It is very rare that I enjoy a sequel more than the original, but that is the case with Amina's Song. I loved Amina's Voice, but there is something so strong and powerful about this story and the way Amina is growing into herself that makes this story even more endearing than the first. Amina is determined to share the beauty of her Pakistani culture with her friends in the US. She is struggling on how to achieve this because it seems that no one wants to listen beyond polite conversation. She achieves her goal in a way so powerful and meaningful I dare you not to have tears of joy in your eyes when you are done reading. I am hopeful this is not the last we hear from Amina. I would love to see the next story focus on her cousin, Zohra, coming to visit Amina in the US.

I loved the diversity in "Amina's Song" and how it will encourage young children, particularly young women to be proud of themselves and their heritage. I loved how Amina was concerned after girls in her class were "glad" they didn't live in Pakistan and how she worked hard to change their minds and show the positives of being a woman in Pakistan.
Way to go Hena Khan! I can't wait to go back and read the original book!

Interesting, heartwarming story about a girl finding her own way between two cultures. I hadn't read Amina's Voice, but I didn't feel like I was missing any important information about the characters. Some events that stood out especially had to do with how we view cultures that are different from our own. Amina had been afraid to visit Pakistan because she had heard so many negative stories, and her cousin in Pakistan felt the same about America. Too often we base our views on stereotypes of other cultures, and I appreciate how the author addressed this issue without it being heavy-handed.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I loved Amina's Voice, and this is a wonderful sequel! I enjoyed the beginning set in Pakistan, but I thought it really picked up when she got back to the U.S. and started school. I appreciated the continuation of the Amina's previous friendships and her budding friendship with Nico is covered in a new (and refreshing) way. The book seemed like it ended abruptly, but I may have just been engrossed in the story!

I loved this story even more than the first, Amina's Voice. Amina struggles to reconcile her love of Pakistan (and her family that still lives there) with the life she leads in America where her friends just don't understand. (They think of the Pakistan we hear in the news, not the Pakistan that Amina loves!) Eventually, Amina overcomes her fears (with the help of a new friend) and shares her love and knowledge of Pakistan with her entire school community via a school project. This is a story of finding yourself...and sharing it with others!

Just as wonderful as the first one! I will be purchasing copies for my classroom library and recommended it to all my age appropriate students.

Amina’s Song is a sweet story of a young teen’s struggle to find where she fits into her Pakistan heritage. The characters are warm, loving, & realistically rendered. The plot is relatable & engaging. Amina feels compelled to share the beauty of her Pakistani culture with her American friends & schoolmates. As she tries to show the many positive qualities of her culture, she learns more about herself. Readers will find a new, or renewed, appreciation for the experiences of a first generation immigrant family & the search for belonging that most of us face in our youth.

Amina’s Song

Amina’s song is a beautifully written novel with imagery so powerful I feel I am standing next to her throughout the pages! From the sights and family in Pakistan to her friends and school life in the States, I found myself employing all five senses to experience what Amina experienced.

In one short summer, she developed strong ties to her cultural and ethnic heritage while visiting Pakistan. Amina’s return leaves her feeling a deep desire to give back to her community and share her culture with her classmates.

Throughout the novel, Amina meets and works with her family and friends to ultimately share the beauty of Pakistan through a school wax museum project as well as an originally composed song.

Truly beautiful storytelling about the complexities following a young adult striving to make an impact in her world.

I highly recommend this book for readers in middle and high school.

Note: I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I loved this book. Though it is wriI loved this book. A very diverse cast, beautifully written, perfectly paced, relatable, and inspiring story. Though it is written for ages 8-12, every person will enjoy this.

Thanks, NetGalley for providing the ARC.tten for ages 8-12, every person will enjoy this.

This is a fitting sequel to a lovely book, and a lovely book all on its own. Khan is an accomplished writer, and any library - public, school, classroom, or home - would be enriched by having these titles.

A phenomenal companion novel to Amina’s Voice. Athena Khan continues to expertly explore the experiences of Pakistani-American children with empathy. An excellent title that will be the starting point for many meaningful conversations. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced opportunity to review this book. I loved Amina's Voice and have already been recommending the prequel to Amina's song to my students. This sequel shows the importance of finding one's cultural identity, respect, diversity, and not relying too much on negative images in the media. I do feel like the parents easily letting Amina go to the school dance was a little unrealistic, but if they insisted the older brother tag along, then I feel that would have better represented the culture at home. I was expecting to read some beautiful song lyrics or even poetry, and was disappointed that Amina's Song did NOT have a song written out! I know Hena Khan writes beautiful children's stories, so I think it would have been easy for her to at least include some rhyming chorus, or something. I love how this book is also clean, and I would keep a copy of this on my classroom shelf as well.

Amina's Song is a wonderful sequel to Amina's Voice. The story starts with Amina visiting her extended family in Pakistan. We get to see her with her cousin when they barter in the market and visit a historic mosque. Arriving back home she is excited to share her experiences with her friends but they aren't very interested. As her new school year starts there are changes. Friends have different interests such as clubs, running for class offices and school dances. Amina's Mosque is involved in projects helping immigrant families. Amina is trying to figure out where she fits in as an American with Pakistan heritage. A new friend Nico adds more to the story.

I like how realistic the teens were in their speaking and actions towards each other. I appreciate that Nico is wanted as a friend and not a love interest, which wouldn't be acceptable in her culture. And I especially enjoyed how Amina decides to celebrate her culture and share it with others. It reminded me that cultures and whole histories can't be summarized by small stories we see on the evening news.

As a public school librarian I want to encourage authentic voices in representing diverse cultures. It is important for my muslin students to see themselves represented in literature. And this book combines learning about a country and culture in an entertaining and relatable way. I will definitely add it to my library shelves and spotlight it for my students to read. Appropriate for 5th grade and up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for an ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Amina's Song is the beautiful follow up to Amina's Voice. Sequels tend to sometimes lose steam from the first book, but I was so happy that this sequel did not follow the normal pattern. It was still full of the same strong and beautiful heart that filled the first story. The characters came to life with deeper backstories and connections to their extended family and new friends. Each character felt fully developed, although I enjoyed watching Amina's growth the most as she is the main character. Her desire to blend her life at home in the States with her life in Pakistan felt like a real struggle to which many readers could relate. I also loved that her mission was to show off Pakistan in ways many American students are not used to seeing it - as a place of beauty and full of life. I cannot wait to share this book with my students as they all loved the first book!

In a sequel to "Amina's Voice", Hena Khan returns us to Amina's dual worlds. After a summer vacation in Pakistan, Amina is missing her Uncle and cousins and the rich culture and heritage of Pakistan. Back in the United States, Amina finds herself neglecting her Pakistani BFF as she daydreams about Pakistan. An assignment in Language arts class in which the students must depict an historic figure finds Amina learning about Malala and so many other strong Pakistani women whom the rest of the world do not know about. A growing friendship with a new boy in school who is also trying to find his "voice" through music production helps Amina to take her most personal feelings from her journal and create an original song to express how she feels. Having an amazing singing voice draws attention to her YouTube post and Amina has finally found a way to make her "voice" heard by others through song. A satisfying sequel for those who loved Amina's Voice.

Is there an Amina fan club? If so, I 100% need to sign up. This sequel to Amina's Voice picks up shortly after the conclusion of that story. As the story begins, Amina is visiting her uncle's family in Pakistan. Prior to her trip, she's scared because most of what she has heard about the country makes it sound dangerous. She falls in love with the country and begins to embrace her culture more than ever. She is sad to return to America and wants a way to honor Pakistan and teach others about it. A school project offers her the perfect opportunity to do this, but can she overcome her fear of speaking to share her love of Pakistan with her classmates? The story also weaves in threads of Amina's musical talents and friendship, both old and new. This is such a wonderful middle-grade series full of positive messages.

4.5 stars.
This is a sequel to "Amina's Voice," but it's probably fine to read this one without having read the first.
The blurb doesn't say everything about the plot, so here goes:
The story opens during the last week of Amina Khokar's trip to Pakistan, where she spends most of her time with her older cousin, Zohra. Before she leaves, her uncle makes her promise that she will share the beauty of Pakistan with everyone at home.
When Amina returns, she finds herself deeply missing Zohra and her relatives, but is still excited to be reunited with her closest friends Soojin, Emily and Rabiya. When her history class is assigned to each choose a person who has made "a positive impact on society" for an upcoming presentation, Amina chooses Malala Yousafzai because of her recent trip. But when the class hears the first draft of her presentation, it makes them think of Pakistan as a dystopian, third-world society where girls have no rights.
Amina didn't spend several weeks in her cousin's big city house to be told that her family's homeland is such an awful place to live. But with the news only covering negative events there, it's impossible to convince anyone.
I found that point about the news to be my favorite part of the book. At least here in the US, many countries don't get reported on by "world news" organizations unless it's because of a negative event (including terrorist attacks or civil wars,) so it might be easy to forget that not everyone in these countries is constantly suffering. Plus, there's plenty of suffering that's already in the United States. I recommend that anyone unfamiliar with cultural aspects of these countries read this book, because it's important to show that traumatic events are not the only ones that deserve to be reported on.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of Amina's Song in exchange for my honest review. This book has so many great messages for young adults and adults for that matter. Amina learns about her family's home country through a month long visit over the summer. She is old enough now to start to wonder how she fits in there and how she can teach others about Pakistan and that the people there are not much different than the people in America. Through her love of music and service to others she is able to share her message.

Amina has spent her vacation in her homeland Pakistan, and she is mesmerized by the beauty, culture, and family she had but barely met. She is excited to discover this part of her identity, but sadly, people around her just don’t get it. How does she show the beauty of Pakistan to her friends and classmates?

The book is engaging throughout. As soon as I opened the book, I got hooked. The plot is very thoughtfully designed and so are the characters. The family members, food, discussions and opinions, all are portrayed in a very realistic manner. I can relate my family with most of them.

Amina’s character is very likable and relatable. She struggles with self-doubt, but, at the same time, she is brave and very creative. Her bond with her friends Soojin and Emily is beautiful. It’s good to see a diverse group of people getting along together so well, and so do their parents.

Overall, I loved this book. It is a 5/5 star read for me. I will recommend it to Middle School and Young Adult Lovers, and also to anyone who wants something fresh and feel-good fiction to read: Pick this book up!

Thank You Netgalley and Salaam Reads/ Simon & Schuster for this amazing opportunity of reviewing this book.

Amina's books are perfect for the classroom, teaching empathy and reminding us how big and beautiful the world is. Vacations always felt transformative as a child but I could never translate how or why to my peers when I returned. I just knew I was different. Amina returns from a trip to Pakistan to your typical middle grade struggles of making new friends and completing assignments. Added in is her challenge to fit into two cultures, creating an opportunity for Amina to share with her classmates, as well as an important lesson for young readers.