Saving Sunshine is a graphic novel following a Muslim family. ☪️ Zara and Zeeshan are twins who continuously bicker. During a family trip to celebrate their Mom receiving a prestiged medical pediatric award, the twins are forced to put aside their differences while beginning to truly understand their other half's interest.

Zara is battling her change in attire at school as she chooses to wear a hijab. She also loves and devotes her life to the protection, preservation and care of all animals. 🦩🦋

Zeeshan tries to fit in, but the boys at school make fun of his name. He though, loves anything space related and hopes to be an astronaut one day. His spare time is spent watching any and all NASA's videos. 🌌🚀

Together, Zara and Zeeshan fight to nurse Sunshine, a loggerhead turtle back to life so he can move from their hotel's shore to the ocean as intended.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The detail that went into the graphics, the quick yet developed storylines and many representations is one you should not miss out on. I also loved how easy it was to move back and forth in timelines and their visual distinctiveness. The integration of small and not overly detailed information boxes to educate readers were well thought out! 💯

You should read this one if you enjoy:

☪️ Muslim and Own Voices Reps
🦐 Animal Rights
👨‍🚀 Space and Astronomy
🩺 Medicine and Breaking Stereotypes

Many many immense thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. 😀

Saadia Faruqi is a great author. Everything she writes nails childhood really well. Saving Sunshine is no exception. It's a well written story with excellent illustrations about twins who share zero interests, fight constantly, and are forced to spend an electronics free vacation with each other. Add in the fact that they can't escape constant racial microaggressions and you've got a really important story. Kids who are fans of slice of life realistic friction graphic novels like Raina Telgemeier's books, Stepping Stones, New Kid, etc. will absolutely love this. Plus, sea turtles! Faruqi's books fly off the shelves at our library and this will have the same appeal. Many of our local kids will resonate with the character's sibling rivalry, as well as the message about acceptance and inclusion. Overall, a perfect book to booktalk at upcoming school visits!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

A beautiful graphic novel about siblings and their own interests and similarities and that it can be beautiful to work together!

From the first page, I was caught up in the story and almost flew through it. The drawing style is very nice and the colors fit the story very well. It gave me a really cozy vibe.

Before starting the book I knew almost nothing about space nor animal activism and found it very exciting to learn a little bit more about both topics. I really liked that there were little information boxes throughout the book that contained information about either animals and nature or outer space.

I also liked the throwback scenes and they fit very well into the story. It was exciting to learn more about the family's backstories without it taking up the whole story.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second books for this EARC!

Muslim American twins Zara and Zeeshan each have their own passions—animal activism for Zara and space for Zeesh. They don’t see eye to eye and often bicker with each other. After a disagreement at the start of a family trip to a convention where their physician mother will be receiving an award, their parents confiscate their phones. Will this force the pair to put aside their differences and learn to better understand and support each other—and save an animal in need?

Author Saadia Faruqi creates a very relatable and authentic sibling dynamic in the book. The story goes farther than just exploring sibling relationships as it realistically represents the microaggressions faced by many Muslim people living in America. There is also a STEM theme that comes from the twins’ interests that will capture the attention of many readers. The artwork in the graphic novel is beautiful, with the style and colors evoking the feel of the story’s Key West setting. Shazleen Khan does a fabulous job of altering the color palette to show when the action has switched to a flashback sequence. With its beautifully addressed social issues along with the realistic portrayal of the relationship between siblings and the Muslim representation that will serve as a mirror for some readers and a window for others, this is a must have for my school’s collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

This is a great graphic novel that is not only about twins Zara and Zeeshan learning how to stop fighting each other every step away and instead support each other. It shows the prejudice a lot of Muslim Americans face on a day to day basis and the impact it has. Their mother is a pediatrician about to receive an award, but at every stage of their trip their existence is questioned because of the prejudice people have.

The art of this grahic novel is absolutely gorgeous and this is a must read for everyone.

Another must-have graphic novel to add to your school library shelves. With themes of racism and environmental conservation, this middle-grade graphic novel is relatable and inspiring and something animal-mad young teen readers will love.

Zara and Zeeshan are siblings but they couldn’t be more different. Zara loves everything to do with animals. Zeeshan has his head firmly in outer space. They argue constantly and drive their parents mad. But they both understand what it’s like to be a Muslim American kid in a world where wearing a hijab or having a name that people struggle to pronounce makes you different. On a trip to Florida recognising their mother’s achievements as a doctor, Zara and Zeeshan have to work together if they are going to have any fun at all. And when things get tough, they might finally realise that they work pretty well together.

Zara’s love of animals take centre stage in the story when she finds a turtle stranded on the beach. She uses all her animal conservation knowledge to help care for it and return it to the wild. She drags a reluctant Zeeshan along with her and they have to work together to help save it, raising important discussions about conservation and looking after the environment and the animals who call it home. Zara and Zeeshan also face micro-aggressions from the people they meet and have to work out what is natural curiosity, what is a harmful comment and how to deal with it, and how to embrace and share their love for their believes and cultures with others.

A sweet and easy-to-love graphic novel.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Saving Sunshine is a wonderful graphic novel that tells the story of twins who come together to save a precious turtle from extinction. Despite their differences, the twins work together and show that anything is possible when we put our minds to it. The artwork is also really cute and adds to the whole experience.

This was a nice little graphic novel! Perfect for middle grade readers, with a neat art style and compelling message. Loved the inclusion of the conservation and space themes, from their impact to the story to the little snippets of information we would get from time to time. I haven't read many stories for this demographic that encapsulate how frustrating a sibling relationship can be, so I think this adds great value to the middle grade genre :)

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pros: loved the color palette and the use of color to signify past/present; the way the experiences of discrimination/Islamophobia are shown and the way it causes the characters to be on guard for that; the sibling relationship; the relationship to technology. The illustrations of the night sky were particularly beautiful.

Cons: The way the facts about animals were dropped in felt a little clunky. I’m not sure how engaging the kids in my life would find this. And I don’t love the messaging of kids doing an animal rescue without assistance from adults without any discussion of risks.

Rating: 3.5

Themes:
Family
Siblings
Animal Rights
NASA / Space
Own Voices

TW:
Islamophobia
Racism

A great own voices graphic novel about Muslim American siblings, learning how to enjoy each others company on a family holiday.
The artwork was beautiful and it was nice to learn about both siblings hobbies; space and animals.
I didn’t quite believe that in the end, all the issues between the siblings were resolved, it was frustrating as a lot of the bulling / picking on seemed to come from one sibling more than the other. It was helpful for the reader to see each characters struggles and why they act the way they did. I still don’t feel like it excuses some of the behaviour (of mostly Zeeshan) shown towards the other sibling.
The setting was wonderful and I loved the sub-storyline of the turtle “Sunshine” in this story.
Overall, I’m glad to see this representation shown on shelves in the future.

Zara and Zeeshan are siblings on a trip to Florida where their mother will be receiving an award. We are shown through both kids how they experience xenophobia and discrimination in their everyday lives and how they eventually come to be there for one another.

I feel like this depicted one of the most accurate sibling relationships I've seen portrayed in media. Both in how the siblings tormented each other and how they came together to defend each other. The graphic novel also did a great job juxtaposing the microaggressions directed towards their family while also showing how they are a family like any other one.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

I received this as a NetGalley arc and appreciate the opportunity to read the book in exchange for my honest review.

As an adult reader, I feel the author didn’t expand on the issues mentioned regarding wearing a hijab, how the teasing affects the twins, and animal activism. So much more could have been provided and explained.

As a younger reader, this could be a great own voice introduction to being Pakistani, the choice to wear a beautiful hijab, and discuss animal activism through saving Sunshine, the Loggerhead turtle.

I appreciated the book and the stories expressed through all of the characters, but wish for more to be shared through their lenses.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Saadia Faruqi and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard enough being a kid. It's hard being teased at school for your name or for wearing a hajib. It's even harder having a twin that you constantly fight with. That's exactly where Zara and Zeeshan find themselves. There parents have had enough of their fighting and decide to take their phones from them just as they are starting their vacation in Florida. While on vacation the twins find a sick turtle. Will the twins be able to put their differences aside to make a difference?

I love all of Saadia Faruqi's books and this one was no different! It's hard having a sibling and I like how Ms. Faruqi showed a story with what real siblings are like. I look forward to buying a copy of this book for my classroom!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced readers copy ahead of publication date.

Excellent graphic novel with timely issues that will be a great add to classroom libraries. Twins Zara and Zeesh fight constantly and have grown apart in recent years. They end up getting their phones taken away during a family trip to Florida. Will they get their phones back from their parents? Only if they spend time together.

While at its heart this graphic novel is about family, there are so many other themes woven in. Racism against the twins and their parents, due to their Muslim identity and particularly hijab wearing Zara and her mom, are prevalent. In flashbacks we see both of the twins experiencing racism at school and during their after school activities. Zara is passionate about animal activism and environmental issues, so when she finds an ailing turtle at the beach, she sets about trying to save it. Zeesh is passionate about space and NASA, but ultimately learns to appreciate his sister's passions too.

Very realistic portrayal of sibling bickering and a wonderful read for middle grade ages!

A gold-standard of a middle grade graphic novel that's art matches the dialogue in terms of the strengths that both bring to the table for the story being told. It's a visual story and it works so well and the watercolor design and coloring was phenomenally done and is a breath of fresh air to the other digitized graphic novels that exist for this age group.

The elements of the story focus on twin siblings and their doctor parents who travel to a conference where their mother is receiving an award. Intertwined is sibling connection, for better or worse. They bicker often but they have individual interests and strengths- Zara likes protecting and saving animals and Zeeshan is enamored with the space program. But they get their phones taken away for most of the trip because of their fighting. In typical fashion, they both have an opportunity to bond with one another over their interests (including Sunshine the loggerhead turtle that needs saving and a trip to an observatory to see the planets and stars). Interspersed is social commentary and flashbacks about wearing hijab, bullying by kids, and the requisite "where are you from like really, really from" that gives their parents and opportunity to educate their kids.

My only complaint is that there are several stories happening in a "problem solving" way that don't connect well with one another, they're disparate stories that are jammed together. They are equally important on their own but didn't fit seamlessly into one larger story. However, the separate elements each shined.

Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for the ARC of this cute graphic novel!

I absolutely loved the art style and story of this! Seeing siblings go from always fighting to understanding and supporting each other was very heartwarming. It was hard to see them deal with the racism in their lives, and it was nice to see diverse characters getting their stories told in realistic fiction. Definitely recommend!

This is the most adorable middlegrade graphic novels about twins who are always fighting and who have to figure out how to get along. They mainly grew apart because of their different struggles with racism and xenophobia in school, and because they don't understand each other's interests. Over the course of the book, they start opening up to each other's interests and are starting to understand each other better. This is such a sweet, heartfelt story, and I absolutely adored the art work.

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing me with the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is about two Muslim American twins, Zara and Zeeshan and their relationship during a family trip to Florida where their mom will be receiving a medicine award. During this trip they must learn to behave and be kind to one another, specially as they need to spend time together since their parents confiscated their phones. One day at the beach they find a sick turtle that will be what brings them to connect and work together to keep it safe while developing a stronger bond between them.

First of all, the art style was beautiful, I loved the drawings and the color palette. I really enjoyed seeing the progress of the siblings' dynamic and how they learn from the other, their interests and knowledge. They have very distinct personalities which makes them bicker all the time but through the course of the story they learn that their relationship is the most important thing they have and how having each other's backs will help them face a world in which their differences will become a thing to be proud of.

Fun graphic novel about family and siblings growing up and learning to appreciate their differences. Watercolor style art fits the environmental theme and beach setting well.

I’ve been a huge fan of Shazleen Khan’s art since reading the Buuza!! series, so I was stoked they were doing the art for a middle grade GN! They did not disappoint; I loved everything about this, art and story. For me, it was perfection. It’s about a loggerhead turtle!!! And siblings, and sacrifices. The story is so wholesome and I definitely cried. The racism and microaggressions were handled with care. The watercolor art fit the story so well and I loved the palette shift for the flashbacks.