{"product_id":"kareem-between-isbn-9780593699287","title":"Kareem Between","description":"\u003cb\u003e**WINNER of the NATIONAL BOOK AWARD for Young People's Literature**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school, now in paperback!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"The exact type of book I would've loved, and \u003ci\u003eneeded\u003c\/i\u003e, as a kid.\" — Jasmine Warga, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of and Newbery Honor recipient for \u003ci\u003eOther Words for Home\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSeventh grade begins, and Kareem’s already fumbled it.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHis best friend moved away, he messed up his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was volun\u003ci\u003etold\u003c\/i\u003e to show the new kid—a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent—around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hotshot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There’s a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen, like a surprise blitz, Kareem’s mom returns to Syria to help her family but can’t make it back home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for unnecessary roughness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parents—and between right and wrong. It’s up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle.★ \"A masterfully written, deeply resonant tale.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"Dynamic and engaging, drawing readers in from page one….a story of identity, growing up, standing up for what’s right, and boyhood.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A beautiful story of hope, empathy, confidence, and courage.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTeen Librarian Toolkit\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Heartfelt and personal…. a tale of true depth.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"For fans of Kwame Alexander, Daniel Nayeri, and sports-heavy books with broad appeal.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Riveting, powerful, and soul-stirring, this is a beautifully written story of triumph amid tragedy.\" —\u003cb\u003eS. K. Ali,\u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling and award-winning author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"An immersive story that captures the nuances of middle school friendships, family challenges, and the difficult realities of being “stuck” between two different worlds.\" —\u003cb\u003eMaleeha Siddiqui, acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eBarakah Beats \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eAny Way You Look\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Safadi cleverly weaves together spare verse, creating an emotionally compelling and action-packed story.\" —\u003cb\u003eReem Faruqi, award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eUnsettled\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Kareem’s story will pull you in with each emotion-filled play and pass…. an important addition to middle grade literature, a new perspective we desperately need to find hope and empathy in our divided world.\" —\u003cb\u003eAida Salazar, award-Winning author of \u003ci\u003eUltraviolet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI\u003c\/b\u003e is the National Book Award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eKareem Between, \u003c\/i\u003ethe Amina Banana chapter book series\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eand several picture books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Gift of Eid\u003c\/i\u003e. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and shares her favorite Muslim books on her blog, \u003ci\u003eMuslim Mommy Blog\u003c\/i\u003e. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVisit Shifa online at ShifaSafadi.com and on Instagram @MuslimMommyBlog!\u003ci\u003eFall 2016\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePrepare to Play\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe day\u003cbr\u003eof the first \u003cbr\u003eschool game,\u003cbr\u003ethe\u003cbr\u003eteam\u003cbr\u003emarches\u003cbr\u003edown\u003cbr\u003ethe\u003cbr\u003ehalls\u003cbr\u003etogether,\u003cbr\u003eloud with laughter,\u003cbr\u003ematching jerseys\u003cbr\u003efilling their faces with triumph,\u003cbr\u003eapplause around them\u003cbr\u003eas they prepare to play\u003cbr\u003ewhile\u003cbr\u003eI\u003cbr\u003eflatten\u003cbr\u003emy\u003cbr\u003eb\u003cbr\u003eo\u003cbr\u003ed\u003cbr\u003ey\u003cbr\u003eagainst the lockers,\u003cbr\u003e                                         moving\u003cbr\u003e                                         out of their way.\u003cbr\u003eAll I can think\u003cbr\u003eis\u003cbr\u003eif I was on the team,\u003cbr\u003eI wouldn’t \u003cbr\u003ebe\u003cbr\u003einvisible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStadium\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt seems like everyone in \u003cbr\u003eChesterton\u003cbr\u003ecomes to the first game,\u003cbr\u003ethe silver and red colors of \u003cbr\u003eour Bulldogs\u003cbr\u003estreaked on hundreds of faces,\u003cbr\u003ewide smiles,\u003cbr\u003espirits high,\u003cbr\u003earms waving,\u003cbr\u003eloud voices\u003cbr\u003ein the stands\u003cbr\u003echanting the\u003cbr\u003eschool spirit song,\u003cbr\u003ethe barely fall breeze of September\u003cbr\u003eflowing around us.\u003cbr\u003eIt takes \u003cbr\u003eonly one quarter\u003cbr\u003efor everyone to realize\u003cbr\u003eour team isn’t going to win.\u003cbr\u003eAustin’s tosses fall shorter,\u003cbr\u003eCoach’s yells get louder,\u003cbr\u003eand the \u003cbr\u003enumber of fans\u003cbr\u003ein the stands\u003cbr\u003egets\u003cbr\u003esmaller.\u003cbr\u003eI feel like I’m rewatching\u003cbr\u003elast Sunday’s game,\u003cbr\u003erewatching Jay Cutler \u003cbr\u003eget sacked five times,\u003cbr\u003erewatching Bears fans \u003cbr\u003eleaving\u003cbr\u003eto \u003cbr\u003eavoid seeing\u003cbr\u003ea game \u003cbr\u003eend\u003cbr\u003eso low\u003cbr\u003eit crushes us to the ground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLate Fall 2016\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDivision\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the book\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe fifth graders\u003cbr\u003edon’t want their school \u003cbr\u003eshut down.\u003cbr\u003eBecause their class\u003cbr\u003ewould be\u003cbr\u003e                         divi          ded.\u003cbr\u003eBecause when\u003cbr\u003efriendships\u003cbr\u003efr      ,\u003cbr\u003eclasses are\u003cbr\u003elonely.\u003cbr\u003eMonths shuffle forward,\u003cbr\u003ebooks my only\u003cbr\u003ecompanions,\u003cbr\u003elessons and learning\u003cbr\u003eall I do.\u003cbr\u003eI hide in the library\u003cbr\u003eto escape\u003cbr\u003ethe embarrassment\u003cbr\u003eof where to sit at lunch,\u003cbr\u003ebut even my favorite books\u003cbr\u003edon’t distract me from \u003cbr\u003emy despair.\u003cbr\u003eI text Adam\u003cbr\u003eabout how awful\u003cbr\u003eschool is without him,\u003cbr\u003ealmost as awful as\u003cbr\u003ethe Bears’ season has been.\u003cbr\u003eTheir loss in October\u003cbr\u003eagainst the Packers\u003cbr\u003eleft\u003cbr\u003ea bitter taste in my mouth\u003cbr\u003ethat hasn’t disappeared\u003cbr\u003eall of November.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e                         I’m thinking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e                         of switching teams, bruh.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBOOM.\u003cbr\u003eMy book\u003cbr\u003efalls \u003cbr\u003eout from\u003cbr\u003emy hand\u003cbr\u003eonto the school hall floor.\u003cbr\u003eAdam’s moving on\u003cbr\u003efrom the Bears?\u003cbr\u003eFrom our team?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFree Agent\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdam \u003cbr\u003eand me\u003cbr\u003ewere more \u003cbr\u003ethan friends.\u003cbr\u003eWe were brothers,\u003cbr\u003esince kindergarten.\u003cbr\u003eBefore\u003cbr\u003ewe learned our letters,\u003cbr\u003ewe learned\u003cbr\u003eto toss a foam football.\u003cbr\u003eBack and forth\u003cbr\u003eand\u003cbr\u003eforth\u003cbr\u003eand \u003cbr\u003eback.\u003cbr\u003eAdam’s the one who \u003cbr\u003efirst taught me the game,\u003cbr\u003eabout the Monsters of the Midway,\u003cbr\u003eDa Bears.\u003cbr\u003eWe watched\u003cbr\u003ereplays,\u003cbr\u003estudied Super Bowl XX\u003cbr\u003eover and over,\u003cbr\u003eand together,\u003cbr\u003ewe drew dreams\u003cbr\u003eof being the next \u003cbr\u003eSuper Bowl stars,\u003cbr\u003eof bringing the Bears \u003cbr\u003eback to \u003cbr\u003esweet greatness.\u003cbr\u003eAdam was the lineman\u003cbr\u003eto my QB,\u003cbr\u003ethe one who had my\u003cbr\u003eback,\u003cbr\u003ethe encouragement in my ear\u003cbr\u003ethat helped me\u003cbr\u003eplay.\u003cbr\u003eHe was my link to the\u003cbr\u003egame.\u003cbr\u003eLike a free agent\u003cbr\u003ewithout a team,\u003cbr\u003ewhen Adam \u003cbr\u003eleft,\u003cbr\u003emy link\u003cbr\u003ewas\u003cbr\u003ebro\u003cbr\u003e         ken.","brand":"G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233293545701,"sku":"NP9780593699287","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593699287.jpg?v=1767730637","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/kareem-between-isbn-9780593699287","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}