Teenage Amal is a Pakistani girl who loves poetry and dreams of becoming a teacher one day. But when she insults the son of someone very important in her community, she finds herself working as an indentured servant in his household. Amal misses her family, but helps the other servants in the household to learn to read and write. This is a book about not giving up and being part of the change.

I started reading this book, and it drew me in so much that I didn't put it down until I finished it. I loved the different perspectives, the unfamiliar culture, and the common problems. Amal's personality reminds me of myself and my daughter, but Amal's independence and strength gets her (and her family) in much more serious trouble than what most Americans would face. I highly recommend this book. The universal themes of family, love, and overcoming hardships will unite people around the world and make this planet just a little smaller. Read Amal Unbound and enrich your life.

Amal, a strong and fierce main character, has a goal to continue to excel in school and one day become a teacher. She is the oldest in her family, and she soon finds herself having to care for her siblings after her youngest sister is born. When she allows her temper to get the best of her one day, she ends up forced into a life as an indentured servant for a ruthless landlord. This is a story about how no matter how impossible a situation seems, creating a solution is possible with courage.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this middle grade to read and review.

This middle grade book follows the journey of a Pakistani girl who is smart, dutiful, and has big dreams for her future. It’s cut short when she has a run-in with the village landlord who decides to take her as a servant for his family. I’m enjoying the fact that there are so many more #ownvoices books being published so that readers have a better glimpse inside the real stories of young people across the globe.

This would make a great read aloud or book club book in a 4th-6th grade classroom. Definitely recommend.

The book Amal Unbound tells the story of a Pakistani girl who is forced to become an indentured servant in order to settle a family debt. It describes her experiences as she struggles with giving up her dream of becoming a teacher and adapts to living and working with the other servants. It was a fun and easy read, and it would be a good book to use to introduce younger readers to content such as indentured servitude and stories of girls living in Pakistan. I thought that the resolution could have been handled more effectively - it felt a bit sudden. Overall, though, I enjoyed reading this book.

Saeed creates another impactful story centered around human rights and the strength of individuals. Told through the lens of 12-year old Amal, the story tackles themes of patriarchy, indentured servitude, and human trafficking. Amal's experience reminds the reader that basic human rights are not yet a right for many people, but through education, courage and advocacy, positive change can happen.

Amal, a young student living in a small Pakistan village, wants nothing more than to be a teacher when she grows up. When she must take on some extra duties to care for her family at home, she is put in a difficult situation where she is forced to stand up for herself against her village’s powerful landlord and her life is changed drastically.

This was such a riveting and important read. I loved Amal’s spirit with which she lives, refusing never to give in and be someone that she is not. It did take me awhile to get accustomed to all of the characters since there are so many, but by the end of the novel, I was left wishing there was more to read. This is such an impactful story for young readers to diversify their world views and I highly recommend.

This is a beautiful book that I've recommended to many of our library users. Amal is an excellent strong character.

Amal loves school--she is determined to continue her education, even though many girls in her small Pakistani village do not attend school for many years. But when she embarrasses the most powerful man in her town, her plans are ruined. Amal is pulled away from her sisters and forced to be a servant in the man's vast estate. Serving his elderly mother is a softer job than many of the servants have, and Amal is envied for her position even as she sets her hopes on her trials being temporary. When she realizes that the landlord is never going to release her from her service, she helps to hatch a plot that will pull him down from power--but like any revolutionary action, there are consequences. An engaging and powerful read, highly recommended.

A lovely story. It seems a little young for middle school, like maybe 4th-5th graders would like this, yet the topic is pretty heavy for them.

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed is wonderful story about appreciating life, striving for goals, and bravery. Set in a Pakistani village, the story is full of rich descriptions and culture. I enjoyed googling some of the food dishes the character prepared. Amal values family and education as she finds her voice. This is great diverse story to share with students. Thank you Penguin Group Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

I loved this book so much. I was a fan of Saeed's YA book, but this one surpassed that. It was impossible not to end up caring so deeply about these characters, and the setting was vivid. Can't wait to keep putting this in the hands of kids.

I read this in one sitting and it was honestly one of the best middle grade books I've ever read. It's absolutely phenomenal and heart-wrenching.

Saeed successfully walks a fine line as she tells the story of a Pakistani young girl forced into indentured servanthood to pay a family debt to a village strongman. She sensitively shares the mild abuses and the despair that Amal suffers while providing an ultimately happy ending in a story that will open the eyes of young readers without overwhelming them. She also does point out that reality often doesn't end as well as Amal's story. A similar theme but for a younger audience than Fatima Sharafeddine's The Servant.

This is such a lovely little book full of hope. Don't get me wrong - it deals with a lot of heartbreaking and extremely hopeless situations, but it does them always with hope and extreme care. I loved Amal right from the first page and I rooted for her throughout the entirety of the book. I highly recommend this one, as it's beautiful inside and out.

I love Aisha Saeed. This is the second book that I have read by her. Her voice is authentic and her storytelling holds so much power that her books are often impossible to put down. In a world where girls are still being held from school, where their education is never an option, books such as this, give us an insight to life in other countries. Books like this show us the treatment toward girls in some parts of the world and help to reiterate just how important it is for girls around the world to be given the right to an education. Amal Unbound is a story about a brave girl, whose love and passion to learn helped her in her darkest of days. It is a book of courage, hope and understanding.

Excellent middle grade read, opening young readers' minds to the experience of hardship of young Amal in an unfamiliar setting. Amal is an extremely relatable character to young readers, but her 'virtual enslavement' as a household worker in the compound of a wealthy family is a harsh and unusual story that will enthrall young readers who can barely imagine such a life for themselves. The carefully detailed writing draws a riveting picture of Amal's dramatic experiences.

A hard look at indentured servitude in current day Pakistan through the eyes of a young girl. Amal must persevere within an unthinkable situation, and then she has to decide if she can risk her life to do what is right. I loved this book, and I look forward to sharing it with my students..

Great story for middle graders to learn about life in another country and to see things through others eyes. A real eye opener.

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
I received an advance digital copy of this book via www.netgalley.com in exchange for my honest review. I was in no other way compensated for this review and it is my true and honest opinion.
This book blew me away! I am amazed by the delicate way Aisha Saeed approached this story and told a thrilling tale of forced child labor and modern indentured servitude in a way that was not only appropriate for middle grade readers but also able to capture and hold the attention of much older readers as well. From the very first descriptions of Amal’s family and school life through the exciting advances along the story I was hooked into this child and her whole world.
Amal Unbound is a terrific novel that highlights many important themes and timely topics that are often unexplored in the upper elementary classroom. So many of my students have no concept of what a child’s life is like anywhere else but in their small town. Through her magnificent storytelling, Aisha Saeed has managed to not only show young readers that everyday life in a Pakistani village isn’t terribly different from life in a US small town while at the same time bringing to light the very real problem of modern day slavery that exists globally. She has given teachers a great resource with which to teach global citizenship skills, something so important right now.
I would recommend this book to all students in grades three through eight. There is mild violence directed towards a child but I do not think younger students would find it traumatizing unless they themselves have been in a similar situation. Instead, I feel that it should serve as a springboard for discussions about how to recognize dangerous people and situations.