I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up, and who better to learn from than the best teacher I ever had? I loved washing the chalkboards, sweeping the floor and hearing stories of her college days. I knew helping family was what a good eldest daughter did, but this time after school with Miss Sadia wasn’t just fun it was important. “I’ll miss your help, Amal, but he’s right family comes first.” “Yes, so my father said I have to come home and watch my sisters.” The building felt like it had exhaled, expanding a little bit without all thirty-four of us, crammed two to a desk, filling up nearly every square inch of space. This was my favorite part of the day, when everyone left and it was just the two of us. “I’m sorry I can’t help today,” I told Miss Sadia once the room was empty. Her steps were lighter before she slipped out of the classroom. As expected, Seema’s worried expression shifted to a smile. It was only in the arms that you could see my old uniform was too big on her. Seema tugged at her sleeves as she walked up to Miss Sadia. You know you probably passed,” I whispered back. “I should’ve stayed with the younger class until fall.” We lined up by the chalkboard at the front of the class to get our tests. “Those questions were hard,” my younger sister Seema whispered to me. We’ll go over it tomorrow and take another test next week.” “This just means we have more work to do. She picked up a stack of papers from her desk. “And finally, I have some bad news,” Miss Sadia told us. Girls shifted in their seats and snuck glances at the clock above the chalkboard. I watched from the window as the boys tumbled out of the brick schoolhouse across the field from us. Aisha lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and sons. As one of the founding members of the much talked about We Need Diverse Books Campaign, she is helping change the conversation about diverse books. She has been featured on MTV, the Huffington Post, NBC and the BBC, and her writings have appeared in publications including the journal ALAN and the Orlando Sentinel. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.Īisha Saeed also wrote Written in the Stars, and is a Pakistani-American writer, teacher, and attorney. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams. Most troubling, though, is Amal's growing awareness of the Khans' nefarious dealings. Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal-especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Then the unimaginable happens-after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when-as the eldest daughter-she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude. "Saeed's timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review Handpicked by Amazon kids’ books editor, Seira Wilson, for Prime Book Box – a children’s subscription that inspires a love of reading.
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