Featured Arab American heritage picks

When his sister keeps interrupting his story with wild ideas that don't even rhyme, a big brother suddenly realizes she's actually improving his yarn-- and doing it with an impressive surprise of her own-- and decides to share the narrative.

Mariam Hassan is an Iraqi American Muslim girl navigating sixth grade at a Catholic school. She faces "burden of representation" while navigating friendships, a class president race and being cast as Mary in the Nativity play, all while managing her sister's serious illness.

In a tiny Beirut apartment, Raja and his mother live side by side. Raja relishes books, order and solitude, but his octogenarian mother views his desire for privacy as a personal affront.

Hassan faces a hectic month of homework, soccer and gaming while fasting every day for the holy month of Ramadan, in a story about balancing family traditions and secular middle-school life.

Intertwines the author's account of her recovery from an eating disorder with her look into family secrets tied to Palestinian displacement, exploring how her personal trauma reflects generational struggles with colonization and patriarchy in a journey through memory, survival and self-discovery.

Rawia shares the flavors of her Palestinian childhood-- with recipes passed down from her mother and recreated by Rawia, as well as dishes influenced from summers spent in Spain, and from living and cooking in the historically Italian neighborhood of Bay Ridge, in New York City.    

Every summer, Yasmine visits her family in Lebanon, and every Sunday, the whole family comes over for lunch. This summer Sunday, Yasmine is making the hummus!

After reporting on the War on Terror, Black Lives Matter protests and the slaughter in Gaza, the author concludes that much of what the West promises is a lie; there will always be groups outside the boundaries of privilege who won't be considered fully human.

This feminist historical retelling reframes the infamous Egyptian queen not as a villainous seductress, but as a brilliant, nuanced ruler fighting for her throne.

When her parents announce they are divorcing, Huda Fahmy struggles to keep her plans on track for junior year.

Aspiring journalist Nadia travels to visit her family in Bangladesh to celebrate Ramadan, where her journalism skills are put to the test as she learns about the country's climate crisis-- and the true meaning of her favorite holiday.

Eleven-year-old Lebanese American Bashir discovers a ring containing a jinn. When a demon lord kidnaps his parents, Bashir joins a secret society to stop the demon, traveling across Arab cities to find the legendary Jewel of the Nile.

Jamie Taher-Foster has big plans for senior year involving boyfriend Ben. When Ben announces he wants to break up, Jamie fake dates TikTok dancer Axel Dahini to get back at him, and although they have nothing in common, the two grow closer.

In a near future where the Risk Assessment Administration uses data to prevent future crimes, Sara Hussein is arrested after a dream-analysis algorithm indicates she'll harm her husband. Held at a retention center, she's losing hope she'll ever get out when a newcomer upends everything.

While in Egypt for her uncle's wedding, Sahara Rashad, who lives by logic and has never believed in magic, embarks on an adventure of a lifetime when her late mother's necklace leads her to Ali Baba's magical treasure and the discovery of her true legacy.

In a world where genie-granted wishes are a regulated resource, Aziza, Nour and Shokry use theirs to navigate bureaucracy and capitalism as well as personal, emotional and mental health struggles.

A stunning memoir of personal rebellion and political awakening from a young woman raised to be loyal to a brutal regime-- and the unimaginable cost of choosing freedom.

At school, Falasteen and her classmates are tasked with finding their families' home countries on a map, but no matter how hard she looks, Falasteen can't find Palestine. Can a place exist if it's not on a map? Confused, Falasteen turns to her family for answers.

Ranya and her mom tackle the meaning of the powerful Arabic phrase "Insha' Allah" and ponder the best way to talk about their hopes and dreams.

After moving from Syria to Indiana, third-grade science enthusiast Amina tries to find the perfect formula to make friends at her new school.

With the school year getting off to a rough start, Syrian American seventh grader Kareem finds himself stuck between friends, between football, between parents and between right and wrong, and must find his voice amidst the chaos.

Arabella, a New York theatre director facing dwindling career prospects, accepts a chance to stage a bold Shakespeare adaptation in the West Bank, while her grandmother plots a match with Palestinian American doctor, triggering a multi-generational tale spanning from 1940s Jaffa to 2012 Palestine.

Told in their separate voices, six Muslim teens are falsely accused of an alleged attack on a Los Angeles beach and must trust or turn their backs on each other to prove their innocence.

A young boy joins his family's olive harvest in Palestine, learning about traditions as they gather olives from Hilwa the tree.