I have always maintained that my reviews are not personal, and for over 10 years, I kept to that. I recently made a public exception however, for Palestine. I cannot and have not checked every author, every illustrator, every publisher, or every agent, to see who has spoken up about the genocide, but there are a few prolific authors that are standards in the niche of Islamic fiction literature. Who have elevated our representation with a standard of quality and consistency across multiple age groups over the years, whose stature made their silence, seeming or actual, to the occupation, the apartheid, and the ongoing attempted erasure of a people and culture impossible to miss. No there is no standard or bare minimum, this is all emotion, and if you are thinking who am I to judge, or maybe I missed something, yes you are right. None-the-less it definitely caught my attention that an author who remained silent, wrote a 416 page middle grade book about partition, a historical event impossible to separate from colonization. I know the timeline for books to be published is not quick, but when I read the characters discussing that, "If we only read books by perfect authors, we'd read...nothing, I guess." It felt a little defensive, and while I never set out to shame anyone, I have written this disclaimer to hold to my word, and to acknowledge that as much as I have set out to write the remainder of this review as I would review any book, my own disappointment in the author, may show through. Literary wise the book is moving, heartfelt even, but the performative othering, the internalized Islamophobia, and the catering to a western gaze, are subtle, but undeniably there. Perhaps the biggest example is the word "British," the whole reason for partition, is only mentioned a grand total of six times.

SYNOPSIS:
Mahnoor, aka Maha, is in seventh grade, and her whole world has just flipped upside down. Her Dadi, her paternal grandmother, has just moved in from Pakistan, taking her room, and her free time. Plus Dadi is old and grumpy, and Maha is not amused. With parents that are too busy to spend time with her, Dadi slowly but surely starts to fill in a lot of pieces that Maha didn't know were lacking in her life. Through food and stories and the start of Ramadan, Maha learns about Islam, Pakistan, friendship, and with a school documentary assignment, partition. A historical event she had never heard about before, starts to be all she can think about. It also seems to hang over everything she encounters from a book on a novel study English assignment list, to the train in their neighborhood, everyone at the senior center, and even Texas history. With dreams of being a journalist, Maha's singular focus because almost obsessive, according to her friend Kim, but the more she learns, the more she changes. And the changes are for the better, even if there are some stumbles along the way, fighting with Kim, making Dadi runaway, calling out her parents preoccupation with work, missed fasts. The book has a happy ending though, as the unlikeable privileged Maha at the beginning, transforms to being someone the reader is cheering for at the end.

WHY I LIKE IT:
I am Pakistani-American, being half Pakistani and half American, the hyphen for me signals both my parents. So I was thrilled a year or so ago when I first heard about this book. I am a bit removed from partition because my father was the first in his family to be born in Pakistan, and my in-laws did not move from India until much later. That being said, I know it is a part of me, as all desis do, and was eager to read this middle grade book. Please note though, I am also white passing American (albeit with a hijab), so I can tell when I am being pandered to as well.

Do I feel the book did the topic justice? Absolutely not, by not discussing colonialism and British occupation, a huge part of the setup is conveniently ignored. It also is very placating of what the Muslims, Seikhs and Hindus seemed to want as Jinnah and Nehru are only name dropped once. Gandhi not at all. I get that the book presumably isn't about that, but by ignoring it all together, there is some intent there, possible watering down for a white audience, that doesn't sit right with me.

This book feels like it is written for non Muslims. The dialogues about being a good person even though they don't follow Islam as they should, and pray and fast and eat halal, seem like internalized Islamophobia, that is trying to normalize not practicing. When the text goes so far as to call those that do fast all 30 days "ultra-religious" it seems to walk back the numerous passages of Maha loving fasting and finding peace in prayer. The takeaway for a Muslim reader will be a little self doubt, for a non Muslim reader it will reinforce the labels of "those Muslims" and "extremists." It makes what many Muslims find basic faith requirements, come across as optional here in America, like taking off shoes when entering your house. With that being said though, the book does have a lot of heart, and in many places Islam and Pakistani culture are warm, but that warmth often comes through attempts to appeal to a non Muslim western lens. Similarly the stereotypes do as well. Pakistan is considered conservative, which is dismissed as meaning, "code for no swimsuits." Wow, a whole culture and religion, so easily labeled and stereotyped. Stings a bit, not gonna lie.

Maha's parents are not religious, so much of Maha's knowledge of Islam is coming from what she sees her Dadi do, pray, fast, read Quran, etc. Except, Maha knows how to read Quran, and pray, she just needs practice. So explain, how she doesn't know what inshaAllah means? This is just one example of inconsistency bumps in the text. At one point they eat iftar, and then a few hours later have dinner, I mean sure it is possible, but it seems weird. Her frail grandma runs away on a hiking trail? She wants the archive curators approval for her documentary and not her Dadi's? Overall, Maha rarely reads like she is 12. At the start when she is whining, is about it, the rest of the book she reads much much older.

FLAGS:
Boy girl close friendships, angry mobs with guns, death, cholera, internalized islamophobia, talk of gods and demigods in Percy Jackson, mention of J.K. Rowling negative comments on trans community, fear.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I cannot in good conscious purchase, recommend, or even check this book out from the library. I received an advanced digital arc, but my heart is too heavy by the author's silence in the face of the atrocities occurring in front of us regarding Palestine.

The Partition Project is a fabulous book for readers in 5th grade and beyond. Maha is a Pakistani American girl who is surprised, and not very happy, when her grandmother (Dadi) is moving to America and moving in with her. Maha has to give up her room and a lot of her free time for Dadi. At first, she resents this, but she quickly learns that Dadi has a lot to teach her and so many stories of her past to share. As Maha listens to Dadi's stories, she learns about her family's history, and the history of Pakistan. Readers will love going on this learning journey with Maha and will learn right alongside her and she finds out about the Partition and how it changed Dadi's life and the life of so many others! An engaging and wonderful read!

The Partition Project started kind of slow for me, but it built to a lovely crescendo/climax at the end of the book. I loved all the characters, from Maha's family to the Senior Center folks to her school community. I think that a lot of middle grade readers will enjoy this one and hopefully be inspired more to learn about their own family's history.

Middle Grade Contemporary/Historical Fiction.

I unfortunately hadn’t learned about the Partition until recently and when I saw this title on NetGalley I absolutely wanted to learn more and it being middle grade was like a great primer.

Maha is a seventh grader that is very very into becoming a journalist and is so excited that her elective credit this year is media studies. When she starts the school year her grandmother moves in with her family from Pakistan and Maha is asked to spend time with her on week nights and weekends. Maha is pretty resistant to babysitting her Dadi until Dadi tells her the memories she has surrounding the events of the partition. Maha is enthralled and wants to use these memories in her media studies documentary project.

I loved Dadi and the way she was able to teach Maha through her memories and her recipes. I loved the growth Maha had throughout the novel. It definitely had many side plots and I thought they were great and added to the overall story but I did like Dadi’s plot line the best. I would definitely read more from this author, they did a great job of teaching a tough topic with care.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children for an eARC.

The Partition Project is a multilayered middle grade book that will appeal to all ages, not just its intended audience. Mahnoor is a 12 year old seventh grader who is passionate about journalism. When her Pakistani grandmother moves in with their family and takes over her bedroom, Maha is as resentful as any 12 year old would be. However, as she gets to know her grandmother, she learns about her heritage and the traumatic experiences and consequences of the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. Maha almost obsessively figures out how to make Partition into a five minute documentary for school. She ends up with friend problems and school problems. She sees the previous lack of communication in her own family. This story is a slice of reality. I frequently found myself with tears running down my cheeks. This book is a winner on so many levels. I look forward to promoting it at my middle school library.

A bonus to this book is the other books mentioned. I have already read The Night Diary by Vera Hirandani and am happy I did because of the prior knowledge it gave me for this book. I also read Inside Out and back Again by Thanhha Lai, an important novel in verse that takes place during the Vietnam War. Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition by Sadat Hasan Manto is on my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Maha a twelve year old seventh grader aspires to become a journalist. Her media studies elective assigns a documentary project that does not seem like a worthwhile endeavor for a journalist rooted in current news and staying on top of now. If that isn't a big enough challenge Maha's Dadi (grandmother) has pushed her out of her bedroom and has moved into their home. Maha doesn't know what to make of her Pakistani relative and customs. Her father insists they spend several hours together each day. How will she keep up with school? If that wasn't enough, her best friend is getting irritated with her over an English novel project. What else can go wrong?

The Patrition Project is a must read novel for kids and adults. Maha is a likeable character. Readers will have empathy for her and her friend circle. They won't be able to help themselves and will fall in love with Dadi too. Dadi was twelve during Partition. Partition is an historical event from 1947 that played out as part of the aftermath of World War II and the end of British rule in India. The result was a massive forced migration of millions as the people shifted into the new India and newly formed Pakistan. Maha interviews Dadi and other adults she meets along the way and learns the history and real consequences of Partition on the political and personal level. Young readers will be able to relate to Maha's many struggles with school, keeping up with friendships, and navigating a new relative in the home. Older readers will enjoy Faruqi's writing style that will appeal to an adult mind but is still quite accessible for middle grade readers.

Faruqi also mentioned other middle grade novels in the text. Both "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani and "Inside Out & Back Again" by Thanhha Lai are novels I've read and can draw from as they relate to this novel. If you haven't read them yet, both deserve to be on your to be read pile. For adults another novel was mentioned. This book was being read by the senior citizens book club and looks like a worthy addition to a TBR pile: "Mottled Dawn: Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition" by Saadat Hasan Manto. (I promptly added it to my TBR list.) The Patrition Project is a must read novel for kids grades 4 and up as well as for adults.

I cannot possibly say enough good things about The Partition Project but I will do my best.

To say that Maha is less than thrilled when she finds out she is going to "babysit" her grandmother (Dadi) who is moving from Pakistan, is an understatement. What is she supposed to do with this grumpy old woman who she barely knows. When her new media class assignment is to create a documentary, Maha cannot come up with a good topic even though others in her class seem to have no trouble finding subjects to focus on.
Slowly, as Dadi begins to reveal her own story of growing up during the Partition in India, Maha realizes that though 1947 was a long time ago the story is important and newsworthy.

I always enjoy Faruqi's writing but this was on a whole other level for me. Though the story is not sad, I cried through the last 20+ pages because it was so touching to see all the pieces of the story resolve. I absolutely will recommend this to anyone who will listen!

I was so incredibly moved by this middle grade novel and am so grateful I read it. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this ARC - I am absolutely going to buy this for the middle graders in my life!

I didn't know much about the Partition of India and Pakistan, and through Mahnoor and Dadi's conversations, Dadi sheds light not only on their family history but the Indian and Pakistani history too. I loved Maha's excitement for journalism and I would absolutely read more from Saadia Faruqi in the future.

Faruqi is always reliable for stories that present honest accounts of history and experiences. This book will allow young readers to understand a historical event not taught in schools. Everything is presented in an accessible manner.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this 2.27.24 release. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This may be Saadia Faruqi’s best middle grade book yet, and that is saying a lot because Yusuf Azeem is fantastic. Seventh grader Maha has her world rocked when her Dadi moves from Pakistan to Texas to live with her family. Maha is even moved from her room to the attic, and her parents force her to spend all this time with this grumpy woman. But as she starts talking to her dadi, Maha slowly learns of her dadi’s childhood trauma during the Partition in 1947. And when Maha’s favorite class, Media Studies, gives her a documentary assignment, she decides that she will record her dadi’s stories about the Partition. But when she takes her newfound, intense interest in her history too far, she has a lot to make up to those around her.

I first learned of the Partition fairly recently, when The Night Diary was a Young Hoosier Book Award nominee. Our sixth grade honors students read it now as a core novel. Seeing another story of this horrifying event out there is both important and timely in today’s world. I can’t wait to get this into my students’ hands. Highly recommended for all middle school readers.

The Partition Project
by Saadia Faruqi

This is a good social understanding project. With a lot of references to Pakistan and Muslim belief. It's a good discussion prompt for a middle school classroom. Allowing students to question the information they consume, and what the school teaches. The author shows the time limitations of schools to cover all information especially history of the world. The need for finding connection to many subjects is discussed in education all the time. Teachers want to make the connections, but sometimes the required education standards make it hard for them to diversify the material.

The problem of generational gaps because of financial means happens in every social economic strata. Parents are working and don't have time to spend with their children. This disconnection makes knowledge gaps for children. Without extended family they do not learn their family history, religion, of expectations. Making kids more dependent on media and peers. This book shows the importance of extended family, and community connections.

“You’ve figured out the connection between history and the present, and how it leads to the future. That’s a tremendous lesson for human beings, but something not everyone learns until it’s too late.”

My first middle grade book of the year, The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi, was a 5⭐️ read. This intergenerational story weaves the past and the present together beautifully, and taught me so much about a topic I knew nothing about previously.

Maha is disappointed about her Dadi (grandma) from Pakistan moving to Texas to live with her family. Maha has to give up her bedroom and spend her afternoons and Saturdays babysitting Dadi. But as a documentary assignment for her Media Studies elective class coincides with Dadi opening up to Maha about her childhood during The Partition of 1947, she comes to deeply appreciate Dadi’s presence in her life (and uses her stories as inspiration for her documentary assignment).

Along the way, we the readers also learn so much about The Partition through Dadi’s stories. The Partition of 1947 was the change of political borders creating Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Millions were forced to move from their homes, and up to 2 million people died in the violence that accompanied The Partition. A piece of history that I was never taught in the United States, and a piece of history that we continue to see repeated in various iterations around the globe.

Along with learning the history of The Partition, this book also shares so much about Muslim religion and culture as it is set during Ramadan (which we learn is called Ramzan in Urdu, the primary language of Pakistan). And it has a healthy dose of realistic middle school friend and school drama, as all good middle grade novels should.

The Partition Project releases on February 27th and I highly recommend preordering this fantastic book!

A beautiful and strangely timely book from Saadia Faruqi. While the first few chapters did not immediately capture my attention, once the fire was lit it burned bright.

The Partition Project is both the story of Maha, a 6th grader who is obsessed with journalism, and her dadi's (grandmother's) experience going through the Partition in 1947. Maha is frustrated with her dadi coming to live with them as she has to give up her bedroom and look after her. But as they get to know each other better, Maha realizes how wonderful it is to have dadi around. First, there is the amazing cooking, but Dadi also tells Maha about the Partition and what it was like for her and her family living through it. In time, Maha learns a great deal more than that from her dadi and from another student, Ahmad, who moved from Pakistan at the same time dadi did.

One thing that really stood out was how Maha was initially very frustrated having to learn history in social studies. As someone who is interested in journalism, she thought that everything had to be "right now" and current. She learned, from interviewing Dadi and other expats, that history shapes us and makes a big impact on who we are today. There was a lot of touching on the concept that if we don't learn our history, we are simply doomed to repeat it.

This will be the first introduction to many about what the Partition was (separation of India and Pakistan based on religion) unless they have also read the wonderful The Night Diary. One of the more powerful aspects of how the Partition impacted Dadi had to do with the fact that she had Hindi friends who suddenly couldn't speak to her. Sudden political decisions changed the way that friends interacted. We see this reverberating around the world today.

Another really interesting part had to do with Maha and her dislike of fiction. She was under the impression that she simply did not like fiction of any kind because she could not get into Percy Jackson the way her best friend was and did not enjoy made up worlds or things that do not make sense. She winds up reading a book that is historical fiction and loves it. Another way that proves the adage that it isn't that you don't like reading, it is that you haven't found the right book yet.

Every book that I have read by Saadia Faruqi has been a winner. This is a great novel for mature 5th graders and middle schoolers.

4.5 stars

This is another hit from Saadia Faruqi!

Maha, the m.c., is an extremely likeable (if at times hilariously curmudgeonly) 7th grader, and readers cannot help but root for her to keep getting herself into weird pickles and especially keep tallying some great wins.

Readers meet Maha while she waits - along with her mom, dad, and older brother - for Dadi (her grandmother) to arrive in Texas from Pakistan. Maha only sees Dadi's arrival as an impediment. She has to give up her room, her free time, and a lot of other comforts at first. However, like all good middle grade heroines, Maha gets over this nonsense and grows to love and appreciate Dadi and other aspects of her roots in the process.

One of the most endearing elements of Maha's character (there are many) is her devotion to journalism. When she's assigned a documentary project, this coincides with her burgeoning distaste for history and Dadi's arrival, and this is where the titular partition project comes into play. Maha makes some major relationship-oriented missteps with family, friends, and acquaintances throughout her journey, and Faruqi writes her through these exceptionally well. I'll add a notable mention for Faruqi's treatment of Maha's burgeoning awareness of romantic interests, too: adorable, believable, and age appropriate.

While the end wraps a bit cleanly for my taste, genre considerations included, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to sharing it with my students. On top of the great characters and themes, there is, of course, some historical information here that will be new and incredibly impactful for many readers. I'm already looking forward to what Faruqi offers us next!

Maha is a twelve-year-old passionate about journalism. When we first meet her, her world has been shifted off kilter by her Dadi moving from Pakistan to live with her family. Maha has lost her bedroom, moved to the attic, and had been tasked by her workaholic parents into "babysitting" this mysterious, seemingly grumpy old woman she has never met before.
But Maha's view starts to change when Dadi starts to tell her about her experiences in the Partition, a period in 1947 that created the countries of India and Pakistan and left millions dead and millions more displaced. Maha becomes consumed by the history, and creates her media studies documentary, The Partition Project, around the stories Dadi tells her and those of elders at the local senior home.
This is a poignant story about a girl discovering the importance of her family's history, and the connections between the past and the present.
The only thing I struggled with was the immaturity of Maha at times, but I see that as a growing pain from not reading middle grade often. Regardless, I was so proud of her growth by the end.

Seventh grader Maha has wanted to be a journalist since as long as she can remember. When she's assigned a documentary project for her media studies class, she isn't sure of her topic. At the same time, her dadi (her grandmother) has moved from Pakistan to Texas to live with Maha and her family. As Maha and dadi get to know one another, dadi begins sharing stories of her life during Partition. As Maha learns about her grandmother and Partition through her grandmothers' eyes, Maha also learns about herself. I absolutely loved this book. Knowing very little about Partition, I couldn't put this book down and couldn't wait for dadi to share more! I can't wait to recommend this book to others. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced digit copy.

Maha is your typical 7th grader with typical friend and school drama. Maha wants to be a journalist, so when she’s assigned a documentary project in her media studies class, she is excited even if she doesn’t know what her subject matter will be. It isn’t until she starts getting to know her dadi (her grandmother), who has judged moved from Pakistan to Texas to that Maha finds inspiration. In hearing her dadi’s stories about growing up and living through Partition, Maha discovers her own identity.

This one was a really quick read! I really enjoyed it because Maha really felt like a 7th grader. I loved getting to see her growth through the novel.

Saadia Faruqi excels at introducing a young audience to the history and multi-generational impact of the Partition of India and Pakistan, focusing not only in telling an insightful tale but teaching readers about compassion, consent and how to create space for healing.

I first learned about Partition as an adult. Much like many of the characters in this novel, I was completely uneducated about it. The emotional journey that Maha and her grandmother go through when her grandmother (dadi) moves to Texas from Pakistan will grab readers from the beginning and carry them along a path of highs and lows. Maha is assigned to film a documentary for a media class, and what begins as Dadi reminiscing about her life during Partition becomes Maha's passionate need to tell Dadi's and other community members' stories. Maha is a 7th grader, and the school situations and friend drama ring true. I read this book in one sitting, and highly recommend it.