The Partition Project

Gr 3-7--Maha is a future journalist, obsessed with everything about the news. What's new in her life is the arrival of her dadi who has just moved from Pakistan and into Maha's bedroom. Along with her new room and new job as her grandmother's "babysitter," Maha has a school documentary project taking up her time. Slowly, stubborn and grumpy Dadi begins to soften and bond with Maha through sharing memories from her childhood, in particular the events surrounding the 1947 partition of India. When Maha confronts her own lack of knowledge surrounding her family's past, she begins to see the importance of history to the present moment. Diving full force into an exploration of the partition for her documentary tests Maha's stamina, patience, and relationships. Maha navigates her school project and new friendships while collecting interviews and recollections of the partition. Readers will discover along with Maha how our separate histories connect to our shared future, and the importance of archiving and protecting the personal stories of collective moments. VERDICT A heartwarming exploration of history through personal stories perfect for middle grade readers.--Hayley Morgenstern

Only the facts matter to 12-year-old aspiring journalist Mahnoor Raheem, so when she partners on a study project for English class with best friend Kim Hoang, Maha finds herself largely uninterested in the fiction books Kim suggests they read. Maha instead focuses on her media studies assignment for which she must create a short documentary with a storytelling hook. Her unlikely subject is Dadi, her gruff Pakistani grandmother, who lives with Maha and her parents following a permanent move to Sugar Land, Tex. Initially resentful of Dadi's sudden arrival, Maha is soon drawn to her grandmother's childhood stories, especially as Maha's busy parents have imparted little of their Pakistani heritage. Through Dadi, Maha learns of the Partition, the violent severing of British India into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India, as well as the horrors her grandmother witnessed as a young refugee. Meanwhile, Kim views Maha's preoccupation with Dadi's stories as interfering with their English project, and their friendship fractures. In this vivid rendering of how growing cultural awareness and identity exploration can shape one's adolescence, Faruqi (Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero) presents an empowering story of family that will bolster tweens negotiating blended identities. Supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 8-12. Agent: Kari Sutherland, KT Literary. (Feb.)

Readers are rewarded with a deeply immersive and moving story as Maha experiences a shift in understanding of her hyphenated identities and connects her family's history to other immigrant experiences. 

Replete with food-related memories, heart-wrenching stories, and warm tales of friendship, this is a riveting read. Maha confronts her own prejudices about the value of stories and what constitutes newsworthiness. In the process, she personally unravels her history and heritage (in ways that resonate with her American classmates who are also made to feel that they look like they're "'from somewhere else'") and forges a new understanding of herself and her relationships. Powerful and timely. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Maha's conflicts with friends, a nascent crush and Dadi's brief disappearance are swiftly resolved. But it's Rafia Raheem's journey that will keep readers riveted. Transcripts of Maha's raw footage punctuate the text, their tone in stark contrast to Maha's first-person, contemporary narrative. These interludes are full of love, pathos and unforgettable memories. — New York Times