Amal is growing up in Pakistan, dreaming of becoming a teacher. As the oldest daughter, her father requires her to stay at home and take care of the family when her mother gives birth to another girl (postpartum depression is implied). Amal discovers just how undervalued girls are in her Pakistani culture. She still hopes to continue her education, however, an inopportune meeting with Khan, the son of the corrupt landowner, changes her life drastically. Khan insists that Amal pay off her "debt" by moving to his home. Amal discovers the reality of life for many - indentured servitude, illiteracy, no escape. This inspiring book belongs in every middle grade diverse collection. 
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. This did not affect my review.

Amal is the oldest of five daughters in a family living in a tiny Pakistani village controlled by a feudal landlord, Khan Sahib and his cruel son, Jawad Sahib. After Jawad Sahib hits Amal with his car one day while she is walking alone back from the market, Amal angrily refuses to give him her only pomegranate when he demands it from her. In retaliation, Jawad Sahib demands that Amal's father pay his existing debt back to the Khan family in full--an impossibility. So Jawad Sahib orders Amal to become a servant in his household, where she becomes trapped, always accruing more debt in the form of room and board, and never paying it off.

This is a fast-paced and captivating story of a young girl whose dreams--of getting an education, of becoming a teacher--are snatched suddenly from her, along with her family and life as she knows it. This novel is written at a level that will make this topic accessible to young readers. The message that girls should have the same opportunities as boys is clear without being preachy, and indeed, most people in Amal's life support her right to an education. It is easy to sympathize with and relate to Amal: she sneaks books from her captor's library, struggles to befriend the other servants, takes a younger girl under her wing, and has sisters back home who at times get on her nerves. She is frightened, but she does what she must to save herself and others anyway: the true definition of bravery.

Amal has a strong voice. Her character reacts in a realistic manner to heartrending circumstances. The ending is a bit neatly wrapped up for her, but that doesn't detract from the narrative.

What an incredible book! I absolutely loved the character of Amal and  everyone needs to hear her story.

I loved this book!  I really could not put it down. It was so empowering. It teaches youngsters to always trust in themselves even when things look so low and you feel like everything is going against you.  This is an important book to share with our youth today.  I will be sharing this novel with my 5th graders who next year will be my 6th graders. I feel it teaches a great lesson.

While the topic is certainly important and underrepresented in children's literature, I spent a lot of time wondering about the motivations of various characters. Character development of the Khan family (their motivations, making it clear if their behavior was actually atypical for their class, etc) might have resulted in less wondering and more reading. Individuals with a better understanding of the culture might not have been perplexed, but those lacking cultural context might get less from this work as a result of bewilderment.

Amal Unbound explores stark realities for women and girls in rural Pakistan. In less than a month and essentially through no fault of her own, Amal's whole life falls apart leaving her stranded as a servant in their landlord's corrupt manor. Amal's kindness, determination and bravery inspire so much empathy. I can't wait to recommend this book to my students. I think it will open their eyes and spark much needed conversations about the right to education for all.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for AMAL UNBOUND by #AishaSaeed // thanks to @PenguinKids for the ARC; all opinions are my own. This book releases May 8!
_*_*_*_*_*
Swipe for the back!
_*_*_*_*_*
What. A. Powerful. Book!!! I’m so excited this has been chosen for the #globalreadaloud for 2018. I can’t wait to read it with my students and get into deep discussions about the value of education, the way that women have been historically oppressed around the world, the ongoing problem of indentured servitude and the power of the written word. That’s alllllll in here and much more. Also I’ve been drooling over that cover on social media for a while so it was pretty awesome to hold it in my hands. Drool. This book is great for grades 5+ and it’s perfect to read aloud.

Saeed, Aisha. Amal Unbound. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018. 

Amal loves going to school and learning; she wants to be a teacher someday. Soon, however, she has to leave school to take care of her family. And when an accident lands her in debt to a rich family, working at their estate to pay off her debts, Amal realizes that the world around her isn't fair and good, and she'll have to work to earn her freedom.

This is a sweet story, perfect for tweens who are interested in learning about other cultures. It's a great peek into another culture and will provide a window for many readers to learn. This is a quick and interesting read that will definitely end up on my library's shelf. 

Recommended for: middle grade / tweens
Red Flags: violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: One Half from the East, Sadia, Amina's Voice

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

I was really captivated by this story. We follow a girl named Amal who is forced into indentured servitude to help pay off her family's debts. After Amal's mother gives birth to her third child, Amal is left with no other choice but to take care of her siblings while herm other slips into a monthlong bout of postpartum depression. It was really interesting to see a middle-grade novel cover a topic like that. Amal was a character that really set an example of not taking education for granted and what can happen when we do. She loved to learn and at the heart of the story, that's what she missed most while she was away from her family.  I enjoyed Aisha Saeed's descriptive writing and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I have to say, I have read very few books set in Pakistan. I wish the writing style in this had been a bit more complex; I also felt that the resolution was a bit rushed. It is an important topic, but I felt the execution could be improved.

This book has been on my radar for a few months now and when I was approved to read an advanced copy, I felt like I had won the lottery.  I was first attracted to the stunning cover--I absolutely love the colors and the images!  It's probably that cover that inspired me to pre-order this book--even without knowing too much about it.

I just finished reading the book with wet eyes.  This book is worthy of its beautiful cover.  It is well-written and speaks of bravery, the redemptive power of books and words, and the vital importance of education.  This is may favorite read of 2018 so far.  On Monday, I will be telling my students about the awesome book I read this weekend.  I can't wait to have the actual book in my hands so that I can get it into the hands of my students.  Now I intend to purchase multiple copies so that I can read it with my middle school book club.  Nothing, but love for this book.

Aisha Saeed's middle grade debut, Amal Unbound, is a heartbreaking, poignant reminder not to give up, and the power of education.

Main character Amal, a young Pakistani girl, is the kind of person we should all want to be. Amal Unbound takes on a lot of hard issues. It doesn't shy away from the hard truths and the nuances of reality, despite its intended middle-grade audience.

Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village in Amal Unbound, but she has no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. 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.

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. Most troubling, though, is Amal's growing awareness of the Khans' nefarious dealings. 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. 

I received an eARC of Amal Unbound via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I couldn't keep myself from reading it for long.

Amal Unbound needs some content warnings for classism, sexism, withholding education, postpartum depression, poverty, crushing debt, indentured servitude, and physical and emotional abuse. It deals with all of these things in a way that will be completely understandable for its young audience.

Amal Unbound doesn't shy away from any of the hardships that are a reality for so many. I believe that this made its happy ending even more powerful. Amal, like so many other people in her situation, got to go home at the end of the story. Her home life is not perfect, but it is hers to choose, and that's what matters.

I loved that Saeed didn't try to humanize Jawad the way she did with Nasreen Baji. Jawad was irredeemable, while Nasreen was merely complicit in her husband and son's evildoing. Amal's care for Nasreen was a nuance that I hadn't expected, given how Nasreen caved to her son's demands and did nothing to stop him from treating her family and the other villagers like animals.

At its heart, Amal Unbound is hope and light wrapped in an important story of the realities of other people's lives. I highly recommend it.

"There are brave girls all over the world. They may feel afraid sometimes, like Amal. But doing the right thing despite the risks it may involve is the bravest thing in the world. It is my hope that this story shines a light on brave girls everywhere."

- Aisha Saeed, Amal Unbound Afterword

You can purchase a copy of Amal Unbound on Amazon, Indiebound or Barnes and Noble!

Title: Amal Unbound
Author: Aisha Saeed
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Length: 240 Pages
Rating: ★★★★/Four Stars
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Representation: Pakistani main character and all side characters, poverty, postpartum depression [/su_box]

Great story about a Pakistani girl forced into indentured servitude to pay off her family's debt. For brave girls everywhere!

There is so very much to this book.  All of the middle grade books that I read, I read as the third grade teacher that I am.  There is so much to learn and grow from this book.  There is so much vocabulary for my students and myself to learn.  I think that is wonderful; to learn about another culture through a book.  I can definitely see this as a read aloud in grade 4 or being read by independently by more sophisticated readers.  Wonderful story!

"Amal Unbound" is a must-have for any middle school library collection. Amal is a young girl in Pakistan who dreams of becoming a teacher one day. She loves to learn and read, but also has a strong sense of family duty and is a great asset to her family. When her mother delivers Amal's newest sister prematurely, she suffers from post-natal depression and Amal is called upon to step into the role of her mother, which means leaving school to run the house. Frustrations build as the children wait for their mother to resume her parenting role, so when Amal slips out alone to the market one day, she is short-tempered with a rude man who hits her with his car and wants to take her belongings. However, speaking back to this entitled man, sets into motion life-changing events for Amal and her family.

While Amal is a fictional character, she represents the real-life struggle of many young girls in Pakistan; those who wish for an education, a better life, and equality. Amal represents the many girls imprisoned by indentured servitude. She is a fantastic role model for kindness and bravery.

I appreciate that the message and themes are well-laid out for the middle grade audience, without the inclusion of content that would potentially make this book questionable to share with a young audience. It is well-written and appropriate for our middle grade readers and should be shared with them.

This is a very good book that will provide kids with a window to a world that is probably quite unlike their own. Amal is a young girl growing up in Pakistan. Her story helps readers discover the lives of those who live under feudal-like lords in indentured servitude. Students will have much to discuss and learn and the author's note describing some of the places where this life exists will surprise many. Amal learns about the value or friendship, family, honesty and bravery. This book is one of those that educators will be choosing for the 2018 Global Read Aloud in October, and their students will be enriched as a result of this choice.

Amal is a young Pakistan girl who is curious, loves school and hopes one day to go to college and become a teacher herself.  When her mother delivers a baby premature, Amal’s life begins to become unraveled.  Being the eldest she is expected by her father to take over the household duties while her mother recovers from the delivery and post-natal depression.  Amal also sees first-hand how females are not treated as equals.  People in her village make comments on how disappointing it must be to the family to have yet another daughter.  Amal begins to question the inequality of not just having to miss school but the opinions of the people in her village and her own family.

Life takes an even more difficult turn when unaccompanied in the village market, Amal stands up to a male stranger who hits her with his car and then tries to take a mango – a special treat she had purchased for herself.  Unbeknownst to her this man is Jawad Khan, the corrupt landlord of her village.  As a result, Amal must go and live at the Khan estate becoming an indentured servant to pay off her family’s debt and as a punishment by Jawad for embarrassing him.

At the Khan estate, Amal becomes the handmaid of Jawad’s mother.  She learns many lessons here, including how Jawad’s mother was from a village nearby to hers.  She also experiences the hardships of fitting in with the other servants and of the corruption and mistreatment of the others who work at the estate. Amal must decide if she will be forever a servant in this house or once again stand up to the unfair and corrupt system to pursue her own dreams.

Aisha Saheed has written a powerful story giving readers a window into life as a young Pakistan girl and on indentured servitude.  It is important to read the Author’s note to understand and to be aware that although Amal is a strong fictional character and is forced into indentured servitude, her fictional scenario is kinder than those she represents.  This is a story where Amal will be on your mind long after you turn the last page and I easily understand why this is one of the Global Read Aloud choices for 2018.  This book has been preordered and will be book talked to staff and students in my school.

Amal's life is turned upside down when she offends a regional Pakisani overlord and is forced to leave her home and school to work in his home as a servant -- indefinitely. She finds her inner strength and fights back, freeing herself and the other household slaves. What an inspiring heroine.

http://librarianleaps.blogspot.com/2018/03/amal-unbound.html