Grounded

by Aisha Saeed, S. K. Ali, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Huda Al-Marashi

Overview

Four kids meet at an airport for one unforgettable night in this middle-grade novel by four bestselling and award-winning authors

When a thunderstorm grounds all flights following a huge Muslim convention, four unlikely kids are thrown together. Feek is stuck babysitting his younger sister, but he’d rather be writing a poem that’s good enough for his dad, a famous poet and rapper. Hanna is intent on finding a lost cat in the airport—and also on avoiding a conversation with her dad about him possibly remarrying. Sami is struggling with his anxiety and worried that he’ll miss the karate tournament that he’s trained so hard for. And Nora has to deal with the pressure of being the daughter of a prominent congresswoman, when all she really wants to do is make fun NokNok videos. These kids don’t seem to have much in common—yet.

Told in alternating points of view, Grounded tells the story of one unexpected night that will change these kids forever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647006693
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	05/09/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Aisha Saeed is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of books for children. Her middle-grade novel Amal Unbound received multiple starred reviews and was a Global Read Aloud for 2018. Her picture book, Bilal Cooks Daal, received an APALA honor, and she was the co-editor of the critically acclaimed Once Upon an Eid. Aisha is also a founding member of the non-profit We Need Diverse Books™.

Editorial Reviews

04/10/2023

In this multi-POV collaboration, four kids leaving the Muslims of North America conference are stranded with their families at Zora Neale Hurston Airport after a thunderstorm grounds their flights. When 12-year-old aspiring lyricist Feek Stiles, from Philly, loses track of four-year-old sister Ruqi, he’s thrown into the company of perpetually anxious Sami Iqbal, from Orlando, who’s afraid of missing his upcoming karate competition; 13-year-old Nora Najjar, a social media enthusiast struggling to share the attention of her busy Michigan “Congressmom”; and 11-year-old animal lover Hanna Chen, from Doha, who’s devoted herself to finding Snickerdoodle, a cat lost in the airport. Once Ruqi is found, Hanna presses the others into joining her cause, precipitating a revealing adventure that pushes each character—all of them navigating personal challenges—to confront whatever it is they’re facing, now that there’s nowhere to go. Humorous dialogue balances intensely emotional moments throughout alternating chapters by Saeed, Al-Marashi, Thompkins Bigelow, and Ali. Spirited characters with distinctly wrought backgrounds prove both idealistic and realistic while emphasizing the importance of community and the idea that there is more than one way to honor Muslim identity. Ages 8–12. Authors’ agents: (for Saeed) Faye Bender, Book Group; (for Ali) Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties; (for Thompkins Bigelow) Essie White, Storm Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

I loved this thrilling airport adventure, complete with friendship, thunderstorms, chocolate, and a missing celebrity cat. I couldn’t put it down!Kids will love the comfort the book offers, as well as the adventure.”—Victoria Jamieson, author of Roller Girl, a Newbery Honor book

"I love this book! It's the exact type of story I dreamed about finding as a kid—fun and funny with diverse Muslim representation. So charming and full of heart!"—Jasmine Warga, New York Times bestselling author of A Rover’s Story

“Saeed, Al-Marashi, Thompkins-Bigelow, and Ali write four relatable, well-developed characters from different backgrounds who represent the diversity of Muslim communities, seamlessly connecting their individual and collective stories into a single whole. A positive, engaging story centering Muslim kids.”—Kirkus Reviews

“In alternating points of view, the four authors—who collaborated on Once upon an Eid (2020)—have crafted a book that, while it brims with unapologetic Muslim rep, is not about religion but friendship and adventure. Hand to readers seeking a quick escape.”—Booklist

"Spirited characters with distinctly wrought backgrounds prove both idealistic and realistic while emphasizing the importance of community and the idea that there is more than one way to honor Muslim identity."
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

I loved this thrilling airport adventure, complete with friendship, thunderstorms, chocolate, and a missing celebrity cat. I couldn’t put it down! Kids will love the comfort the book offers, as well as the adventure.

Victoria Jamieson

"I love this book! It's the exact type of story I dreamed about finding as a kid—fun and funny with diverse Muslim representation. So charming and full of heart!"

New York Times bestselling author of A Rover’ Jasmine Warga

In alternating points of view, the four authors—who collaborated on Once upon an Eid (2020)—have crafted a book that, while it brims with unapologetic Muslim rep, is not about religion but friendship and adventure. Hand to readers seeking a quick escape.

Booklist

2023-02-08
Four tweens stuck in an airport come together for a rescue mission.

When 12-year-old Feek Stiles loses his 4-year-old sister, Ruqi, at the airport, he meets Hanna Chen and Sami Iqbal, who try to help him locate her. But Nora Najjar finds her first. The kids are waiting with their families to fly home after attending the Muslims of North America conference when flights are grounded due to inclement weather. Eleven-year-old Hanna, armed with flyers and Meow Mix, is determined to find Snickerdoodle, a cat who has been missing for a week in the airport, and she recruits Feek, Sami, and Nora to help. The story unfolds in chapters that alternate among the viewpoints of aspiring poet Feek from Philadelphia; Doha animal lover Hanna; Sami, who is from Orlando and does karate; and Nora, a Michigan congresswoman’s daughter who posts on social media about sweet treats. Each one has something they are struggling with, including parents with busy work schedules, a sports competition, their sense of Muslim identity, and more. They end up going on an adventure throughout the airport that involves unexpected twists and turns, in the process learning more about themselves and one another and finding their voices. Saeed, Al-Marashi, Thompkins-Bigelow, and Ali write four relatable, well-developed characters from different backgrounds who represent the diversity of Muslim communities, seamlessly connecting their individual and collective stories into a single whole.

A positive, engaging story centering Muslim kids. (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews