Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Charming romcom with a serious message about prejudice.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
MISFIT IN LOVE unfolds over four days as 300 family and friends are gathering for the wedding of Janna Yusuf's older brother, Muhammed. Janna's excited be to part of preparations for the wedding, but this is her last summer before heading off to college and she's decided it should be a summer filled with love. But with whom? Her brother's friend, Nuah, had declared his feelings for her, but she'd put him off. Now, when she's ready to return those feelings, Janna discovers she may have waited too long. Perhaps it could be the bride's cousin, the handsome and talented Haytham, who's a finalist in the Muslim Voice contest, or even the brooding Layth, who's moving to Ecuador to work at an animal sanctuary. But Janna's romantic life isn't the only drama unfolding. Her mother has arrived for the wedding, and Janna's beginning to wonder about her relationship with Uncle Bilal. Could her mother actually have a boyfriend? Then she discovers that her father's disapproval of any romance between Janna and Nuah is because he's Black. A shocking thing to confront in her multicultural family.
Is It Any Good?
Once again, Ali offers readers a bright engaging and easily relatable novel about a Muslim teen and her family. While the storyline in Misfit in Love that addresses racism doesn't appear until midway through what has been until then very much a romcom, it's quickly developed and adds a serious takeaway for readers as Janna confronts not only her father's racism but the prejudices based on ethnicity that exist within her own extended family.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Janna's mother tells her in Misfit in Love: If you see the world as divided by race, religion or ethnicity, it will shrink your capacity to love. Do you agree?
How would your life be different if you made the choice to follow rules about how you should dress or interact with friends of the opposite sex?
What would you do if you heard one of your friends or someone in your family making racist remarks? Would you keep silent or confront them?
Book Details
- Author: S.K. Ali
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: May 25, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 320
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 2, 2021
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