What an engaging story! Readers are not only going to learn while reading, but enjoy following the story. Even as an adult reading this I have many students in my school that will feel seen and heard with a text like this.

Mahnoor is a second-generation immigrant who aspires to be a journalist. Her grandmother, Dadi recently arrived from Pakistan to live with Mahnoor and her family. Mahnoor is not happy that she has been given the responsibility to "babysit" her grandma. An assignment in her Media class brings Mahnoor closer to her grandmother as she begins to really listen to her Dadi's stories about her childhood and eventually learns about the Partition in India. It's always wonderful (and important) to read a part of history that you are not familiar with. Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins Children's Book for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mahnoor’s world is rocked when her Dadi moves from Pakistan to live with them. She must give up her room and she becomes Dadi’s unofficial babysitter. Maha takes an elective in school and ends up making a documentary about Partition through the eyes and stories of her grandmother. Maha learns so much about herself, her family and her Dadi.

I really enjoyed this book. I knew little about Partition, so this was eye opening to me. I can’t wait for this to release, so I can share and recommend it to others!

A very personal account of the Partition that is sure to both educate and empathize with readers - it will stay in your head a long time after reading.

I love historical fiction, especially when it delves into parts of history that are less explored in western culture. I think the first I heard of the Partition was the Ms Marvel series on Disney+, so when I saw this novel I wanted to learn more. I love the way this was told as a story, an interview, so it grants a sort of distance from the horrors of the Partition, while still showing it as actual events that impacted people’s lives in big and little ways, and how it created generational trauma. This is also a great story of Maha figuring out how to navigate her friendship, changes in her life with Dadi moving in with them, and having to help Dadi. There’s also really great elements of community, and how friendships can develop when given a space to get to know people. This truly was excellent and I feel like I learned a lot, and want to learn more, and hope this finds readers who will also get something out of this story of intersection of history and present day, and how past trauma can shape a person’s present and future but also grow into hope and strength.

This is an important historical reference that so many children (and adults) may never have learned about. I think this is great for young readers, and I also appreciate that children could relate to many of these characters, even if they may not be part of this culture or religion.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THIS REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I've read Saadia's work before and it is directed toward a certain demographic and it is fun to know that POV. The setting is similar to her other novels and the nature of MC too. Mahnoor is a second-generation immigrant. Family dynamics are typical, parents are so busy settling down and running in the race that they've been neglecting their kids. Kids are not really connected to their history or religion.

Grandmother Rafia is a change, they might need in their life. Mahnoor is not forward to this change, a new person who is gonna join their family, and family dynamics will change forever, not only that, she is the designated babysitter of her dadi so she is grumpy. Once she started to spend time with Dadi and other people from her generation, Mahnoor got to know about Partition. I've never read any fiction author writing about partition (it's the first time for me to read about that in English that too as a main theme). I am sure the majority of second-generation immigrants don't know about it but I felt like the author underplayed a few things or it was a tame version as it was a middle grade. I've grown up reading and listening to stories of partition from my grandparents and their siblings so I felt like this version was more for the entire South Asian audience.

All of Saadia's MCs are young, hot-tempered, and kind of spoiled, with time they make everything hard for them. From school life to home, they mess up everything. By the end, they go through severe character development. I am getting kind of bored of this. I hope I'll get to read a bit different content in her next book. I enjoyed this book a lot but I felt these certain things.

Actual star rating 3.5

I took a course that focused on Partition literature and was surprised/excited to see this book listed. Saadia Faruqi handled the subject very well for it's demographic, finding a balance between not hiding the scary and horrible things that happened but also not going into extreme detail that scares the reader. Mahnoor grew on me as I read and Dadi is for sure my favorite character.

However, the reason I give this a 3.5 star rating instead of a 4 or even a 5 is because the beginning felt so rushed. We are introduced to Maha's situation of Dadi taking her room and her not being happy with, then the documentary project is introduced and almost immediately Maha decides to do her project on Dadi. It made sense to be introduced to the documentary project so early (it is part of the main plot of the book), but the quickness with which Maha decides her project subject to be about the person she's only had one maybe two interactions by chapter 6 and is still not happy to spend time with felt too soon. I love the relationship that develops between Maha and Dadi, it's genuine and something that Maha needed within her family unit. But in the beginning their relationship wasn't at a point where Maha would confidently chose Dadi as her subject.

I will note that the e-ARC I received only has 248 pages, but Goodreads and the publishers website list 416 page for the book. When this book comes out I will definitely pick it up-I was already going to-and see what content was added as I'm confident my rating will go up.

"It's not any history I've ever learned in school."

The Partition Project struck close to home for me as I truly felt represented by the main character, Maha. The story centers around 12 year old Maha learning about the 1947 Partition between India and Pakistan, and using what she learns to make a documentary for a school project. Maha's grandmother comes from Pakistan to live with her family in Texas, and teaches Maha various aspects of her history and culture.

The details in the story Maha's grandmother relays mirror the stories I've heard from my own grandmother.
Maha's grandmother was 12; my grandmother was 10 during Partition.
Like with Maha's grandmother's family, someone came to warn them that it wasn't going to be safe in the neighborhood anymore. They even thought that they might one day be able to return to their home.

I really appreciated that the Partition story was spread out in manageable chunks throughout the book- I had to take breaks as it was getting heavy. It was also beautiful to see that the characters were addressing trauma, something not often discussed with that generation. I can relate to being made to feel "not desi enough," and I enjoyed the details of Maha's life throughout the book. I only wish this book had been around 15 years ago when I was Maha's age!

I actually think this would be an amazing book for kids to read in school. Like the book discusses, it's a bit strange that this aspect of world history is seldom found in media. I think everyone should read this book, and I will be recommending it to everyone once it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC! My review is posted on Goodreads, and will be posted on TikTok and other sites closer to the publication date.