Written in the Stars | TheBookSeekers

Written in the Stars


School year: Lower 6th, Year 10, Year 11

No. of pages 320

Published: 2016

Great for age 12-18 years

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Naila's conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: You may choose what you want to be when you grow up, but we will choose your husband. Dating, even a friendship with a boy, is forbidden. So when Naila falls in love with Saif, a Pakistani-American classmate, and tries to date him on the sly, her parents are livid. They insist on a trip to Pakistan to visit their relatives and explore their roots. But several weeks into what she's been led to believe is a family vacation, Naila suddenly learns the real reason for the trip - her parents have found a 2 suitor and they are determined Naila will marry him. Naila is aghast. Her only hope of escape is Saif, who swore he would do anything for her. But will it be too late by the time he gets to her? And was this destiny written in the stars? Or can she make her own destiny.

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 9th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 14 years.

There are 320 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2016 by Penguin Putnam Inc .

Aisha Saeed also wrote Written in the Stars , and is a Pakistani-American writer, teacher, and attorney. 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 . 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. Aisha lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and sons.

 

Praise for Written in the Stars

"Readers will be drawn into Naila's trials and tribulations as she navigates the reality of her new life in Pakistan and explores what inner resources she needs to change her fate. . . . Sheds light on the difficult phenomenon of forced marriage, still prevalent in many cultures around the world and often shrouded in silence."--Kirkus Reviews

 

 

"Movingly conveys the intense cultural pressure that motivates Naila's parents and the heartbreaking betrayal Naila feels as she is deprived of her rights, cut off from the outside world, and threatened with shame and death. Saeed includes resources for those who, like Saif's family, wish to help real-life Nailas, in this wrenching but hopeful story."--Publishers Weekly

"Compelling. . . . This is a cross-cultural eye opener . . . Resonates in its explanations of the rituals, especially how they would look and feel from an American point of view. Yet the setting is pure Pakistani, with culturally rich descriptions of Naila's extended family, their cuisine, and strongly held beliefs. . . . Evocative."--School Library Journal

"Naila's harrowing story is compellingly told. . . . Stirring, haunting, and ultimately hopeful."--Booklist

"Saeed's portrayal of a bicultural young woman is spot on in terms of both Naila's expectations of eventual autonomy and her confusion over what is happening to her; she can't imagine that her life is completely out of her own control. . . . An author's note explains that while her own 'semiarranged' marriage was a success, she wrote the book to draw attention to the 'silent epidemic' of forced marriage; through Naila's ordeal, readers will certainly have their eyes opened to how someone can be forced to marry against her will."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

author endorsements

 

 

"This suspenseful story about a young woman trapped in a marriage she doesn't want will make your heart ache. I couldn't put it down."--Suzanne Fisher Staples, author of Newbery Honor winner Shabanu

"In this beautiful debut novel, Saeed offers a look inside the heartbreaking realities of a young woman caught between her American upbringing and her parents' traditional views on love and marriage. This is a page-turner about love, culture, family--and the perilous journey into womanhood worldwide. I couldn't put it down."--Meg Medina, author of Pura Belpr Author Award winner Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

"Written in the Stars is a wonderfully complex love story unlike any you've read before. Saeed has given a novel that is both entertaining and important."--Matt de la Pe a, author of Pura Belpr Author Honor winner The Living