Zara's Rules for Finding Hidden Treasure

by Hena Khan, Wastana Haikal (Illustrator)

Overview

From the beloved author of Amina’s Voice comes the second book in the delightful Zara’s Rules middle grade series following Zara as she starts her own business!

Zara lives for bike rides with her friends—so when her shiny, brand-new bike goes missing from the park one day, she’s crushed. After her parents insist she earn the money for another one herself, Zara’s determined to start a business. But what kind? A lemonade stand? Not profitable enough. Selling painted rocks? Not enough customers.

Zara’s starting to get discouraged when she and her friend Naomi finally come up with the perfect idea: The Treasure Wagon, a roving garage sale that unloads knickknacks from the Saleem family basement and makes money all at once! But when a mix-up gets Zara in hot water again, will she have to give up everything she’s earned toward her new bike?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534497610
Publisher:	Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Series:	Zara's Rules , #2
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Hena Khan is a Pakistani American writer. She is the author of the middle grade novels Amina’s Voice, Amina’s Song, More to the Story, Drawing Deena, and the Zara’s Rules series and picture books Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George, among others. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland, with her family. You can learn more about Hena and her books by visiting her website at HenaKhan.com or connecting with her @HenaKhanBooks.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

“Hurry up!” Jade yells.

My legs burn as I keep pedaling. I’m only halfway up the biggest hill on the way to Radley’s Park. And I’m slowing down no matter how hard I try to go faster.

“Come on!” Jade is waiting for me at the top of the hill. The sparkly pink tassels on her bike handles flutter in the cool fall breeze. She crosses her arms impatiently.

I reach for the water bottle clipped onto the side of my bike and take a sip. My old bike didn’t have a clip. It also squeaked and rattled, and the chain kept falling off. Plus it was getting so small for me that my knees hit the handlebars. Luckily, Mama and Baba surprised me with this new bike, in a perfect shade of blue, right before school started. But this hill is still as hard as ever.

“Al... most... there...,” Naomi pants behind me. I focus on the back of Gloria’s helmet in front of us as she reaches her older sister first.

And then a few moments later, we make it! I mop the sweat off my face and gaze at the path winding through the park.

“Finally!” Jade smiles. “Let’s go.” It’s obvious that my neighbor loves being the one in charge on our long bike rides. We’re only allowed to come this far without a grown-up because Jade’s thirteen and old enough to babysit. Not that we’re babies or need sitting.

Naomi and I are both ten, and Gloria’s almost twelve. But Jade took an official babysitting class and earned a certificate for doing CPR recently. That means she knows how to help people if they stop breathing. A moment ago, when I was gasping for air, I thought I might actually need Jade’s services. But now I’ve caught my breath, and I’m ready to play.

Ever since they redid the equipment at Radley’s, it’s the best park in the area. There’s a huge pirate ship with big twisty slides, a fake plank, and tire swings. Because of the foamy soft padding on the ground, you don’t get hurt if you fall down. The only bad part about Radley’s being so awesome is that it’s popular... a little too popular. People swarm to it on the weekends. And that means we have to wait for the swings and dodge all the little kids learning how to scooter and Rollerblade on the foam.

“What do you want to do first?” Naomi asks as we park our bikes in the crowded rack. I carefully slide mine into the slot next to hers, making sure it doesn’t get scratched. When my friend takes off her helmet, her usually puffy curls are flattened to the sides of her head.

“Pirate ship hide-and-seek!” Gloria suggests.

“Snack time!” Jade points to her backpack, which is decorated with patches from national parks. “I’ve got clementines and pretzels.”

Editorial Reviews

2022-08-31
When one of Zara’s prized possessions goes missing, she realizes she has to get creative in order to replace it.

The second book in Khan’s middle-grade series centering on 10-year-old Zara begins with the lively protagonist realizing that her brand-new bike has been stolen after she forgot to lock it while at the park with her friends. After she breaks the news to her parents, they are disappointed that she didn’t take better care of her bike; now it’s up to her to earn the money for a new one. When attempts at selling painted rocks don’t generate much income, Zara’s uncle suggests she host a garage sale, so she begins collecting unwanted items, carting her wares around in a wagon. But when Zara accidentally sells a box of her mother’s keepsakes, Mama becomes upset, leading the whole plan to unravel. However, the mistake also helps Mama better understand Zara’s grandmother (early on, Mama had encouraged her parents to sort through their clutter, to her own mother’s consternation) and sparks a conversation between Mama and Zara about holding on to treasured belongings. Khan’s loving depiction of Zara and her Pakistani American Muslim family is accompanied by energetic illustrations by Haikal. References to Marie Kondo, Zara’s mother’s worries about her parents, and the way the misunderstanding unfolds also make this fun, quick read feel fresh and realistic.

A tale about a relatable mishap—and our often complex relationships with material possessions. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews