What must it have been like to be a child of Syrian refugees at the start of the 45th president’s term? What must it have been like to be a child during the first Muslim ban? These are the experiences explored in this lovely middle grade novel. Kareem dreams of being the firs Syrian American football player. Unfortunately, life throws him a terrible pass when his best friend moves away, and he fails to make his school’s football team. And thus begins a year of struggling to find his place in a world in which he is both Syrian and American. Told in verse, Kareem Between explores the impact of Islamophobia, the pressure to fit in, and bullying from the eyes of a 13-year-old. The challenges Kareen face, the varying emotions he processes, and the way he becomes comfortable in himself is brilliantly captured in the American Football metaphor used throughout the book. The use of verse and the creative formatting also helps visually capture Kareem’s experiences in a way regular text can’t. Kareen Between is a lovely middle grade novel.

Kareem Between is a must read for all upper elementary and middle school teachers. This book is incredible and will be a good asset to any classroom library.

KAREEM BETWEEN is a masterclass in verse for middle grade fiction. The author has expertly crafted page after page of gorgeous verse to tell the story of seventh-grader Kareem and how he feels stuck between at home and at school. Safadi adeptly uses the structure of the page, the sentence, and the word to convey and amplify the conflicted emotions of her dear protagonist, who so wants to play this game of life to the best of his ability but is tested by all the fumbles that are part of being human, particularly part of being an Arab American middle schooler at a tumultuous time for his family and country. I loved how the author seamlessly wove Kareem's love and knowledge of football into the story. As children, we all feel stuck at some point, whether it be between family members, cultures, or childhood and adulthood. Kids will relate to Kareem so much and cheer him on into the endzone. TOUCH DOWN!!

Thanks to #PENGUIN_ GROUP:Penguin_Young_Readers_Group #G.P.Putnam'sSonsBooksforYoungReaders #NetGalley For letting me read an advance copy of Kareem Between in exchange for my honest review. #Kareem-Between #Chicago-Bears #Middle_School #Chesterton,IN #Syrian-American #2017 #novels-in-verse #own_voices

I loved this book. It is, first of all, set in Chesterton, IN and features a young man who is a serious Chicago Bears fan. Each of his chapters begins with an NFL Fact, and his own ambition to play football is tied up with his admiration for the Chicago Bears and particularly the legendary team of Super Bowl XX. My friends don't understand how extremely happy I am at the idea of Governor Walz (D MN) running for Vice President, or how unhappy I am to hear the Midwest referred to as "flyover country" so Kareem had me at "Chicago Bears".

And I'm a Green Bay Packer fan. However, you can love this book even if you don't love football. The poems are accessible, though there are some with unusual typography, enough to merit discussion if you're learning about poetry. The format makes the book appealing to reluctant readers, and the content is true to the Middle School experience.

Kareem is stuck in the middle -- between his two cultures, between his two languages, between his older sister and younger brother, and in Middle School, where he desperately wants to make the football team. Kareem struggles with a bully, with questions of loyalty and friendship, and with much larger issues that impact his family directly.

I was rooting for him, and I think Middle Grade students will find him "relatable" and enjoy the story. Highly recommended.

I recommend this to any kid who has ever felt unseen or not fully one identity or another....so, pretty much everyone. This is a realistic fiction story told in verse about a young Syrian-American middle schooler who LOVES football. He dreams of being QB on his school team and wants this so badly that he makes questionable choices to achieve his dream. Big themes about identity, family, cultural appreciation, and what it means to be a good person are woven together in a very compelling tale. The author was inspired by actual events she experienced or knew from others after the 2017 "Muslim Ban" that triggered racism and hatred in the US of anyone who **might** be Muslim or Middle Eastern and kept families apart. This book tackles difficult issues using football metaphors and familiar themes that draw in readers from any background.

Thank you! Just downloaded and will share final review and feedback on scheduled book tour date with tbr and beyond on 9/15 with review and mood board!

Will share on instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon!

I was drawn to this because I love a novel in verse, but I didn’t realize it was set during the “Muslim Ban” and how that would impact the story. This is a great coming of age story where Kareem, a young Syrian-American dreams of being part of the NFL and the honor of having his name, an Arabic, Syrian name on the back of American football jersey. But when his best friend moves away, he thinks he has to bend his morals in order to be friends with Austin in order to be part of the school’s football team next season. Along the way he learns how to stand up for his friends and himself, and finds his voice in protesting the travel bans and what they mean not only for his own family, but the families of his friends and community. This was a super emotional story that I really enjoyed.

It's the 2016-2017 school year, and things are not going well for Syrian American, Kareem. His best friend moves away and he is cut from the football team. And things only get more problematic from there. Fadi, a Syrian Christan refugee, comes to his school and Kareem's mom wants him to help Fadi get used to school and America. Austin, the football coach's son, bullies Fadi, and Kareem keeps his head down in the hopes Austin can get him on the spring squad - byt helping him cheat on his homeowk. His mother has to leave for Syria to help bring her mother and ailing father to the US while Syria is the depaths of a civil war. On top of that, the 45th president signs an executive order banning people from 7 mostly Muslim counties, like Syria, from coming to the US, even those with green cards and visas. Kareem must learn to be a Syrian Muslim, an American, a football player, a friend, and a good son while making bad decisions that he blames for making his life, and that of his family even worse. This novel in verse is poignatly written with differences in the poetry style, the way the words are used on the page, and interspersed with NFL facts.

Excellent novel in verse about a Syrian American teen who fells stuck between two cultures who realizes that navigating between being Syrian and American is a gift. I loved how the author weaves in themes of family, culture, middles school friendships, and football. Also, the way the 2017 Muslim Ban impacts Kareem's family is approached with heart and empowerment. This book belongs on every middle school library shelf!

“This is a country of free speech. But sometimes, words spoken freely hurt.”
🏈
Kareem’s best friend moved away so he thought he would try out for the football team to make new friends. When he doesn’t make the team, the coach’s son, Austin, makes him a deal. If Kareem does his homework for him, he’ll make sure he gets on for spring football. Kareem doesn’t feel good about this, but he’s desperate for a friend and a place to belong. Around the same time a new Syrian family moves into town, but Kareem doesn’t want to be friendly with their son at school for fear of being seen as different. His mom also decides to go to Syria to bring her ailing father and mother back with her, but when the 2017 Muslim Ban goes into effect, they are stuck without a way back to the U.S. Kareem must learn what’s important and to fight for what’s dear to him.
🇸🇾
Can I give a book 10 stars? If I could, I would give @muslimmommyblog MG novel in verse all the ⭐️ I could. This title is timely and shows the effect that 45’s racist comments, laws and executive orders had on so many people in the United States. The football analogy was spot on and even though I cried throughout this read, I will read it again and again to remind myself how important our vote and voice are moving forward, particularly in November. Maybe when some readers put a face, a name, a family to this issue, they will change how they look at immigration issues. I’ll be purchasing this for my middle school library the day it releases September 10.

CW: Islamophobia, racism, bullying, death of a grandparent, grief, xenophobia, hospitalization, anxiety, physical altercation

Kareem is a Syrian American 7th grader who loves the Chicago Bears and his mom’s cooking. When his opportunity to make the football team puts him in a crisis of conscience and his mom returns to Syria to return, hopefully, with grandparents he loves but has never met, Kareem’s life begins to crumble. The author’s use of verse is so readable and coveys Kareem’s emotion with such movement and voice. Set during 2017’s Muslim ban, we readers gain the perspective of how impactful and massive hurtful the ban was to whole communities and families. Friendship across nationalities, language and religious lines win in this beautiful book. It’s relatable without being preachy 👏 . I would hand this one of my kids, 10+, in a heartbeat. Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC from @penguinteen

A fantastic novel-in-verse that follows middle schooler Kareem as he faces disappointment in not making the football team, is separated from his best friend, and ultimately the harrowing experiences of the racist “muslim bans” of 2017. The between of the title is explored in so many ways true to the tween experience – between the popular and powerful kids at school and your true friends, between toxic sports culture that often has little to do with athletics and the joy of the game with others who love it, and being an American of Syrian heritage and feeling like you are never “enough” in either world. And it is all done is really accessible verse with lots of sports talk that I think kids will absolutely love and relate to. When Kareem describes himself as a free agent after being separated from his best friend—oh my heart! I felt it! For a novel that tackles such tough issues head on, this story is very personal and you feel all of Kareem’s angst, hope, and joy. I also found it to be very atmospheric in setting and think it will be a perfect fall, back-to-school read. Highly recommend.

You know a book is extra special when you open it intending to casually browse through but end up reading it all the way through!

Written in gorgeous verse, this poignant book allows us to view the world through the eyes of Kareem, a seventh-grade Syrian American Muslim. Kareem loves football and dreams of someday making it to the NFL but first, he must make it to the school team.
So when the coach’s son offers to get him on the team in return for something that Kareem knows is wrong, he must choose between his goals and the values that define him.
Adding to the dilemma of his life at school is a new Syrian kid, whom Kareem empathizes with but is unwilling to be associated with for fear of judgment from the other kids.

On the personal front, just when Kareem’s mother travels to Syria to bring her father back to America for medical treatment, the unjust Executive Order of the Muslim Ban is enacted. Stranding her in war-torn Syria to care for her ailing father.

The author has beautifully encapsulated the life of a child caught between two worlds whose faith and morals ultimately ground him, helping him navigate the challenges of everyday life.
This book is perfect for not just Arab children, but every child who sees themselves as, or is treated as an “other,” an “outsider,” as someone who doesn’t “fit in”.

To be published on September 10, this book is a must-have for every library, whether it be at home, a school, or a public library!

Thank you, @muslimmommyblog for the ARC! I loved this book and I’m looking forward to reading more books by you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Excellent novel-in-verse about Kareem wanting to join the football team but not making it the first time. When the coach’s son bribes him into doing his homework Kareem thinks he will make the team. When Kareem’s mom asks him to show a Syrian refugee, Fadi, around at school Kareem does so reluctantly. Kareem’s mom has to go to Syria to bring her parents back to the US but runs into a problem because of the Muslim ban. Kareem wonders will he ever see his mom again? Will he end up making the football team?

Kareem is trying to fit in at school. He is a first generation Syrian-American, and he doesn’t want to stand out. He wants to be as American as everyone else. And he desperately loves football. He wants to play it, and thus he falls into a trap, because someone on the football team tries to bully him into doing his homework for him, in exchange for getting him on the team.
And that could just as well have been the major plot point.


But wait, the year this is happening is 2016. And what happened after the 45th president got into office. Yes, the Muslim ban.


So, Kareem is dealing with that, and having family stranded abroad, and everything else.


Told in blank verse, that somehow works. I usually don’t like to read books done in poetry, but this worked, and worked well. I, of course, always get frustrated with protagonists what do dumb things, because they think they will be liked more, but I’m glad that Kareem finally figured it out.


A quick read, and well written, with a lot of references to Football. And of course, the Muslim ban.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out on the 10th of September 2024.

It doesn't matter how many Word documents you read, Goggle docs you add comments to, and screen shots you revise; to hold a physical book in your hands that you have been blessed to observe from the sidelines through numerous revisions, is mind blowing. Reading the final version from page 1 to page 324, plus the backmatter, has left me at a loss for words with tears streaming down my cheeks. I truly cannot imagine the book any other way. All past drafts and storylines, were just stepping stones to get the book to this version, and as a fan of literature my whole life, to see this metamorphosis in real time has added to my respect and admiration of authors. Enough about me though, this review is of the middle grade novel in verse that tells the story of Syrian American Kareem, a loveable boy caught in between choices, siblings, friends, labels, and global acts beyond his control. He makes mistakes, he tries to make things right, and at the center of it all is his Islamic identity, love of football, and genuinely good heart. I am biased in that I have self appointed Kareem as my nephew, but even after dozens of readings, I was moved to tears three times during the course of this reading. I made my teens read the book and they loved it, and like them, we hope we get more Kareem in the future.

SYNOPSIS:

Kareem loves football, particularly the Bears, and dreams of seeing his Arabic name on an American jersey one day in the NFL. Unfortunately, he hasn't made the school team, his best and only friend Adam has moved away, and the coach's son is offering to talk to his dad for Kareem in exchange for some school help. Add in a new Syrian kid at school, his mom going to Syria to take care of his grandfather, and the fruition of Executive Order 13769 aka the Muslim Ban, and seventh grade has Kareem scrambling on every down to say the least.

WHY I LOVE IT:

The football framing, the literary inclusions, the Arabic, the Islam, all combine with such tangible heart to create a seamless read both as a compelling story and as an example of literary craft. The language is on point and intentional, that even if you don't know the character or novel referenced, the Arabic words included, or football terminology used, you will be invested in the characters and plot, and find yourself cheering for Kareem. Often debut authors show promise, but their stories have plot holes, or pacing issues, or inconsistencies, that is not the case with this book. The crumbs are there that tie everything together, the depth of the characters' personalities reveal how developed they are, and the timeline keeps the book moving forward. There are no dry or slow spots in the entire novel, it is easily read in one sitting as you find yourself nervous for Kareem, and curious how it will resolve.

Boys and girls, Muslims and non Muslims, Arabs and non Arabs, all will find themselves drawn to this book, and thinking about the characters, particularly Kareem, long after the final page is read.

FLAGS:

Some stress and anxiety with missing parents. Death, bullying, cheating, fighting, lying, racism.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

The book is a solid middle grade, but the quality of writing and engaging plot makes it work for a middle school book club read as well. I cannot wait to share this book widely.

A beautiful book on family, faith and football- using accessible verse to craft a story on finding your voice and standing up for the right thing

Kareem Between follows a Syrian-American boy who is more concerned about how he didn't make the football team than about politics in 2016. In fact he's so concerned about football that he'll do just about anything to make the team, even if that means possibly dubious tasks for the coach's son. His life is turned upside-down when his mother returns to Syria to help his ailing grandfather get medical care, just as the Muslim Ban starts. Kareem Between has a very well-developed football image system. Well worth reading!