Wishing Upon the Same Stars, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Wishing Upon the Same Stars, Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Wishing Upon the Same Stars

Author: Jacquetta Nammar Feldman

Narrator: Ariana Delawari

Unabridged: 8 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 02/01/2022


Synopsis

This powerful and poignant coming-of-age middle grade debut novel follows an Arab American girl named Yasmeen as she moves to San Antonio with her family and navigates finding friendship—and herself. Perfect for fans of Other Words for Home, Front Desk, and American as Paneer Pie.When twelve-year-old Yasmeen Khoury moves with her family to San Antonio, all she wants to do is fit in. But her classmates in Texas are nothing like her friends in the predominantly Arab neighborhood back in Detroit where she grew up. Almost immediately, Yasmeen feels like the odd girl out, and as she faces middle school mean girls and tries to make new friends, she feels more alone than ever before.Then Yasmeen meets her neighbor, Ayelet Cohen, a first-generation Israeli American. As the two girls grow closer, Yasmeen is grateful to know someone who understands what it feels like when your parents’ idea of home is half a world away.But when Yasmeen’s grandmother moves in after her home in Jerusalem is destroyed, Yasmeen and Ayelet must grapple with how much closer the events of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are than they’d realized. As Yasmeen begins to develop her own understandings of home, heritage, and most importantly, herself, can the two girls learn there’s more that brings them together than might tear them apart . . . and that peace begins with them?A 2023 BANK STREET BOOKS BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR! A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION!

About Jacquetta Nammar Feldman

Jacquetta Nammar Feldman loves writing poetry and stories of all kinds. When she’s not curled up with a book or typing at her computer, she can be found hiking the beautiful hills of Austin, Texas, with her husband, two labradoodles, and a Havanese. She earned her B.S. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, and she’s currently a candidate for an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Wishing Upon the Same Stars is her debut novel. Please visit her online at jacquettanammarfeldman.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) on February 08, 2022

Wishing on the Same Stars is a moving, poignant exploration of finding common ground despite differences and strife. Featuring a much-needed Arab-American protagonist — who loves math and astronomy — and her vibrant family, this story shows how challenging it can be to make peace with one’s identity......more

Goodreads review by Susan on December 08, 2022

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is something I know little about, so I'm happy to see it addressed in this MG book, which does a beautiful job of explaining it in a way that is approachable, objective, and hopeful. Through the Khoury and Cohen families, we get an intimate look at how it affects peo......more

Goodreads review by Emilee (emileereadsbooks) on February 28, 2022

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Kids for the gifted book that I read along with the library audio. A beautiful book about finding common ground amidst all the reasons people find to disagree. Featuring an Arab-American protagonist, Yasmeen, whose family moves from Detroit to San Antonio. She is transp......more

Goodreads review by Yapha on March 11, 2022

Peace begins with us. This is an important book told in an accessible way, full of hope about the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis. Yasmeen's father is Palestinian from Jerusalem and her mother is from Lebanon. Based on the author's own family, they are not Muslim but Maronite Christia......more

Goodreads review by Kayla on August 24, 2021

This was such a wonderful and needed book! I am Asian American, and I don’t know a lot about either of these cultures. So I am incredibly grateful I had a chance to read this. I think it was really eye opening for me, and I liked getting a chance to see a different view from someone else’s eyes. Bu......more