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  • Samira Surfs

Samira Surfs

Author
Rukhsanna Guidroz
Illustrator
Fahmida Azim
Publication Date
June 07, 2022
Genre / Grade Band
Fiction /  4th − 5th
Language
English
Samira Surfs
Description

A middle grade novel-in-verse about Samira, an eleven-year-old Rohingya refugee living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, who finds peace and empowerment in a local surf club for girls.

Samira thinks of her life as before and after: before the burning and violence in her village in Burma, when she and her best friend would play in the fields, and after, when her family was forced to flee. There's before the uncertain journey to Bangladesh by river, and after, when the river swallowed her nana and nani whole. And now, months after rebuilding a life in Bangladesh with her mama, baba, and brother, there's before Samira saw the Bengali surfer girls of Cox's Bazar, and after, when she decides she'll become one.

Samira Surfs, written by Rukhsanna Guidroz with illustrations by Fahmida Azim, is a tender novel in verse about a young Rohingya girl's journey from isolation and persecution to sisterhood, and from fear to power.

Publication date
June 07, 2022
Genre
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781984816214
Publisher
Kokila
BISAC categories
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
JUV030020 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Asia
JUV032060 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Water Sports

Kirkus

A compassionate and well-rounded picture of refugee life.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

A compelling novel that spotlights the history and contemporary circumstances of the Rohingya while tackling universal themes of friendship, belonging, and identity.

ALA/Booklist

[T]his novel shines a light on a subject rarely addressed in middle grade fiction.

Rukhsanna Guidroz
Rukhsanna Guidroz is the author of Mina vs. the Monsoon and Leila in Saffron. She studied French at King's College, London, and political science at the Sorbonne, Paris, before living and working in Hong Kong as a journalist. After becoming a mother, Rukhsanna began her teaching career, working with students from kindergarten to high school. She now lives in Maui, Hawaii where she's taken up surfing. Learn more about her at www.rukhsannaguidroz.com.

Fahmida Azim is an illustrator, author, and tea drinker. She immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh as a child and grew up in northern Virginia, graduating with a BFA in Communication Arts from VCUarts. Her art frequently addresses the themes of identity, culture, and autonomy and has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, and Vice. Fahmida now lives and works in Seattle. Learn more about her at https: //fahmida-azim.com/.
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