelf will tempt readers, and handing it to kids will yield results.
The book goes on sale February 6, 2024 and you can preorder/order it here.