Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Danny Ramadan

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Salma Writes a Book is the sequel to Danny Ramadan’s children’s chapter book series, The Salma Series, with art illustrated by Anna Bron. While this book continues to follow Salma and her family’s experience as recently migrated Syrian refugees in Vancouver, Canada, it can be read as a stand-alone.

This book follows Salma, who has just gotten the news that she will soon become a big sister! In order become the best big sister ever, Salma decides to write an ultimate guidebook to siblinghood. However, she ends up being confused and feeling challenged on what it means to be a good big sister, especially after seeing how her mama got upset at her own brother, her Khalou (uncle) Dawood, for who he chose to love.

Even though this story tackled many difficult themes like family and friendships, honesty, conflicting cultural values, and LGBTQ+, the author did a fantastic job in handling and conveying them in a simple and engaging way that young readers can follow and understand. The accompanying illustrations were beautifully drawn and complemented the narrative. They also helped to provide a break between each of the short chapters.

While I enjoyed the premise and loved reading about the different subject matters, I was a bit let down on how it drew away from Salma writing her book. I was really excited to see how her book turned out in the end and reading about all the lessons learned that she included.

Overall, I would recommend Salma Writes a Book to parents and teachers of early and young readers looking for children’s books with themes surrounding family and siblinghood, friendships, multiculturalism, and LGBTQ+. The book also includes an activity at the end that is designed for children and students which takes them through how to write a book.

Thank you Annick Press for providing me an e-copy on Netgalley to review.

This second installment in the Salma series deals with a lot of hard-hitting topics, such as her refugee family's continued adjustment, the joys and fears of anticipating a new baby in the family, guilt about lying to a friend's mom, and tension between Salma's traditional mother and LGBT uncle. The book highlights sibling relationships throughout, with Salma's distress over her mom's and uncle's strained relationship fueling her worry about whether or not she'll be a good big sister.

The resolution feels honest and representative of life, and it's clear from the author bio that parts of this story are based on aspects of the author's experiences as a gay man. However, there's never a sufficient explanation of the mother's beliefs and values. She just tells Salma that it's an adult issue that she doesn't want to discuss. Salma takes her uncle's side immediately after meeting him and is very upset with her mother, and even though there are references to cultural pressures from their home nation of Syria, the book never really represents the mom's side of the story.

This seems like a missed opportunity to me, since conservative Muslim families who are eager for the cultural representation in Salma's story would surely want an acknowledgement of the reasons behind their traditional beliefs about sexuality. It's a complicated issue, and I appreciate that the book shows that these siblings can love each other even as they disagree. Still, this is a huge topic to take on in an early chapter book geared for very young children, and given the Muslim audience, the story could have better represented the reasons behind the mother's beliefs.

Because this book tackles so many tough topics, the part about Salma writing a book gets pushed to the side. Salma's writing is a theme that ties together multiple different story elements, but I expected a lot more of the story to be about writing, given that it's mentioned in the title. At the end, there are some pages with writing advice for kids, but I wish that this had been more integrated into the story.

Thank you to Amick Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In this sequel to Salma Makes a Home, Salma's family is together and about to get larger - she is going to be a big sister! She decides to write a guidebook to help her be a great big sister. She observes and talks to her friends and gets to meet her uncle for the first time. Her mother is not accepting of the fact that her brother is married to a man. Salma, on the other hand, just accepts it, but it is confusing to her as she writes her guide book. There is a lot packed into this relatively short book, but it is written very well and accessible to all. Recommended for grades 2 – 4.

#SalmaWritesABook #NetGalley

I read this book for free in exchange for my honest feedback thanks to NetGalley.

I've been looking to diversify my classroom library more, and this cute little book about acceptance will be an excellent addition.

I love how old and new values clash together, and give an outsider like me a look into how these values might be solved.

Thank you for this beautiful story.

I received a free digital copy from the author to read.

Salma Writes a Book by Danny Ramadan, with beautiful illustrations by Anna Bron, is a heartwarming story about siblinghood and family love. The book is primarily aimed at children, but its message is relevant to people of all ages.

The story revolves around Salma, who is about to become a big sister. Excited about her new role, she decides to write a guidebook to help her be the best sibling ever. However, as she learns more about siblings, she also learns that they can sometimes be confusing and challenging.

Salma's mother is fighting with her own brother, Khalou Dawood, and this adds to Salma's confusion. She struggles to understand how siblings can love each other and still have conflicts. As she navigates through her thoughts and emotions, she learns valuable lessons about love, forgiveness, and acceptance.

The story is written in simple and engaging language that is easy to follow, and the illustrations complement the narrative beautifully. The book teaches children about the importance of family love and how it can overcome even the most challenging situations.

Overall, Salma Writes a Book is a touching and relatable story that both children and adults can enjoy. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about siblinghood and family relationships. Danny Ramadan and Anna Bron have created a beautiful masterpiece that will resonate with readers long after they finish reading it.

Salma learns that she is going to be a big sister, so decides to write a book on how to do so. She has just met her uncle, that her mother has had a fight with, and doesn’t know why that is happening, but wants to make sure to address it in her book.

This is the second of the Salma early chapter books, about a Syrian family who have emigrated to Canada, and are learning to fit in this strange new place. As her mother explains, things that were wrong in Syria, are fine in Canada, and it takes getting used to.

I love how gently this book handles the fact that Salma’s uncle is gay and is married to a western man. Salma doesnt’ question that they are married. What she questions is why her mother doesn’t like that he is married.

The pictures are cute, and the story moves along at a good clip. I really love how earnest Salma is, in that she has to figure out how to write the perfect guide for herself.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book comes out the 34d of October 2023.