Maleeha Siddiqui

For fans of The First Rule of Punk and Save Me a Seat, Barakah Beats is a sweet, powerful, and joyous novel about a Muslim girl who finds her voice on her own terms... by joining her school's most popular boy band. Twelve-year-old Nimra Sharif has spent her whole life in Islamic school, but now it's time to go to real school. Nimra's nervous, but as long as she has Jenna, her best friend who already goes to the public school, she figures she can take on just about anything. Unfortunately, middle school is hard. The teachers are mean, the schedule is confusing, and Jenna starts giving hijab-wearing Nimra the cold shoulder around the other kids. Desperate to fit in and get back in Jenna's good graces, Nimra accepts an unlikely invitation to join the school's popular 8th grade boy band, Barakah Beats. The only problem is, Nimra was taught that music isn't allowed in Islam, and she knows her parents would be disappointed if they found out. So she devises a simple plan: join the band, win Jenna back, then quietly drop out before her parents find out. But dropping out of the band proves harder than expected. Not only is her plan to get Jenna back working, but Nimra really likes hanging out with the band-they value her contributions and respect how important her faith is to her. Then Barakah Beats signs up for a talent show to benefit refugees, and Nimra's lies start to unravel. With the show only a few weeks away and Jenna's friendship hanging in the balance, Nimra has to decide whether to betray her bandmates-or herself.

Barakah Beats

Bhai for Now

Twelve-year-old Ainy is looking forward to working at her mother's clothing store for the summer--and someday soon wearing a hijab--but when certain boys harass her, and the boy she has a crush on does not step in, she turns to her older sister for help.

Any Way You Look

A fresh and fun new spin on the Parent-Trap story, by Indies Introduce author Maleeha Siddiqui Ashar is busy with the ice hockey team, studying to get into the best school, and hanging out with his friends. Shaheer and his father are always moving, following his dad's jobs. Shaheer has given up hope of finding a place where he can put down roots, a place that feels like home. The two boys have nothing in common. But when they meet on Shaheer's first day at his new school, it’s like looking in a mirror. They quickly figure out that they're twins, separated as babies. And they are determined to do whatever it takes—including secretly switching identities—to get to know the parent they've been separated from. This is the story of two long-lost brothers who, while they might not like each other, just might need each other. Bhai for Now is by turns heartwarming and hilarious, and with a unforgettable Muslim family and friendship story at its core.

Maleeha Siddiqui

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