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More to the Story
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From the critically acclaimed author of Amina’s Voice comes a new story inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s beloved classic, Little Women, featuring four sisters from a modern American Muslim family living in Georgia.
When Jameela Mirza is picked to be feature editor of her middle school newspaper, she’s one step closer to being an award-winning journalist like her late grandfa ...more
When Jameela Mirza is picked to be feature editor of her middle school newspaper, she’s one step closer to being an award-winning journalist like her late grandfa ...more
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Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
September 3rd 2019
by Salaam Reads / Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Read my review of this book on my blog, The Quiet Pond.
An incredibly wholesome and wonderful middle-grade story about illness, pursuing your ambitions, and family and sisterhood.
- Follows Jameela, a Pakistani Muslim girl who has to deal with some pretty tough stuff in her family while also taking on the big responsibility of being features editor at her school's newspaper.
- At its heart, this is a story about sisters and family, and how we get through tough times together and by supporting each ...more
An incredibly wholesome and wonderful middle-grade story about illness, pursuing your ambitions, and family and sisterhood.
- Follows Jameela, a Pakistani Muslim girl who has to deal with some pretty tough stuff in her family while also taking on the big responsibility of being features editor at her school's newspaper.
- At its heart, this is a story about sisters and family, and how we get through tough times together and by supporting each ...more
May 19, 2020
may ❀
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
200-pgs,
aaaaaaaaaa,
super-cute,
binged,
asian-authors,
audiobook,
look-at-that-beauty,
my-heart,
contemporary,
middle-school
Book 11 completed for #RamadanReadathon
🥺💗🥺💗🥺💗a muslim middle grade retelling of Little Women 🥺💗🥺💗🥺💗
this is so bloody precious 😭😭😭
🥺💗🥺💗🥺💗a muslim middle grade retelling of Little Women 🥺💗🥺💗🥺💗
this is so bloody precious 😭😭😭
4.5* A heartfelt, wholesome read and an absolute delight from start to finish.
This was a truly wonderful, modern day Little Women retelling. The story superbly explored topics such as family, religion, race, microagressions, childhood ambition and illness in a way that was brilliantly accessible to readers, both young and old and I adored the cleverly written parallels between the two stories.
This book has the power to be as moving, impactful and memorable to young readers as the original stor ...more
This was a truly wonderful, modern day Little Women retelling. The story superbly explored topics such as family, religion, race, microagressions, childhood ambition and illness in a way that was brilliantly accessible to readers, both young and old and I adored the cleverly written parallels between the two stories.
This book has the power to be as moving, impactful and memorable to young readers as the original stor ...more
I ADORED THIS BOOK from the very first sentence–I just knew it would be good. And I was right. More to the Story is a heartwarming, charming middle-grade novel about sisterhood, family, and following your passion. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone looking for a wholesome, riveting middle-grade book. This book would be perfect for fans of The Vanderbeeker series and Amina’s Voice. Read my full review on my blog.
Thanks to the author and Salaam Reads for an ARC of this novel. ...more
Thanks to the author and Salaam Reads for an ARC of this novel. ...more
So wholesome and lovely. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Friendships, sisterhood, togetherness, family and love. ❤
...more
This was such a lovely book about four sisters in a Muslim family dealing with some difficult things! I loved the main character, Jameela, and her relationship with everyone in her family. From her over-protectiveness of Bisma, to her constant fights with her youngest sister, Aleeza. I also loved how passionate Jameela was about writing and journalism.
All the other characters were also fantastic tbh. Even though the book is fairly short, all the characters were well-developed! I especially love ...more
All the other characters were also fantastic tbh. Even though the book is fairly short, all the characters were well-developed! I especially love ...more
Jul 04, 2019
Abby Johnson
added it
This heartfelt, contemporary story about four Muslim American sisters in Georgia was inspired by Little Women and is a really fun read for fans of that classic book. I loved picking out the imaginative ways that Hena Khan paid homage to Little Women in updated, realistic ways. Instead of getting upset about missing out on the theater, for example, the youngest sister feels it's unfair that her sisters get phones and she doesn't have one yet.
Hand this to fans of family stories that center around ...more
Hand this to fans of family stories that center around ...more
I'm writing this review far too late, but what else is new. I loved More to the Story, even as someone who doesn't read a lot of middle-grade. I did go into it expecting something light and fluffy, but it evoked such fierce emotions within me - especially because one of the main threads re: illness hit so close to home, I felt like I was re-living parts of my childhood. Khan dealt with looking at serious topics through a child's eyes brilliantly. I loved Jameela and her relationship with her fam
...more
Although based on Louisa May Alcott's beloved Little Women, Hena Khan's juvenile fiction novel takes readers on a journey that's both new and informative. Following the antics of a close-knit American Muslim family, readers will learn about culture, customs, and holidays that give a sense of purpose and meaning to a group that is often misrepresented and misunderstand. Books can serve as windows to another culture and even create empathy. That's just what More to the Story does. Fan's of Little
...more
*I received a review copy from Amazon Vine and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.*
This was a nice story but I had a hard time getting fully invested. It centers around four sisters but I would have liked to have points of views from all of them and not just Jameela. This story deals with serious topics such as illness and racism. Overall it was a nice read but it didn't blow me away.
...more
This was a nice story but I had a hard time getting fully invested. It centers around four sisters but I would have liked to have points of views from all of them and not just Jameela. This story deals with serious topics such as illness and racism. Overall it was a nice read but it didn't blow me away.
...more
Great story with an ending I didn’t see coming.
this is such a beautiful story. i'm crying 😭💗
...more
I just loved this early #mglit modern day take on Little Women featuring a Muslim American family by @henakhanbooks 5/5; Thanks to the publisher for this free review copy! @salaamreads
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Here's my short review: wonderful book that explores the bonds of sisterhood, the importance of ethics in journalism, and identity. Jameela is headstrong just like her forbear Jo March and watching her discover how to channel her anger in the right ways is such a delight. I'm grateful that young Bisma's illness i ...more
.
Here's my short review: wonderful book that explores the bonds of sisterhood, the importance of ethics in journalism, and identity. Jameela is headstrong just like her forbear Jo March and watching her discover how to channel her anger in the right ways is such a delight. I'm grateful that young Bisma's illness i ...more
This modern Muslim retelling of Little Women is a perfect MG read! I’ll confess that I’ve never read the original, so I can’t make any comparisons, but I can attest to the fact that this was a wonderful read, even without knowing the details of the story it retells. Jameela is a bright young girl whose greatest desire is to be a writer one day and make her father proud. But when her father has to go out of the country on business and her beloved little sister gets sick, Jameela’s life is turned
...more
I absolutely loved this modern retelling of Little Women, this time centering on a quartet of Pakistani-American sisters growing up in Georgia (the state, not the country). Given the way it was described in a few review journals, I wasn’t sure if this was going to read too young for my middle school students, but I was over the moon to discover this is one of those rare novels in which the characters ARE in middle school and it reads at that level! This will be joining my school library’s collec
...more
Jameela Mirza has a lot on her plate: her dad has taken a job on the other side of the world, her sister has taken ill, and Jameela is having trouble writing an article for her school paper that has personal meaning. More to the Story is a great tale of four sisters who squabble and fuss but, unexpectedly, who grow closer after facing difficulties together. It's a story full of both the remarkable elements of Pakistani-American culture as well as the common elements of life as an early teen.
I l ...more
I l ...more
As a devoted LITTLE WOMEN fan, I've been excited about this one ever since it was announced! It was a sweet and very satisfying update to the story. It was fun to see the subtle nods Hena Khan included to the original, but Jameela and her sisters stand beautifully on their own feet, as well, and I think this book could be enjoyed by kids who aren't familiar with the source material as well as those who are.
...more
A Pakistani-American take on LITTLE WOMEN. A wonderful window/mirror book.
**May Contain Spoilers**
This re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott's 1868/69 novel Little Women has been wonderfully updated for today's readers. It is still the story of the four sisters and their parents, the Mirza family of Pakistani Americans Muslims, no longer living in 19th century New England, but in present day Atlanta, Georgia. And hurray, Laurie isn't gone either, he is now a British Pakistani boy named Ali, 14, sent to the US from London by his mother, who hopes to soon follow him to Atla ...more
This re-imagining of Louisa May Alcott's 1868/69 novel Little Women has been wonderfully updated for today's readers. It is still the story of the four sisters and their parents, the Mirza family of Pakistani Americans Muslims, no longer living in 19th century New England, but in present day Atlanta, Georgia. And hurray, Laurie isn't gone either, he is now a British Pakistani boy named Ali, 14, sent to the US from London by his mother, who hopes to soon follow him to Atla ...more
I grew up reading and re-reading Little Women, re-watching the 1996 Winona Ryder version of the movie regularly. I have a soft spot for that sisterly story, but I haven't really wanted to re-read the book as an adult because I don't think it would hold up to the reading experience I remember. This, though, was the perfect way to revisit the story without marring the memories.
Khan writes a lovely contemporary middle-grade retelling, featuring a new generation of sisters navigating new concerns, a ...more
Khan writes a lovely contemporary middle-grade retelling, featuring a new generation of sisters navigating new concerns, a ...more
I adored this heartwarming and wholesome retelling of Little Women from a Pakistani-American family (living in Atlanta, GA USA) perspective for Middle Grade readers (and for all of us who are young at heart and enjoy MG reads). Thanks for the recommendation Afoma! It reminded me a bit of the Vanderbeekers in tone and content.
At first I wondered how I was going to connect the sisters and their personalities to the original but quickly I realized that the author matches the first initials of the ...more
At first I wondered how I was going to connect the sisters and their personalities to the original but quickly I realized that the author matches the first initials of the ...more
A funny, heartwarming, and sad tale all at the same time. Inspired by Little Women, Jameela, the second of four girls, explains life with a sister with cancer and her dream to be an amazing reporter just like her grandpa.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Jameela is pleased that she has been named the features editor of her school paper, even though she is in 7th grade, and doesn't get along well with Travis, an 8th grader who is editor. Her grandfather was an investigative reported, and she wants to follow in his footsteps. She wants to make her father proud, and stand out from her three sisters a bit. Things are a bit rough in her household since her father lost his latest contract job with the Center for Disease ...more
Jameela is pleased that she has been named the features editor of her school paper, even though she is in 7th grade, and doesn't get along well with Travis, an 8th grader who is editor. Her grandfather was an investigative reported, and she wants to follow in his footsteps. She wants to make her father proud, and stand out from her three sisters a bit. Things are a bit rough in her household since her father lost his latest contract job with the Center for Disease ...more
May 26, 2020
Stefani Putria
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
author-of-colors
Review to come.
Adult rating: 4 stars
Kid rating: 3 stars
Let's get one thing straight. Like it or not, kids DO judge books by their covers. I have seen kids refuse to check out great books like The Benefits of Being an Octopus and The Next Great Paulie Fink because of the cover. I'm mentioning this because this book has a GREAT cover. It WILL get checked out, because tween girls won't be able to resist those four gorgeous girls lying in a circle on those colorful sarongs.
The author mentions that her favorite boo ...more
Kid rating: 3 stars
Let's get one thing straight. Like it or not, kids DO judge books by their covers. I have seen kids refuse to check out great books like The Benefits of Being an Octopus and The Next Great Paulie Fink because of the cover. I'm mentioning this because this book has a GREAT cover. It WILL get checked out, because tween girls won't be able to resist those four gorgeous girls lying in a circle on those colorful sarongs.
The author mentions that her favorite boo ...more
Sep 16, 2019
Miss Bookiverse
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
t-family-siblings,
f-audiobook,
age-middlegrade,
t-illnesses,
xx-diversity,
t-muslim,
t-sisters
[3.5 stars]
Super sweet family story about a first generation American girl and her dream of becoming a journalist. This book follows Jameela who has to deal with her gorgeous older sister and her two annoying younger sisters on a daily basis. Nevertheless, she loves her family and the relationships between parents, children, and relatives felt sincere and precious. Even though quite a lot is happening in the family's life at the point of narration I sometimes felt a little bored. The audiobook i ...more
Super sweet family story about a first generation American girl and her dream of becoming a journalist. This book follows Jameela who has to deal with her gorgeous older sister and her two annoying younger sisters on a daily basis. Nevertheless, she loves her family and the relationships between parents, children, and relatives felt sincere and precious. Even though quite a lot is happening in the family's life at the point of narration I sometimes felt a little bored. The audiobook i ...more
Can I tell you a secret? I don't really remember the story of Little Women. Sure I read it once as a kid, but I vaguely remember the gist of it. Aside from both stories having four sisters and one of them being an aspiring journalist, I couldn't tell you what else is similar. Despite that. I think this story does a fantastic job of standing all on its own.
Jameela is thrilled to be named the feaure editor for her middle school paper, even as she continues to battle the editor in chief and his bo ...more
Jameela is thrilled to be named the feaure editor for her middle school paper, even as she continues to battle the editor in chief and his bo ...more
A retelling of Little Women starring four Muslim sisters. Dad has to take a job in another country and little sister gets cancer. The family has to find a way to work through all the difficulties they are having. Jameela is a budding journalist and wants to make her dad proud while he is away. The family is supported by a wonderful group of family and friends. We also meet Ali whose father has died so he was sent to live with aunt and uncle in America. He becomes part of the family as well even
...more
ALMOST made it through without crying then I lost it at the last chapter.
This was gorgeous.
CW: Racism and microagressions, grief, illness, cancer
This was gorgeous.
CW: Racism and microagressions, grief, illness, cancer
was worried this American Muslim adaptation of Little Woman would be too over the top or too forced..but it works. Well done. I think I would have liked to see Maryam & Bisma's characters a little more fleshed out but it was very good for a children's book (regardless of whether or not they are familiar with little women)
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Women: 15) A Muslim Middle Grade Novel | 26 | 583 | Jan 11, 2021 06:26PM | |
| Play Book Tag: More to the Story by Hena Khan - 5 stars | 1 | 8 | Feb 03, 2020 09:46AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Hena Khan is the award-winning author of the middle grade novels AMINA’S VOICE, MORE TO THE STORY, and the ZAYD SALEEM: CHASING THE DREAM series, and picture books GOLDEN DOMES AND SILVER LANTERNS, CRESCENT MOONS AND POINTED MINARETS, NIGHT OF THE MOON, and UNDER MY HIJAB. She wrote IT'S RAMADAN, CURIOUS GEORGE and the WORST CASE SCENARIO ULTIMATE ADVENTURE MARS and AMAZON books.
...more
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