A Thousand Questions is infused with the author's abiding love for Pakistan and the cultural milieu of the country of her birth; the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Karachi are brought alive with affection, authenticity, and attention to detail. And at the core of this story is an unlikely friendship that crosses boundaries and breaks barriers, the kind of friendship that will lift readers' hearts and leave them smiling.” — Padma Venkatraman, author of The Bridge Home, winner of the Walter Award for Young Readers
“With a big heart and a gentle touch, A Thousand Questions shows us how good friends can lend courage to each other, and how the right friendship at the right time can change your life. This is a beautiful book.” — Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs
"Atmospheric and tender, this delightful story about the life-changing power of friendship is sure to capture the heart of many readers." — Jasmine Warga, author of Other Words For Home
"Faruqi’s descriptions of modern Karachi are rich with sensory detail...A thoughtful portrait of friendship across class lines in modern Pakistan." — Kirkus Reviews
"The likeable heroines develop a touching connection that enhances the fast-paced plot and counterpoints tense situations with their families. The novel’s observations about other societal issues—including religion, politics, wealth, and marriage—add thought-provoking touches." — Publishers Weekly
"Faruqi writes in first person, with chapters alternating between Mimi’s and Sakina’s points of view, with each revealing misconceptions about the other’s culture. As they learn from their differences and similarities, the narrative is enriched by the dual perspective. The inviting book-jacket image suggests the story’s distinctive setting, the girls’ backgrounds, and their relationship, three fundamental elements of this engaging chapter book." — Booklist
"Told through the girls' alternative points of view, the novel examines contemporary urban Pakistan in all its complexity. Faruqi threads issues of privilege, poverty, democracy, and the meaning of family throughout the book." — Horn Book Magazine
"Atmospheric and tender, this delightful story about the life-changing power of friendship is sure to capture the heart of many readers."
"Faruqi writes in first person, with chapters alternating between Mimi’s and Sakina’s points of view, with each revealing misconceptions about the other’s culture. As they learn from their differences and similarities, the narrative is enriched by the dual perspective. The inviting book-jacket image suggests the story’s distinctive setting, the girls’ backgrounds, and their relationship, three fundamental elements of this engaging chapter book."
With a big heart and a gentle touch, A Thousand Questions shows us how good friends can lend courage to each other, and how the right friendship at the right time can change your life. This is a beautiful book.”
"Told through the girls' alternative points of view, the novel examines contemporary urban Pakistan in all its complexity. Faruqi threads issues of privilege, poverty, democracy, and the meaning of family throughout the book."
A Thousand Questions is infused with the author's abiding love for Pakistan and the cultural milieu of the country of her birth; the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Karachi are brought alive with affection, authenticity, and attention to detail. And at the core of this story is an unlikely friendship that crosses boundaries and breaks barriers, the kind of friendship that will lift readers' hearts and leave them smiling.”
"Faruqi writes in first person, with chapters alternating between Mimi’s and Sakina’s points of view, with each revealing misconceptions about the other’s culture. As they learn from their differences and similarities, the narrative is enriched by the dual perspective. The inviting book-jacket image suggests the story’s distinctive setting, the girls’ backgrounds, and their relationship, three fundamental elements of this engaging chapter book."
2020-08-18
When 11-year-old Houston native Mimi Scotts lands with her mother in Karachi, Pakistan, for summer vacation, she’s not sure what to expect—especially from her Pakistani grandparents, whom she is meeting for the first time.
Mimi’s mother grows increasingly distracted and distant as she navigates the fallout of her failed marriage to Mimi’s White father. Mimi grounds herself by writing to her estranged father in her journal. Although most servants in Mimi’s grandparents’ enormous house are excited about the American arrivals, Sakina Ejaz, a girl Mimi’s age who works as an assistant to her head cook father, couldn’t care less. Between her family’s poverty and her father’s diabetes, she has enough to worry about. But when Mimi agrees to help Sakina pass an English exam to achieve her dream of earning a scholarship and attending school for the first time, the two strike up a friendship greater than the differences in class and nationality that divide them. Together, they weather Mimi’s family secrets, Sakina’s pursuit of her dreams, and the sometimes-violent lead-up to an upcoming election. Faruqi’s descriptions of modern Karachi are rich with sensory detail, and her exploration of Mimi’s complicated feelings about her father make for a beautifully layered character arc. Sakina, however, feels defined almost entirely by her poverty, flattening her story and making her character’s development less satisfying.
A thoughtful portrait of friendship across class lines in modern Pakistan. (Fiction. 9-14)
