A great book about a little known time in history.
I loved the side characters, especially Dadi and Kim. They gave levity to an otherwise heavy book.
Loved all the descriptions of the food. The author writes in such a masterful way that I feel as though I am eating the food alongside the characters.

I appreciated the accessible exploration of this particular history, and Mahnoor's journey throughout this book is supported by amazing characters (shoutout to her grandmother and her two closest friends; I also want to call special attention to her new friend, Ahmed, a new immigrant from Pakistan, because his perspective was a great foil against Maha's very American upbringing. I only wish that for a book this long, the incidents leading up to Partition were detailed a bit more; instead, Faruqi dedicates time to several subplots that felt unnecessarily prolonged and lacking nuance or subtlety in their portrayals. I also found several inconsistencies and plot holes that would've rounded the story out better (e.g., Maha falters when some basic Urdu words are spoken/defined around her but she's read the entire Quran in the language and she's so intense about research and being a journalist but literally doesn't Google things easily -- the latter aspect really frustrated me the most). I also found some of the character choices to be confusing overall, and some of the conflicts the main character was to face were repeatedly raised without really adding anything new to the story when they were brought up each time. Could've done with a tighter edit, honestly.

Another knockout hit from Saadia Faruqi - I just love her writing style. My readers will find ways to relate to the characters even if they don't have a personal connection to their stories.

This title aligns perfectly with our sixth-grade social studies curriculum. Excited to read it with my students.

I had high hopes for this book since this area of history holds high intrigue for me. This book did not live up to those expectations. I wondered if by opening with a contemporary point of view that would indicate dual timelines. Unfortunately, all of the information about the past came in transcripts of interviews that the main character conducted with her grandmother making the book feel rather didactic.

You get five stars you get five stars yoou get five stars. round of a freaking applause. so so good.

I've enjoyed all the books written by Faruqi and this one is no different. It had many layers to it, including friend, family, and ancestry drama. I thought Maha was a very believable 12 year old. She came across a bit self-absorbed and intolerant of other views and opinions, but this is very typical of middle school kiddos. Maha's character's growth is significant and realistic. Maha's Dadi is also represented honestly. She is unhappy, grumpy, and defiant which accurately defines the displacement and feelings of abandonment often experienced by seniors moving in with family. I was a bit disappointed with the character of Tiffany who came across as exceptionally plastic and stereotypically snobbish and oblivious. I don't think her depiction could have been more contrived from her white skin and blond hair to her "elitist-sounding" name. The storyline was wonderful touching on lots of experiences and human emotions that I'm confident my students could relate to one or more aspects.

I have yet to read a book by Saadia Faruqi that I don’t love. She has such a talent for presenting difficult topics in a way that is accessible for children, and also writing about situations that they can relate to such as sibling rivalry and friend troubles. I did not know about the Partition and was glad to learn so much about it along with Maha. I will definitely be adding this book to my library because I think they will be able to see themselves in it. Looking forward to Faruqi’s next book!

Wow! This book has heart ❤️. I read this book in one day and loved the connection between history and today. Maha is a true to life middle schooler who makes mistakes with her friends, follows her journalistic passion and begins to notice the importance of her Dadi moving in with the family. Beautifully written.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I loved The Night Diary. The story of Partition is so important, and I really was looking forward to this book. This book, though had as many misses as hits, and overall, I was disappointed. I loved the grandmother's teachings of their faith, and in particular of fasting and Ramadan. It's something that many religions can relate to. I didn't love how Ramadan was alternately an incredibly empowering experience and an excuse for Maha. I love the stories her grandmother shared, but I hated the way Maha treated her friend, and wished that Ahmad was less of a throw away character when he could have brought so much to the story.

I loved that this book gave a look at the Partition, a historical event I knew little to nothing about. And what a great story to introduce younger readers to history in an approachable way -- at least, in theory.

The issue(s) I had with this book, however, was that it was entirely too long. 400+ pages is long even for an adult or fantasy novel, and for a middle grade, it started becoming almost unreadable. It was hard to stay connected with the story, and I think it could have been edited for clarity and pacing. I also felt like the voice of the main character was a bit inauthentic (in terms of age/development) at times, a jarring cadence that took me out of the story.

Overall, an informative story with an important core, but not one I'd likely re-read. There are so many great middle grade books that connect young readers to history, and while I think THE PARTITION PROJECT has potential, I think it missed the mark on being a five-star read.

Thank you to Quill Tree Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Partition was something I hadn't even heard of until fairly recently, so I was riveted by this story. I like that it does more than just reveal a lesser known part of history. It really digs into the importance of cultural history and includes some messaging about responsible and sensitive journalism. With complex, relatable characters, this is a book well worth reading for young and old alike.

Saadia writes out of a place for passion and desire of understanding. This novel follows Mahnoor as her Grandmother (Dadi) comes to live with her family in Texas. Eventually Mahnoor discovers Dadi's past through a journalism project and discovers a history worth telling.

Maha isn't happy when she has to give up her room to her grandmother, Dadi. But she Don learns to appreciate not only her grandmother's cooking, but also her stories of her history. As a hopeful journalist, Maha wants to explore the truth - especially as she learns more about her heritage and her Dadi's experiences during the Partition.

Maha is an engaging character and her exploration of identity is very relatable. A well-written book that talks openly about important historical events.

So much love for this book! I learned about the Partition which I knew little about. The way the author wove in tips on how to research a topic and become a journalist was brilliant. Watching the relationship unfold between Maha and her grandmother was touching. Students will like the combination of present day and the storytelling done through the Maha’s interviews about her grandmother’s childhood. I also enjoyed learning about Muslim culture.

The Partition Project is about a very important historical event that displaced and killed millions of people. The main character is an aspiring journalist who gets an assignment to make a documentary. She makes one about her grandmother's experience in the Partition. Her grandmother's experience is a short amount of the book told in interview style. Most of the book is Maha's struggle to get people to acknowledge that Partition is important. Despite that, the book tells the reader very little about the actual event and its causes. I only started to enjoy this about halfway through, and it's over 400 pages.

Maha is a middle schooler who is passionate about journalism. When her grandmother comes to stay with the family from Pakistan, Maha is less than enthused to have to give up her bedroom to her grandmother AND act as a kind of babysitter. But the stories that Dadi (Maha's grandmother) tells are more interesting than Maha would have imagined and when Maha's teacher asks the students to create a video documentary on a topic of their own choosing, Maha thinks her family history might have potential. Except that Maha is so focused on her documentary that she loses sight of her best friend. This is a terrific story that lots of kids are going to identify with and enjoy!

It's a pretty good book! My only complaint is that the book was longer than it needed to be; if it was just slightly more snappy, it'd be perfect!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Saadia Faruqi, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy.

When Mahnoor's grandmother (Dadi) moves in with them from Pakistan, she is worried that everything in her life is going to be different. She has a huge journalism project where she has to film a documentary. She does not have time to babysit her Dadi.

As her Dadi adjusts to life in Houston and Mahnoor struggles to find a topic for her documentary the two of them start talking and Mahnoor learns more about her Dadi's life. Could Dadi's life story be the perfect topic for her documentary?

A sweet and moving middle grade read. The history was heartbreaking at times, but it was nice to see a grandchild connect with their grandparent to learn more about their life before they were a grandparent.

Maha Raheem's life gets turned upside down when her Dadi moves into the Raheem household from Pakistan. Maha doesn't want to be a babysitter to her Dadi, she has more important things to do - like figure out the topic for her Journalism class! When her Dadi starts telling Maha about her childhood in northern India and the Partition that forced her to move to the new country of Pakistan, Maha realizes her Dadi is newsworthy.

Saadia Faruqi does an excellent job exploring family dynamics, history and how family history shapes who we are. The relationship that blossoms and blooms between Maha and her Dadi is beautiful to read about. There is such care when discussing the events of the Partition and how it continues to effect South Asian populations all over the world. This book really shines when Maha is connecting with her family and their culture.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.