Best friends forever, Sophie and Katie are planning what they will do for their middle school’s annual Rainbow Fair, a celebration of the diversity of the student body. They ran the Chinese booth last year and Sophie assumes they’ll do it again. But Katie decides to participate in the LGBT booth instead. Enter new student, Anna, who is Muslim. Sophie is tasked with taking her under her wing because as it turns out, Sophie is Muslim too. Her parents occasionally remind her that she is Muslim, but Sophie doesn’t really understand much about that part of her heritage, since her parents place more emphasis on their Chinese heritage. The kids struggle with how to navigate evolving friendships, honor their multiple identities and make this the best Rainbow Fair ever. A fun read. Thanks to author, publisher, and NetGalley for a preview copy.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. Sophie knows she is Muslim and Chinese yet doesn’t really understand about being Muslim since her family doesn’t practice it. Her middle school has a Rainbow Fair, which showcases the various cultures at her school. She wants to do the Chinese booth with her friend Katie but does the Muslim booth instead. She meets other kids at school that are Muslim and learns more about the culture. I do wish she’d gotten bold and told her parents about the Muslim booth but she thought her parents would be mad at her for not doing the Chinese booth. Her parents are happy for her regardless when they goto the fair. The kids have a blast doing the other booths and not just staying with their own booth.

This is such a great look at kids exploring their cultures and making new friends in the process.
I really enjoyed learning about Sophie being Muslim and Chinese. I liked watching her come out if her shell and stand up for herself and her cultures and stand up for get friends.
There is a look at assumptions within cultures and friends having to apologize. But this is a good representation of what some people ultimately do. They assume that just because someone is of a certain culture that they are going to do the bad things that one person from that culture may have done.
A great middle grade look at cultures and friendship and how they shape you.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Sophie is looking forward to the Rainbow Fair at Monroe Middle School in Seattle. It's a yearly event, meant to showcase the school's diversity. Last year, in sixth grade, Sophie worked at the Chinese booth with her longtime best friend Katie, which made her parents very happy. This year, Katie (who has recently come out as bisexual and has very supportive parents) has gotten permission for the very first LGBTQIA+ booth. Because the school rules dictate that students can only work at one booth, Sophie is disappointed that she won't be with her friend. Sophie's long held secret is that she and her family are Muslim, although the only way they preserve this identity is by not eating pork and by the parents occasionally telling her "remember, you're Muslim". After a rare sleepover for Katie's birthday (Sophie's parents think it would put Katie's parents out, but are convinced when Sophie suggests the perfect hostess gift), Katie accidentally "outs" Sophie as Muslim. A teacher who was wishing there would be a Muslim booth finds out and puts Sophie in charge, since there are others to fun the Chinese booth, even though they are more interested in robotics and other topics. Sophie does a lot of research, but doesn't have any first hand experience with the religion or culture, and even her attempts at making some traditional food fall flat. Luckily, a new student, Anna, starts at the school. Since she is Muslim, the two work together. All of the students are a bit upset that people can only work at one booth, and come up with innovative ways to promote intersectionality. Sophie's biggest concern is that her parents will be disappointed that she is not at the Chinese booth, even though she has learned a lot about the family's Hui identity.
Strengths: Sophie's community seems very supportive, and her parents are very mindful of how to address her friends, who also include the nonbinary Shane who uses they/them pronouns. The family's decision to stay quiet about their Muslim identity isn't really explored until the end of the book, but that seems realistic; even though society is more open today, I still agree with my grandmother's assertion that it's not necessary to tell everyone everything. When I was in middle school, my church confirmation classes took us to a wide variety of religious institutions, and that was fascinating. Middle school is an age where many kids are exploring issues of identity, so Sophie's questions, as well as her desire to learn more about Islam from Anna, will resonate with many young readers.
Weaknesses: I don't think today's tweens care what other people eat. Tell them you're allergic to pork. You don't like pork. Your mother won't let you eat it because of hepatitis E concerns. This figures largely in the plot, but seemed like a non-issue. I also would have liked more information about Muslim cultures and identities, as well as the display at the booth.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed this author's The Unbeatable Lily Hong (https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-unbeatable-lily-hong.html) or Ali and Saeed's Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices. https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2020/05/ways-to-make-sunshine.html

Sophie Hu, a middle schooler preparing for her school’s annual Rainbow Fair, looks forward to celebrating her heritage with her best friend, Katie, at the Chinese booth. But when Katie accidentally reveals Sophie’s Muslim identity, Sophie is reassigned to run the Muslim booth on her own. This change sparks a journey of self-discovery, as Sophie navigates shifting friendships and the expectations of her parents.

The book excels at portraying the emotions and uncertainties of young teenagehood, and every moment feels genuine. I appreciated how seamlessly I learned about Chinese Muslim culture through Sophie’s experiences. The author skillfully weaves in the theme of embracing one’s multi-faceted identity, reminding readers that it’s okay, and even empowering, to be more than one thing at a time.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it

What do you do when efforts to celebrate diversity end up dividing?

Sophie is excited about her school's Rainbow Fair. Last year, she worked at the China booth along with her best friend, and it was great.

Except that this year her friend will be working at the new LGBT booth (and can only do one)...and to make matters worse, her friend accidentally "outed" Sophie as being Moslem. Except Sophie's family is non-practicing (except for not eating pork), and Sophie doesn't know what that means. Sophie is then put in a position of trying to represent a culture she doesn't know at all, support her friends in the China booth as well.....and feels left out with her friends who are doing the LGBT booth.

This book is a perfect example of how good intentions can go very, very awry. Because Sophie isn't just Moslem. The other kids in the China booth are, respectively more interested in Robotics and Drama than dragons and pagodas. The LGBT kids are also a mix of races and cultures, not just gay, trans, or bi...and so on. The good news is that, in this case, the kids realize what the adults don't, which is that intersectionality is more than a buzzword-it's the real world.

This is an excellent book and would be wonderful for class discussion. It doesn't shy away from issues of prejudice and discrimination and cultural clash, either. I wish I were more confident that it would be allowed in school and community libraries.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC!

Diana Ma does a great job of exploring the concept of intersectionality with different kinds of identities in Rainbow Fair. The main character, Sophie, is on a search to discover what her different identities mean to her throughout the book. Coming from a proud Chinese family, she is confused by the way that her parents seem to hide their Muslim identity from the outside world. Sophie is not sure why this is the case and starts to explore what being Muslim means to her when she is asked to create the Muslim booth at her school's Rainbow Fair. The teacher seems to be behind the times when she insists that each student can only work on one booth (as if everyone only has one group that they belong to!). As a result, Sophie and her best friend Katie, are no longer working together on the Chinese booth (as they have for the past several years). Sophie is now working on the Muslim booth and Katie is working on the new LGBTQ+ booth. What I appreciated about this book is the way that on their own, the students decide how to modernize the Rainbow Fair by integrating the different booths at the Rainbow Fair in creative ways! By the end of the book, Sophie also starts to understand more about where her parents are coming from and her own identity.