Recognize the achievements of Arab Americans for Arab American Heritage Month-- and all year!
Revised
March 24, 2026
Whether you're celebrating Arab American Heritage Month or just looking for a great read, check out these staff-selected titles for little kids, big kids, tweens, teens and adults.
Little kids
Picture books
Omar Abed
2024
PICTURE BOOK Abed, Omar
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.
Lexile level
510L
Leila Boukarim
2025
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!
Heather H loved this! Find out why »
Rhonda Roumani
2024
PICTURE BOOK Roumani, Rhonda
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.
Safa Suleiman
2025
PICTURE BOOK Suleiman, Safa
A young boy joins his family's olive harvest in Palestine, learning about traditions as they gather olives from Hilwa the tree.
Books
Maysa Odeh
2024
PICTURE BOOK Odeh, Maysa
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.
Lexile level
590
Big kids
Books
Nedda Lewers
2024
J FICTION Lewers, Nedda
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.
Lexile level
750L
Chapter books
Shifa Saltagi Safadi
2025
J FICTION Safadi, Shifa
After moving from Syria to Indiana, third-grade science enthusiast Amina tries to find the perfect formula to make friends at her new school.
Tweens
Books
Huda Al-Marashi
2026
J FICTION Al-Marashi, Huda
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.
Shifa Saltagi Safadi
2024
J FICTION Safadi, Shifa
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.
Graphic novels
Wahab Algarmi
2025
J GRAPHIC Algarmi, Wahab
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.
Teens
Graphic novels
Huda Fahmy
2025
T GRAPHIC Fahmy, Huda
When her parents announce they are divorcing, Huda Fahmy struggles to keep her plans on track for junior year.
Books
Jackie Khalilieh
2025
T FICTION Khalilieh, Jackie
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.
Lily D loved this! Find out why »
Ream Shukairy
2024
T FICTION Shukairy, Ream
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.
Adults
Books
Rabih Alameddine
2025
FICTION Alameddine, Rabih
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.
Sarah Aziza
2025
956.94 AZI
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 Bishara
2025
641.5956 BIS
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.
Omar El Akkad
2025
956.054 ELA
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.
Becca B loved this! Find out why »
Laila Lalami
2025
FICTION Lalami, Laila
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.
Loubna Mrie
2026
070.449 MRI
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.
Betty Shamieh
2025
FICTION Shamieh, Betty
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.
