This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

This was such a cute and wholesome story. It makes me so happy that young muslim kids now get to grow up with graphic novels and stories that reflect their lives so beautifully.

Absolutely lovely, a perfect family-centered Muslim American story blended with beautiful artwork. A definite buy for any middle grade shelf. More thoughts are:
* <<<<sibling bonding
*all of the watercolor-y art is beautiful, but I especially love the softly rendered flashbacks that show the protagonists' past experiences and their motivations
*the parents guide their kids, but the kids also learn lessons for themselves and it's just nice?
*I love that both kids have a passion that they mutually begin to understand of one another
*Zara's reason for wearing hijab is that she wants to show she's proud of being Muslim, which ehh, but I'm fine with that response from a sixth grader.

Saving sunshine is a beautiful graphic novel with colourful artwork. The story centres two twins with very different passion who have to spend their holiday having to entertain themselves while their parents are at a conference. Throughout the story we see flashes of their past and the difficult things they have experienced being children of Pakistani immigrants in America. Zara and Zeeshan discover beauty in each others passions and learn to look after each other even though sometimes they find the other insufferable (classic siblings).

I love this so much. The art was amazing and I love how the author covered the topic of hijab in a way it’s easy for children to understand.

I would love a story about the parents 🤭


Thanks you for the arc!

Excellent graphic novel showing Zara and Zeesh constantly bickering and so, when the family goes away to Florida , the parents take away their cell phones. Even though Zara has to deal with bias because she wears a hijab, she’s an animal activist and when she sees a loggerhead turtle on the beach she wants to help it. After talking to a local vet, Zara learns that so much human activity can be detrimental to turtles. Zeesh finds his sister is right about animal rites and its importance. One night during a storm Zara and Zeesh try to find the turtle, and they help him go into the water. The two kids can’t find their way back afterwards and yell for help. What happens next?

“Everyone’s from somewhere, son. We all have our history, a place we connect with. What’s a tree without roots, eh?”

Saving Sunshine is a middle grade graphic novel about a pair of very different twins who have to learn to work together — specifically by saving an endangered turtle.

This was such a sweet and yet important graphic novel. The protagonists, Zara and Zeeshan, have vastly different interests and are constantly fighting. The family is Muslim American and throughout the story we see how they have been faced with different stereotypes and negative attitudes. As a teacher, my heart ached to see some of the things that these kids had faced in school.

The illustrations are beautiful and the story itself is easy to digest. The dialogue felt a bit stilted at times, but I feel like that’s often something I experience with graphic novels.

Saving Sunshine is definitely an easy to read story that covers the important topics of family, friendship, feeling alienated, and standing up for yourself. I will absolutely be reading this one with my middle graders at some point.

Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for giving me a chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Saving Sunshine is out in the world on 5th September.

Engaging story and artwork about twins (brother/sister) who face racism/bigotry.

I would say this is appropriate for 4th - 6th graders. There's sibling squabbles, vacation fun, serious topics like sexism, racism, bigotry, religious discrimination...

Great read for adults too!

Special thanks to Netgalley and First Second books for giving me copy from this book.
My daughter loved it so much and i will request many books from this author

This was a cute story about siblings finding a way to reconnect despite everything that has divided them. It was partially a story about a young girl who loves animals, but the small experiences with racism add a depth to it that will be meaningful to the target audience.

Thank you so much for letting me read this graphic novel. This was very wholesome children's graphic novel. It depicted a very adequate sibling relationship. And contained a lot of useful informations.

Sweet upper elementary/middle-grade graphic novel about two constantly feuding twins on vacation with their parents. While most of the conflict focuses on the usual things that divide children with different interests, there is a repeated theme of anti-Muslim bigotry and how both children both cope with it (including the sister's belief that her brother should stand up for her, although it is not clear if she feels that goes both ways). Strong coming of age themes throughout and well illustrated

Very important and lifelike coverage of anti-Muslim racism, but the story felt scattered to me. So did the artwork.

The story and characters were intensely engaging, but there was more that could have been done to develop both main characters, especially since the book seems to frame each sibling as a main player but puts a little more emphasis on Zara's experiences. To me, it was unclear who was supposed to be at the center of the narrative.

Twins Zara and Zeesh Aziz have very different interests; Zara is very devoted to animals (especially her Persian cat) and animal rescue efforts, and Zeesh is obsessed with watching NASA videos and learning everything he can about space. They frequently argue, but when their family heads off to the Florida Keys to a medical conference, their bickering escalates. Their parents, both doctors, are stressed enough about flying, since the family is frequently pulled aside for spot checks because they are Muslim, and eventually take away both children's phones after they have a very public fight. The mother is being honored as pediatrician of the year, a fact which the hotel concierge has taken time to remember, even if he asks the rude question of "where are you from". The parents did come from Pakistan, but the children have only ever lived in the US and are very tired of this question. With their phones gone, the children have to find things to do at the resort while their parents are at the conference. On the beach, Zara finds a large loggerhead turtle that seems unwell, and makes it her mission to help it. She names it Sunshine. She covers it with branches for shade and goes into town to ask at a pet store about it. Eventually, a local veterinarian comes and examines the animal, and thinks that once it gets some more vitamins, it will be okay. There are other children at the conference, and some of them are very mean. We see, in somewhat faded colors, flashback to similar events the children experienced back home. Their mother gets her award and the family is celebrsting her, but when Zeesh is angry that he is missing an important NASA broadcast, he runs away into a storm. Zara goes after them, and the two find that Sunshine is in trouble. They save it, and find that they bicker a bit less once they learn to appreciate each other's interests and have learned to work together.
Strengths: The artwork in this was more beautiful than the average graphic novel, and since it is set in the Florida Keys, it was like being on a little vacation! I'd love to see more graphic novels illustrated by Khan. Adults tend to forget what a big role siblings have in the lives of middle grade children, so it was good to see that even though the twins bickered, they were able to hang out together and find things to do. I adored that their parents took away their phones when they didn't do what was expected! Taking away technology was always my first line of defense with my own children, and it can be very effective! The Pakistani American representation is good to see, although it's sad that the family has to deal with so many microaggressions and hatred. This story moved quickly, and the turtle added an extra layer of interest.
Weaknesses: It seemed a bit odd that the children were allowed to wander around so much on their own, but perhaps this is fairly common in the Florida Keys. I've never been there.
What I really think: This is a good choice for graphic novel readers who want sibling tales like Harper's Bad Sister or books with Muslim characters and challenges like Huq's The Story of Nisrin's Hijab or Famy's Huda F. Are You.

Another great graphic novel that really hits tough topics that young readers will be able to process through reading this book. Highly recommended!

Zara and Zeeshan can’t stop fighting and on a trip to Florida their parents have had enough! When the siblings are forced to spend time together they must learn to work with each other - the life of a creature may depend on it.

This charming story of family, sibling rivalry, and nature is a sweet mix!

This was a fantastic middle grade graphic novel. It delved into a lot of serious topics (religion, sibling relationships, immigration, animal rights) but it wasn't overwhelming. Each topic brought up blended into the story well without being too bogged down. The art is really nice and the text is easy to read and follow. The dynamic between the twins, as well as their parents, was realistic. Nothing was tied neatly in a bow but it had a satisfying ending. The dealings with religion and country of origin were realistic, hard to read at times, and unfortunately reflected a very real reality for many Muslims in America. Definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a realistic middle grade graphic novel.

beautifully drawn, loved the characters designs, although some of the dialogue feels a bit stilted the way issues are introduced and handled makes it worthwhile.

The art style of this graphic novel was so cute! The watercolor style was so pretty! Unfortunately, the story did not really draw me in, so I didn't get very far with it. I think this is a really great graphic novel for middle grade kiddos that want to read something more serious, but have trouble reading full chapter books.

Such a sweet story about bickering siblings that have to find common ground while on vacation, mostly once they have the same mission.