It was told from the point of a 13 year old Muslim American boy around the time of the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Yusuf is bullied at school and his community is also targeted by a group wanting them to leave their Texas town and “go home.” The story has chapters that are entries from his uncle’s journal 20 years before that chronicle his emotions after the 9/11 attacks. Yusuf is a talented young man spearheading efforts to win a school team robotics competition. At the same time, his town is preparing to acknowledge the anniversary of the terrorist attack and he is assigned a report on the event. Yusuf is forced to navigate a lot of emotions as the bullying leads to a major event. He teaches his town some valuable lessons. This book will make you think, make you angry, make you cry, and make you smile.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Each year 9/11 is commemorated across the United States, but the 20th anniversary remembrance in Frye, Texas is the setting of YUSUF AZEEM IS NOT A HERO. Pakistani Americans have resided in Frye for some time and they are respected citizens of the town. The adults are business owners, their children attend local schools, and they suffered the same collected trauma of 9/11 that we all did. They are good neighbors. But ignorant people looking for a scapegoat are always ready to show their bigotry and racism, and that is what happens when he Patriot Sons arrive. The plot is developed with Yusuf and his friends joining the middle school robotics team (Yeah for robotics!!), and the Muslim community working on weekends to build a new mosque. As in all families and communities, multigenerational characters contribute differences of opinion and attitudes, and these reactions appear through two timelines 2001 and 2011. Standing up to the bullies, even when one would rather fly under the radar and attract no attention, is a theme we should all remember.
I highly recommend!
Thank you Quill Tree Books and netgalley for the digital arc.

Yusuf is one student out of a handful of Muslim students in Frey, Texas. The anniversary of 9/11 brings out the racism and prejudice in a town of predominantly white families towards the growing population of Muslims in this small community. Yusuf, already trying to navigate the trials of middle school, finds himself embroiled in pointed threats against his community.

Yusuf's story as the author points out in a the author's note, is not fiction for some Muslim students. She recounts a 2015 case that doesn't have the more positive ending of Yusuf's story. She says that she wanted to write a story with an ending of a caring community supporting each other and driving out those who hate.

This book is a reminder that we have so far to go as a country. Anti-Muslim hate continues to rise and divisions within the US grow with each election. Kids like Yusuf shouldn't have to fear going to school, or hanging out with friends, or attending their places of worship. Books like Faruqi's are important for changing the mindset and attitudes of future generations.

I loved this middle grade story focusing on the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the impact they still have on Muslims, especially in a small town.

Yusef lives in a small town in Texas and loves robotics. He is always building and programming his robots, which means he has parts and pieces in his backpack most of the time. This leads to a devastating misunderstanding and Yusef finds out exactly how Muslims felt in the aftermath of 9/11.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yusuf Azeem may not think he's a hero, but he definitely has herolike qualities. Robotics, friendship, overcoming difficulties, and family.

Popular title in my classroom library!

The waiting list for this book quickly filled up as my students queued to read Yusuf Akeem Is Not A Hero. The story lends itself to having critical conversations in the classroom and I highly recommend educators add this title to their classroom libraries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for an e-arc,

I appreciate stories that handle the collective historical trauma of September 11th by looking through the eyes of others, particularly Muslim characters. Saadia Faruqi handles it with grace in Yusuf's story. I would definitely read this story in my third grade classroom to help students understand a hard part of history - a time that is difficult for us to share or explain to students who have no idea of how much these events have changed our lives. That Yusuf's story brings in other common middle grade issues and the all too common prejudice that we need to push back against in our classrooms.

This is a great book about diverse characters. A must addition to all libraries. Saadia is a great storyteller.

Hard-hitting and timely, this middle-grade novel is perfect for fans of contemporary fiction. Faruqi does a great job showing how harmful anti-muslim sentiment still is when talking about 9/11. Highly suggested.

This was an incredibly important book about the way the 9/11 terrorist attacks affected the Muslim community (and other communities of color) in the United States. Their stories aren't ones that are told very often, so I'm so glad my students will have this book to read and connect with.

This own voices book follows the start of middle school for Yusuf Azeem, a boy who has lived his whole life in a small town outside of Houston, Texas. Yusuf is excited to finally be at the middle school, where he can join the robotics club and compete in the annual robotics competition. But the year gets off to a rocky start when he finds threatening notes in his locker, telling him he isn't wanted here and to go back home. To make matters worse this is year is the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and some towns people are starting to heighten the prejudice and bigotry toward Muslims again. Will Yusuf put his head down and not make waves, or will he use the Muslim teachings of love to stand up to the bullies and help the town be unified?
This was a beautifully written story about something that still plaques the United States 20 years later. The book promotes the theme of understanding and love, and reading Yusuf's story you cannot help but come away with more empathy and understanding of what many people have experienced in the past twenty years. Yusuf makes you want to stand up and be brave against difficult odds. I feel like this book is a must read for those looking to increase their understanding of those different from them.

This book is such a timely addition to any classroom or library. Yusuf is growing up in a small town during the 20th anniversary of 9/11. He faces racism, school issues, and friend issues as he reads his uncle’s diary from the past. I know many students at my school who would be interested in reading this book and could relate to the main story.

I can't believe it took 20 years for this book to exist. And I'm so happy that Saadia Faruqi was the writer to tackle it. Yusuf Azeem is the first book to show us how September 11 affected Muslim families and kids in this country. As I read it, I couldn't help but feel like I knew these kids-- they're sweet, smart, curious Muslim-American kids just trying to get through Middle School. My daughter's teacher invited the author to talk about the book in her seventh grade classroom and I know the kids heard a narrative they'd never encountered before. This book isn't only about the attacks of September 11, 2001. It's a book that can be read any time of the year. It's a book about what it feels like growing up Muslim in America today, in a post-Trump era. It should be required reading in schools across the country. And I'm so grateful that my Muslim-American children now have a book that offers another narrative on the effects of September 11 that speaks to different aspects of their childhood experience.

Yusuf Azeem is my hero! Looking back at 9/11 on the 20 year anniversary Yusaf is forced to confront the racism that is back and worse then ever in his small Texas town. Will he just sit back and watch it happen or will Yusaf be brave? This is a must read for middle school libraries about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in.

We get the occasional book about what it was like for youths in the immediate wake of the 9/11 attacks, with special attention payed to muslim kids. This one focuses instead on the anniversary and how little has changed. Yusuf faces racism and anti-muslim sentiment and has to learn when to stand up and when to ignore bullying. The messaging doesn't tread any new ground but the plot is timely.

Historical incidents have shaped the world.
Foreign policies have been formed on them, wars have been started, people have been displaced and innocents have felt the impact.

9/11 is one such incident.
“Yusuf Azeem is not a Hero” is the new middle grade read by Saadia Faruqi.

Welcome to Frey, Texas home to twelve-year-old Yusuf Azeem, a Pakistani-American. Yusuf’s mother is a freelance writer, his father, the small-town hero, owns the local dollar store.

Yusuf is excited for middle school, Grade 6 and looking forward to the Lego Robotics competition.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11.

On the first day of school, Yusuf finds racist notes in his lockers; as the story progresses, we see how the local mosque is facing roadblocks from being built, xenophobia and Islamophobia are very much alive.

While navigating all this, Yusuf’s uncle gives him his journal which talks about his personal experiences of middle school during 9/11. Yusuf reads about the firsthand impact 9/11 had on children.

This book is unapologetically Muslim.

Ms. Faruqi shows her readers different shades of Muslims; she shows their strength as a community, the confusion felt by children for being ostracized for an incident that took place before their birth.

I liked how we see an emphasis on STEM (robotics club and coding); understanding of parent children relationship; discussion on sibling relationship.

How humanity has the power to unite and overcome their differences and become allies for each other is narrated powerfully.
The win of love over hate.

I do have slight concerns over the characterization of the Sunday school teacher and Yusuf’s friend Danial.

"Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero" a great read on the repercussions felt by the incident of 9/11 on Muslims communities.

Every once in a while you finish a book where the characters feel so real, you feel many emotions along with the main character, and you gain a new perspective and more empathy than you had before. This is one of those books. The characterization was very well done as all of the characters felt real and dimensional. This is an important story and time for this story. So we’ll done. Will definitely be recommending.

Yusuf Azeem is a sixth grader, excited to join the middle school Lego Robotics team. He is also a Muslim in a small town during the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Right away, Yusuf has to navigate anti-Muslim bigotry and a school bully, and his uncle Rahman gives him the journal he wrote 20 years ago when he was Yusuf’s age. Yusuf learns about the lasting impact 9/11 made on his family and neighbors who lived through it in 2001, and the continued effects of 9/11 on Muslims and all Americans today. Fortunately for Yusuf, he has family, friends, and a community to support him through challenges no child should have to face.

Saadia Faruqi has given us an important book in Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero. Students will relate to Yusuf and the power of standing up for what is right. Teachers and parents will appreciate the author’s perspective and sensitivity to difficult issues that continue to occur in our schools and our communities. Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero will be an excellent addition for middle grade classrooms and libraries.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC to review.

Inspired by the true story of a Texas teen who was accused of bringing a bomb to school (when it was just a disassembled clock). Yusuf Azeem lives in a small Texas town, and he loves robots. The book explores micro and macro aggressions, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Islamaphobia, and how a community can rally behind its members. It is occasionally too...something. The narrative jumps randomly, characters are not fully realized, but the message is strong and important. Yusuf is constantly standing up for others, even if he knows it's going to pull negative attention to him.

Advanced copy read courtesy of NetGalley.