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Maddie & Sayara
Maddie and Sayara are from very different cultures and meet while on holiday. They quickly forge a close friendship as they discover their similarities about their families, attitudes, dreams, and hopes. Their time together is cut short when Sayara is called home because her favorite cousin has been unexpectedly jailed by powerful forces. Maddie is both surprised and shocked and resolves to help Sayara free her cousin, Themi, from jail. Maddie wonders why girls are treated differently just because of where they are born. Naïve but hopeful Maddie cannot understand why her friends should live within unequal and unfair rules, and she is determined to fix the problem. Stealthily arriving in Sayara's home kingdom, Maddie finds she is less prepared than she thought to navigate local powerful forces, culture, and unfair rules. With the help of a local family, Maddie finds Sayara and her spirited cousin Themi. But can Maddie and Sayara persuade the king to change the unfair rules against women?
201 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2017
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July 28, 2018
My 10-year-old daughter gave it 4/5 points, but I have to give it 2.5-3/5 points.
We both agree with the message: Girls have a right to be treated with respect and as equals to boys, regardless of country, political system, or religion. Women have a right to be treated as equals to men. Both women, and men, should be free to choose what they want to wear, whether they want to drive or not, with whom they associate with, and they should be free to pursue the career of their choice, without being hindered by traditional gender roles or stereotypes.
At first I was a bit confused, it was clear that Sayara is from a Middle Eastern country similar to Saudi Arabia. I told my daughter that the author may have her reasons for not saying the name of the country or the religion that the faith police claim to represent. It seemed most likely to me that she did not want to insult anyone’s sensibilities and alienate potential readership by openly criticizing a certain country or religion.
Truth be told, I get Maddie. When I was thirteen I was right and everyone who disagreed with me was wrong. My brother used to call me a "female chauvinist pig" and I could have easily been considered as being America-centrist. So Maddie's naive idea that she can solve the world's problems based on the set of values and beliefs that she was raised on is easy for me to understand, even if I can not (now that I've collected some life experience) condone it.
My critique of the book, however, is twofold. Firstly, the characters are not diverse. Maddie, Sayara, Themi, Alisha, Aunt AK, Grammy, Matin, Grandma Danah, Grandpa Mansur, Hariz, Miss Baker (the health teacher), Sara (the engineer), Sabrina (the lawyer) and even Prince Bodhi all have exactly the same opinion on gender equality. Exactly. They are, in fact, one and the same voice. They all repeat exactly the same message and even often use the exact words. The word “ridiculous” comes to mind. Many of them also eye roll when explaining the “ridiculous” customs and traditions.
“Alisha said sarcastically, smiling at me and rolling her eyes.” (39%)
“Alisha rolled her eyes again…” (40%)
Maddie says, “I needed to find a way to talk to the king and the judgment council and make them see how ridiculous these laws against girls were.” (23%)
Alisha says, “It’s hard to play sports or run in these ridiculous tents.” (32%)
Alisha rolled her eyes and overemphasized the weak to show how ridiculous she also thought the rules were.
Grandpa Mansur says, “In my day, when I was younger… there was no ridiculous FP!” (37%)
“The FP now runs the schools and decides what kids should learn. This is ridiculous" (Grandpa Mansur , 40%).
“The FP is afraid of questions. How ridiculous! What intelligent person is afraid of questions?” (Grandpa Mansur, 41%)
Sayara says, “Not even regular guys can get near him, let alone a girl. She rolled her eyes.”
Sara, the engineer that Maddie meets in prison, says, "I can't even drive from building site to building site. It's ridiculous." (85%)
Sabrina, Hariz's mom's "eyes rolled ever so slightly." (89%)
My second critique is that anyone who doesn’t agree with the uni-opinion purported by all the main characters is portrayed as shallow, consumer-obsessed, brainwashed, weak, not able to think for themselves, money-grubbing, superficial, afraid, and/or just plain stupid.
“Mom genuinely lived life on the surface…”
Grandma Danah adds, “it’s our own fault that we don’t teach our children to think for themselves.” (40%)
Alisha says, "My mom made me realize that for many women in her generation, they were raised in a culture that brainwashed them into believing that the tent and veil protected them in some warped way... And it's really hard to shake that level of mind control. That's why we fight against the brainwashing."
“People in the kingdom have forgotten to think for themselves. We are sheep,” added Grandpa Mansur. (40%)
People? Wow. That’s a broad overgeneralization, don’t you think? (I'm rolling my eyes right now in case anyone was wondering).
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with the message in this book. In my 20s I first visited my future husband’s traditional Muslim family and later married into it, so I know first hand the frustrations an American girl (especially an equal-rights-for-all activist) experiences when visiting or living in a society strongly defined by gender roles.
But in my 30 years of experience bridging exactly those two cultures depicted in this book, I have come across many different opinions on the issue. Smart people, religious people, secular people, non-shallow people, considerate and kind people, selfless people, politically active people, peace activists, equal rights activists have many different opinions, assumptions, theories, and prescriptions regarding gender roles and gender equality -- and for various reasons, many of these opinions differ from my own opinion (and Maddie’s opinion, and most everyone in this book’s opinions). In contrast to Maddie’s experience, people everywhere did not echo my opinion (or my words verbatim) on what is “ridiculous” and what not – quite the contrary. I often felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall on some issues, but was able to agree to disagree on others.
And to relegate everyone who does not share your opinion to being shallow, mindless, brainwashed, and/or greedy (as not only Maddie does, but all the main characters here do) is disrespectful and sophomoric.
There were some other problems in the execution of the story. Maddie readily admits that she doesn’t speak the language in “the kingdom” (“in a language I didn’t understand,” 35%), yet she is able to speak with everyone, both educated and non-educated, and even finds herself overhearing conversations that were clearly not meant for her ears.
I overheard Mr. Advisor say, "Don't worry, Grand Master, the prince will not think to look for them at Block Z, at least not for a few days..." (81%).
The idea that people who are planning conspire against the prince to wiz Maddie away to a secret prison would speak to each other in English and not in their native language sounds to me to be a bit ridiculous.
Still I clearly approve of the message of this story and I was happy my 10-year-old daughter (half-American/half-Arab) read it so that we could discuss issues of culture and gender-equality, and so that she can learn that while she has every advantage and equal opportunities, sadly many girls and women around the world still do not – and that is plain ridiculous.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
We both agree with the message: Girls have a right to be treated with respect and as equals to boys, regardless of country, political system, or religion. Women have a right to be treated as equals to men. Both women, and men, should be free to choose what they want to wear, whether they want to drive or not, with whom they associate with, and they should be free to pursue the career of their choice, without being hindered by traditional gender roles or stereotypes.
At first I was a bit confused, it was clear that Sayara is from a Middle Eastern country similar to Saudi Arabia. I told my daughter that the author may have her reasons for not saying the name of the country or the religion that the faith police claim to represent. It seemed most likely to me that she did not want to insult anyone’s sensibilities and alienate potential readership by openly criticizing a certain country or religion.
Truth be told, I get Maddie. When I was thirteen I was right and everyone who disagreed with me was wrong. My brother used to call me a "female chauvinist pig" and I could have easily been considered as being America-centrist. So Maddie's naive idea that she can solve the world's problems based on the set of values and beliefs that she was raised on is easy for me to understand, even if I can not (now that I've collected some life experience) condone it.
My critique of the book, however, is twofold. Firstly, the characters are not diverse. Maddie, Sayara, Themi, Alisha, Aunt AK, Grammy, Matin, Grandma Danah, Grandpa Mansur, Hariz, Miss Baker (the health teacher), Sara (the engineer), Sabrina (the lawyer) and even Prince Bodhi all have exactly the same opinion on gender equality. Exactly. They are, in fact, one and the same voice. They all repeat exactly the same message and even often use the exact words. The word “ridiculous” comes to mind. Many of them also eye roll when explaining the “ridiculous” customs and traditions.
“Alisha said sarcastically, smiling at me and rolling her eyes.” (39%)
“Alisha rolled her eyes again…” (40%)
Maddie says, “I needed to find a way to talk to the king and the judgment council and make them see how ridiculous these laws against girls were.” (23%)
Alisha says, “It’s hard to play sports or run in these ridiculous tents.” (32%)
Alisha rolled her eyes and overemphasized the weak to show how ridiculous she also thought the rules were.
Grandpa Mansur says, “In my day, when I was younger… there was no ridiculous FP!” (37%)
“The FP now runs the schools and decides what kids should learn. This is ridiculous" (Grandpa Mansur , 40%).
“The FP is afraid of questions. How ridiculous! What intelligent person is afraid of questions?” (Grandpa Mansur, 41%)
Sayara says, “Not even regular guys can get near him, let alone a girl. She rolled her eyes.”
Sara, the engineer that Maddie meets in prison, says, "I can't even drive from building site to building site. It's ridiculous." (85%)
Sabrina, Hariz's mom's "eyes rolled ever so slightly." (89%)
My second critique is that anyone who doesn’t agree with the uni-opinion purported by all the main characters is portrayed as shallow, consumer-obsessed, brainwashed, weak, not able to think for themselves, money-grubbing, superficial, afraid, and/or just plain stupid.
“Mom genuinely lived life on the surface…”
Grandma Danah adds, “it’s our own fault that we don’t teach our children to think for themselves.” (40%)
Alisha says, "My mom made me realize that for many women in her generation, they were raised in a culture that brainwashed them into believing that the tent and veil protected them in some warped way... And it's really hard to shake that level of mind control. That's why we fight against the brainwashing."
“People in the kingdom have forgotten to think for themselves. We are sheep,” added Grandpa Mansur. (40%)
People? Wow. That’s a broad overgeneralization, don’t you think? (I'm rolling my eyes right now in case anyone was wondering).
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with the message in this book. In my 20s I first visited my future husband’s traditional Muslim family and later married into it, so I know first hand the frustrations an American girl (especially an equal-rights-for-all activist) experiences when visiting or living in a society strongly defined by gender roles.
But in my 30 years of experience bridging exactly those two cultures depicted in this book, I have come across many different opinions on the issue. Smart people, religious people, secular people, non-shallow people, considerate and kind people, selfless people, politically active people, peace activists, equal rights activists have many different opinions, assumptions, theories, and prescriptions regarding gender roles and gender equality -- and for various reasons, many of these opinions differ from my own opinion (and Maddie’s opinion, and most everyone in this book’s opinions). In contrast to Maddie’s experience, people everywhere did not echo my opinion (or my words verbatim) on what is “ridiculous” and what not – quite the contrary. I often felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall on some issues, but was able to agree to disagree on others.
And to relegate everyone who does not share your opinion to being shallow, mindless, brainwashed, and/or greedy (as not only Maddie does, but all the main characters here do) is disrespectful and sophomoric.
There were some other problems in the execution of the story. Maddie readily admits that she doesn’t speak the language in “the kingdom” (“in a language I didn’t understand,” 35%), yet she is able to speak with everyone, both educated and non-educated, and even finds herself overhearing conversations that were clearly not meant for her ears.
I overheard Mr. Advisor say, "Don't worry, Grand Master, the prince will not think to look for them at Block Z, at least not for a few days..." (81%).
The idea that people who are planning conspire against the prince to wiz Maddie away to a secret prison would speak to each other in English and not in their native language sounds to me to be a bit ridiculous.
Still I clearly approve of the message of this story and I was happy my 10-year-old daughter (half-American/half-Arab) read it so that we could discuss issues of culture and gender-equality, and so that she can learn that while she has every advantage and equal opportunities, sadly many girls and women around the world still do not – and that is plain ridiculous.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 2, 2017
I was super excited for this book. It had such an interesting concept - not one I had seen tackled before in kidlit. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn't great, and was riddled with faults that made my reading less than enjoyable.
- The book's reference to the 'kingdom' seemed... well, unnecessary and redundant when its core message is about the inequalities that exist in our world. It would be understandable if the book had made up place names for every other place in the world, but it didn't. Only the 'kingdom' becomes a different, vague name, and the kingdom's culture becomes condensed into more vague references (e.g. a burka is constantly referred to as a tent).
- Maddie's character was not likable. She's young and naive - understandable. I can empathise. But how is she naive to the point that she can buy herself a ticket to a country that she knows zero things about because she thinks her friend who she has known for like weeks is in trouble? Actually not even her friend, but her friend's cousin. No thirteen year old is THAT naive.
- The dialogue, writing, prose was... condescending. I mean, I get that it's easy to think that kids need to be spoken down to. That they might find concepts difficult to understand. But kids are incredibly clever, and pick up things quite fast. As someone writing a book FOR kids, I would hope the writer would be aware of this. Yet, this book constantly speaks down to its audience. Repeating everything over and over, and over-explaining absolutely everything.
- Maddie was the only character that we actually got to know. Everyone else was basically just a prop. Yes, even Sayara, who is half the title of the book. Sayara usually shows up to speak about how unfair it is that the 'kingdom' doesn't treat girls well, when Maddie's country treats her equally. Then Maddie does things because hooray white saviour!
There was also such a polarised way of looking at the characters. They were either on Maddie's side, which apparently means having the exact thought patterns as Maddie or other characters she admired, or... well, not a particularly great person. This was especially frustrating when it came to female characters. We see many female characters dismissed because they embody typical 'feminine' behaviour. For example, they enjoy shopping, or pampering. The book overemphasies their vanity, before dismissing them as vapid and shallow, and therefore having no interest in what Maddie's interested in - which relegates them to being unimportant and not worth ours (or Maddie's) time.
- There was a total lack of nuance. I get it - it's easy to talk about the world in polarised ways. The kingdom is bad, and other countries are good. But it's also... the opposite of what this book should be trying to achieve. To give insight into the different ways that two cultures treat girls - one with inequality, and one with considerably more respect - shouldn't need to be dichotomised to evil vs. good. Maddie's world can also have BAD things. And it does. It's implied that Maddie is from the US, which is still rife with problems that women must tackle to become equal to men. Yet, this book completely erases that. It is especially unfortunate because the book set up this exploration at the beginning, as Maddie speaks about the gender pressures that led her mother to have children, but seems to forget about all of that.
- The book was also incredibly classist. Time and again, we are told that ordinary people of the 'kingdom' and those who are non-citizen labourers have a more difficult life. In fact, non-citizen labourers seem to have almost no rights. Yet, Maddie continually puts the lives of non-citizens, and ordinary 'kingdom' residents at risk, having little to no qualms about it. And though we hear that this puts them under strife, they bear it with grins because Maddie - this random girl they have just met - is apparently just adorable enough for them to risk their lives for her.
- The book also erases many other kinds of discrimination. For example:
Why is okay for any faith to disciminate against girls? Why do we tolerate discrimination of girls but not of anyone else?
Uhh... there is definitely discrimination of a lot of other people who are NOT girls.
Can you imagine back in your home if you had to follow different rules just because of the color of your skin or hair?
I mean... first, it's pretty problematic to equate skin colour and hair colour, considering the baggage and history that the former comes with. Second... THAT HAPPENS AND HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST JFC.
Well, even where you come from, Maddie, girls or even people of color didn't have a lot of rights just a hundred years ago.
Like... okay. At least here the book has acknowledged that people of color faced discrimination, but it erases the discrimination they still faces, and also ignores the fact that black people were fighting for civil rights in 1954. That's only 63 years ago. NOT one hundred.
- THE END. OH MY GOD, THE END ANNOYED ME LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THIS BOOK.
Okay, spoiler free: the ending made the story akin to a fairytale. It was totally unrealistic, and solved too many issues that are FAR too big for a 13 y/o girls with no prior knowledge of well... most things. It sets up a really bad precedent for activism, or even cross-cultural empathy. As if, our only solution is to go in and solve everything, when obviously this is not a very realistic goal.
- The book's reference to the 'kingdom' seemed... well, unnecessary and redundant when its core message is about the inequalities that exist in our world. It would be understandable if the book had made up place names for every other place in the world, but it didn't. Only the 'kingdom' becomes a different, vague name, and the kingdom's culture becomes condensed into more vague references (e.g. a burka is constantly referred to as a tent).
- Maddie's character was not likable. She's young and naive - understandable. I can empathise. But how is she naive to the point that she can buy herself a ticket to a country that she knows zero things about because she thinks her friend who she has known for like weeks is in trouble? Actually not even her friend, but her friend's cousin. No thirteen year old is THAT naive.
- The dialogue, writing, prose was... condescending. I mean, I get that it's easy to think that kids need to be spoken down to. That they might find concepts difficult to understand. But kids are incredibly clever, and pick up things quite fast. As someone writing a book FOR kids, I would hope the writer would be aware of this. Yet, this book constantly speaks down to its audience. Repeating everything over and over, and over-explaining absolutely everything.
- Maddie was the only character that we actually got to know. Everyone else was basically just a prop. Yes, even Sayara, who is half the title of the book. Sayara usually shows up to speak about how unfair it is that the 'kingdom' doesn't treat girls well, when Maddie's country treats her equally. Then Maddie does things because hooray white saviour!
There was also such a polarised way of looking at the characters. They were either on Maddie's side, which apparently means having the exact thought patterns as Maddie or other characters she admired, or... well, not a particularly great person. This was especially frustrating when it came to female characters. We see many female characters dismissed because they embody typical 'feminine' behaviour. For example, they enjoy shopping, or pampering. The book overemphasies their vanity, before dismissing them as vapid and shallow, and therefore having no interest in what Maddie's interested in - which relegates them to being unimportant and not worth ours (or Maddie's) time.
- There was a total lack of nuance. I get it - it's easy to talk about the world in polarised ways. The kingdom is bad, and other countries are good. But it's also... the opposite of what this book should be trying to achieve. To give insight into the different ways that two cultures treat girls - one with inequality, and one with considerably more respect - shouldn't need to be dichotomised to evil vs. good. Maddie's world can also have BAD things. And it does. It's implied that Maddie is from the US, which is still rife with problems that women must tackle to become equal to men. Yet, this book completely erases that. It is especially unfortunate because the book set up this exploration at the beginning, as Maddie speaks about the gender pressures that led her mother to have children, but seems to forget about all of that.
- The book was also incredibly classist. Time and again, we are told that ordinary people of the 'kingdom' and those who are non-citizen labourers have a more difficult life. In fact, non-citizen labourers seem to have almost no rights. Yet, Maddie continually puts the lives of non-citizens, and ordinary 'kingdom' residents at risk, having little to no qualms about it. And though we hear that this puts them under strife, they bear it with grins because Maddie - this random girl they have just met - is apparently just adorable enough for them to risk their lives for her.
- The book also erases many other kinds of discrimination. For example:
Why is okay for any faith to disciminate against girls? Why do we tolerate discrimination of girls but not of anyone else?
Uhh... there is definitely discrimination of a lot of other people who are NOT girls.
Can you imagine back in your home if you had to follow different rules just because of the color of your skin or hair?
I mean... first, it's pretty problematic to equate skin colour and hair colour, considering the baggage and history that the former comes with. Second... THAT HAPPENS AND HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST JFC.
Well, even where you come from, Maddie, girls or even people of color didn't have a lot of rights just a hundred years ago.
Like... okay. At least here the book has acknowledged that people of color faced discrimination, but it erases the discrimination they still faces, and also ignores the fact that black people were fighting for civil rights in 1954. That's only 63 years ago. NOT one hundred.
- THE END. OH MY GOD, THE END ANNOYED ME LIKE NOTHING ELSE IN THIS BOOK.
Okay, spoiler free: the ending made the story akin to a fairytale. It was totally unrealistic, and solved too many issues that are FAR too big for a 13 y/o girls with no prior knowledge of well... most things. It sets up a really bad precedent for activism, or even cross-cultural empathy. As if, our only solution is to go in and solve everything, when obviously this is not a very realistic goal.
July 25, 2017
Rating: 2/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 1/5
Writing: 2/5
Maddie and Sayara are two regular 13-year-olds who meet at a spring break vacation in the Bahamas. They become fast friends and slowly, Maddie comes to understand the differences between her own country's laws regarding women and the "kingdom" where Sayara lives. When Sayara's cousin is arrested for daring to drive while female, Maddie makes a whirlwind decision: she is going to the kingdom to talk some sense into that stupid government.
I feel like I say this a lot, but I really wanted to like this story. It seemed like it had real potential for expanding the genre of politically-motivated stories in the tween/teen area. What I found was a painfully frustrating account of a "normal family" which is obviously very much not the normalcy of American middle class that I know, as her mother can afford to not work and hires a nanny for the three children so she can spent weeks on end in the spa and thinly veiled (no pun intended) references to a Middle Eastern country which requires all women to wear a "tent."
I was also appalled at Maddie's characterization. She steals her mother's login and frequent flyer miles to book a plane to a foreign country, so she can "find someone who can fix the driving ban." I have known a lot of naive teens and tweens, but none of them would even think about trying to go to a foreign country alone. None of them would assume that changing nation-wide laws can be done by one individual, especially a girl in a country that marginalizes women to the degree that the kingdom does. Naivety is one thing; reckless self-endangerment is something entirely different.
Also disturbing was the characterization of Maddie's mother: a supposedly middle class mother who neglects her children, spends lavish amounts of money to pamper herself and to make sure someone else raises her kids, and seems to emotionally abuse her daughter through unreasonable demands and silent treatment tactics. She also has intensely old-fashioned views about what women's roles in society should be, without a corresponding religious or social class basis for her opinions. It is stated that "that's how she was brought up to be" but the abusive effects of her behavior with Maddie are never addressed.
The writing also frustrated me. It seems that the author didn't expect that her readers would retain key plot points between chapters, so insisted on repeating--often in exactly the same words--those plot points throughout their relevant chapters. And while I appreciate Maddie's stream-of-consciousness approach to narrating, sometimes it is distracting from the story that is actually happening.
As a whole, I was disappointed by this tween/teen novel. Perhaps there are parents who care more about preaching the evils of overbearing faith institutions than a believable and relatable story. As an informational parable, it works relatively well and the pacing of information does keep you wanting to turn the page to find out what happens next. The information dumping is heavy-handed though, especially when it comes from a tween who doesn't seem particularly bright or able to make logical jumps on her own. The inconsistencies in writing and character development put this book very low on my recommended reads list.
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 1/5
Writing: 2/5
Maddie and Sayara are two regular 13-year-olds who meet at a spring break vacation in the Bahamas. They become fast friends and slowly, Maddie comes to understand the differences between her own country's laws regarding women and the "kingdom" where Sayara lives. When Sayara's cousin is arrested for daring to drive while female, Maddie makes a whirlwind decision: she is going to the kingdom to talk some sense into that stupid government.
I feel like I say this a lot, but I really wanted to like this story. It seemed like it had real potential for expanding the genre of politically-motivated stories in the tween/teen area. What I found was a painfully frustrating account of a "normal family" which is obviously very much not the normalcy of American middle class that I know, as her mother can afford to not work and hires a nanny for the three children so she can spent weeks on end in the spa and thinly veiled (no pun intended) references to a Middle Eastern country which requires all women to wear a "tent."
I was also appalled at Maddie's characterization. She steals her mother's login and frequent flyer miles to book a plane to a foreign country, so she can "find someone who can fix the driving ban." I have known a lot of naive teens and tweens, but none of them would even think about trying to go to a foreign country alone. None of them would assume that changing nation-wide laws can be done by one individual, especially a girl in a country that marginalizes women to the degree that the kingdom does. Naivety is one thing; reckless self-endangerment is something entirely different.
Also disturbing was the characterization of Maddie's mother: a supposedly middle class mother who neglects her children, spends lavish amounts of money to pamper herself and to make sure someone else raises her kids, and seems to emotionally abuse her daughter through unreasonable demands and silent treatment tactics. She also has intensely old-fashioned views about what women's roles in society should be, without a corresponding religious or social class basis for her opinions. It is stated that "that's how she was brought up to be" but the abusive effects of her behavior with Maddie are never addressed.
The writing also frustrated me. It seems that the author didn't expect that her readers would retain key plot points between chapters, so insisted on repeating--often in exactly the same words--those plot points throughout their relevant chapters. And while I appreciate Maddie's stream-of-consciousness approach to narrating, sometimes it is distracting from the story that is actually happening.
As a whole, I was disappointed by this tween/teen novel. Perhaps there are parents who care more about preaching the evils of overbearing faith institutions than a believable and relatable story. As an informational parable, it works relatively well and the pacing of information does keep you wanting to turn the page to find out what happens next. The information dumping is heavy-handed though, especially when it comes from a tween who doesn't seem particularly bright or able to make logical jumps on her own. The inconsistencies in writing and character development put this book very low on my recommended reads list.
June 29, 2018
I liked the concept of this book, but it just came off as flat and naive. There were too many unlikely elements. The writing was quite repetitious and it often felt like the reader's intelligence was being underestimated. The messages about cultural differences and empowerment were very clear cut--there was no room for various points of view. The issues were oversimplified even though most readers both young and old are aware that life is messy, nothing is simple. I wanted to like this novel, appreciate what it was trying to do but was disappointed.
(Source eARC from Netgalley)
(Source eARC from Netgalley)
dnf
February 12, 2018Dnf at 7% just because I feel this is too young for me and not on par with what I want to be reading.
September 27, 2017
I am reading this book with my 10 year old fifth grade daughter.
What a great unique way to introduce women's issues in a fun exciting age-appropriate story for tweens!
Dunung gets the story-telling needed that draw girls into this very important but overlooked gender bias issue that needs to be uprooted from when it starts to take hold. Girls in their tweens start becoming aware of these differences (and perceived expectations) in a way that will permanently affect their internal self-talk for years to come. This is the perfect age for this kind of story and Dunung holds my daughter's interest with ease.
My daughter has loved reading this together with me at night. As a progressive dad, I want to empower my daughter to feel that she can stand up and be seen and heard in this world, it's here for her just as much as anyone else and stories like this help convey the message without me being too heavy-handed about it.
I have read some of the other reviews and what they view as oversimplified, I see as a strength of a book aimed at tween-teens on this issue. The characters do not all have the same voice. They are unified yes, in support of equal women's rights and while it may seem simplistic to an adult, the message for a 10 year needs to be more obvious. I think my 10-year old is bright with a lot of questions, but to expect her in the course of a short novel to hear many nuanced voices while still getting home the message of equal women's rights is asking too much of the author and the audience.
Direct quotes from her:
What do you think of the story?
"Dad, Maddie is stubborn sometimes. Let's see what she does next!"
Time to go to sleep... We'll read more next time.
"Can we read one more chapter?"
what do you think of the author's writing style?
"She's a great writer!"
what would you change if you were writing this:
"Maybe combine Chapter 3 and 4, that background was kind of covered more than once"
What a great unique way to introduce women's issues in a fun exciting age-appropriate story for tweens!
Dunung gets the story-telling needed that draw girls into this very important but overlooked gender bias issue that needs to be uprooted from when it starts to take hold. Girls in their tweens start becoming aware of these differences (and perceived expectations) in a way that will permanently affect their internal self-talk for years to come. This is the perfect age for this kind of story and Dunung holds my daughter's interest with ease.
My daughter has loved reading this together with me at night. As a progressive dad, I want to empower my daughter to feel that she can stand up and be seen and heard in this world, it's here for her just as much as anyone else and stories like this help convey the message without me being too heavy-handed about it.
I have read some of the other reviews and what they view as oversimplified, I see as a strength of a book aimed at tween-teens on this issue. The characters do not all have the same voice. They are unified yes, in support of equal women's rights and while it may seem simplistic to an adult, the message for a 10 year needs to be more obvious. I think my 10-year old is bright with a lot of questions, but to expect her in the course of a short novel to hear many nuanced voices while still getting home the message of equal women's rights is asking too much of the author and the audience.
Direct quotes from her:
What do you think of the story?
"Dad, Maddie is stubborn sometimes. Let's see what she does next!"
Time to go to sleep... We'll read more next time.
"Can we read one more chapter?"
what do you think of the author's writing style?
"She's a great writer!"
what would you change if you were writing this:
"Maybe combine Chapter 3 and 4, that background was kind of covered more than once"
June 29, 2017
This book is aimed squarely at the children/early YA reader, and tells the story of Maddie an Sayara, two thirteen year old girls from quite different backgrounds who turn out to have a lot in common. While on holiday Maddie, a young western girl is befriended by Sayara, a young girl from what appears to be a middle eastern background ( To be clear, her home is referred to only as The Kingdom throughout the book, but is clearly based in that region). As the girls become closer Maddie is shocked to discover the restrictions in Sayara's home country especially when Sayara is whisked home because of a family scandal. Once back home, while struggling to deal with her own family dynamics, Maddie finds out that Sayara is under house arrest and hatches a crazy and dangerous plan to come to her rescue.
The two characters are generally believable, though it seems hard to believe in this day and age that any 13 year old in the West would not know at least a little about life in the Middle East, but I understand that the author is exaggerating the naivety of her characters to better explain the complex political and religious issues to a younger reader. One thing that really grated on me throughout the book was the repeated use of the word "tent" to describe a burqa, not just by Maddie, but also by Sayara and other characters from the "Kingdom", which felt quite disingenuous and unnecessarily condescending to the intended reader.
For the young reader, there is certainly lots of drama and tension to keep them entertained, but also discussion of a lot of thought provoking issues on gender and religion, in an age appropriate manner,which impressed me as the book educates without too much preaching ( though there is a tendency to veer into that tone from time to time)
I received a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers.
The two characters are generally believable, though it seems hard to believe in this day and age that any 13 year old in the West would not know at least a little about life in the Middle East, but I understand that the author is exaggerating the naivety of her characters to better explain the complex political and religious issues to a younger reader. One thing that really grated on me throughout the book was the repeated use of the word "tent" to describe a burqa, not just by Maddie, but also by Sayara and other characters from the "Kingdom", which felt quite disingenuous and unnecessarily condescending to the intended reader.
For the young reader, there is certainly lots of drama and tension to keep them entertained, but also discussion of a lot of thought provoking issues on gender and religion, in an age appropriate manner,which impressed me as the book educates without too much preaching ( though there is a tendency to veer into that tone from time to time)
I received a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers.
September 13, 2017
Oh boy.
Ok, so I hate it when I read a review book and I don’t like it and I swear I really try to be diplomatic with my reviews; I’m going to try and do the same with Maddie & Sayara but I think it is going to be hard.
Maddie & Sayara is the story of a friendship formed by the two eponymous characters. Both come from very different worlds. Maddie has the western freedom that she naturally takes for granted. Sayara on the other hand is from a country that forces girls to be covered from head to toe with ‘tents’ – we can assume writer Dunung means a burka. Girls can’t drive cars, they have to follow the rules put forth by men and basically they have no rights.
So far, so interesting. Having a story that looks at the disparity between these two worlds and the unfairness of one seems pretty interesting. I comment Dunung for approaching an interesting topic.
However, the story becomes too farfetched. Maddie – a thirteen year old travels across the world by herself without her parents noticing, the uplifting ending and the crazy adventure she gets herself in. It was all too implausible.
Maddie & Sayara is meant to be YA Fiction and I think that Dunung hasn’t given her audience enough credit to be able to see through a plot that just wouldn’t happen.
A very disappointing read.
Maddie & Sayara by Sanjyot P. Dunung is available now.
Ok, so I hate it when I read a review book and I don’t like it and I swear I really try to be diplomatic with my reviews; I’m going to try and do the same with Maddie & Sayara but I think it is going to be hard.
Maddie & Sayara is the story of a friendship formed by the two eponymous characters. Both come from very different worlds. Maddie has the western freedom that she naturally takes for granted. Sayara on the other hand is from a country that forces girls to be covered from head to toe with ‘tents’ – we can assume writer Dunung means a burka. Girls can’t drive cars, they have to follow the rules put forth by men and basically they have no rights.
So far, so interesting. Having a story that looks at the disparity between these two worlds and the unfairness of one seems pretty interesting. I comment Dunung for approaching an interesting topic.
However, the story becomes too farfetched. Maddie – a thirteen year old travels across the world by herself without her parents noticing, the uplifting ending and the crazy adventure she gets herself in. It was all too implausible.
Maddie & Sayara is meant to be YA Fiction and I think that Dunung hasn’t given her audience enough credit to be able to see through a plot that just wouldn’t happen.
A very disappointing read.
Maddie & Sayara by Sanjyot P. Dunung is available now.
August 4, 2017
I received this book on NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I was a little hesitate at first because the main character, Maddie was only 13 years old, however, the author Sanjyot was able to masterfully describe the perils of the world through her voice. I guess, being a feminist isn't classified to just adulthood. Although, the verisimilitude of the situations Maddie found herself in and getting out of, where unrealistic; it still raised the question of how to overcome these issues that continue to plague society today. I, for one, am looking forward to Maddie and Sayara next great adventure and how they can change the world.
November 4, 2017
My granddaughter loves this story and continuously brings up the cultural differences from hers! Dunung's goal of bringing together two different cultures, exploring their similarities, and forging a friendship out of adversity is not only educational but entertaining too. Highly recommend this book for anyone interested in culture, especially in today's complex and quickly changing world. Perfect for the YA market.
August 27, 2021
Girls have a right to be treated with respect and as equals to boys, regardless of country, political system, or religion. Women have a right to be treated as equals to men. Both women, and men, should be free to choose what they want to wear, whether they want to drive or not, with whom they associate with, and they should be free to pursue the career of their choice, without being hindered by traditional gender roles or stereotypes.
September 25, 2017
Every teen girl should read this book. It talks about friendship, issues that many may not be aware of and is mind opening to difficult issues that girls are facing. Great read!
July 29, 2020
This book had a very powerful message that i enjoyed, but at other parts i was kinda bored. It is a powerful story of friendship and overcoming oppressive leaders/rules.
March 22, 2019
I honestly did not enjoy this at all. I DNFed it about 40% through the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review the book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review the book.
September 23, 2017
I was provided with an ARC of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review: I was very excited to read this book based on the synopsis and the great cover design. The concept sounded interesting, but the writing was what made me dislike it most. The dialogue in this book sounds very forced and does not flow like natural conversation does. Although the premise sounds interesting, it is represented in a way that makes it seem as if it is not an aspect of the book that the author had originally wanted or intended to include, rather that they forced it in to make it interesting. The characters in this book are also not very well introduced. Their story is implanted the moment they are introduced, and don't develop much throughout the story. This book was classified as Y.A. On NetGalley, and it is definitely not. This book is very much so written for middle grade, to the point where anyone older can hardly stand to read it.
June 17, 2017
Such a cute debut novel! It explored extremely challenging issues of oppression, with an anchor of family and friendship. As a reader, I was drawn in, rooting for their unrealistic success!
February 9, 2018
It was pretty good. Although, I would of been able to read it in 3 days or less but I don’t feel like there was really a plot. I do agree that woman should have the same rights as men where Sayers lives but I don’t think I would read it again
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