Amina's Song is the companion book to Amina's Voice. To fully understand the story and the characters the books should be read in order. In Amina's Song, Amina is finishing her trip to Pakistan. She loves getting to know her family, the people, places, and the food of the country. She can't wait to share her experiences with her friends when she returns home to Wisconsin. Her friends though don't seem very interested in hearing about Pakistan. Amina struggles with her identity as both American and Pakistanian. She wants to share the beauty of the country and help people to see Pakistan as she sees it, but struggles with how to do that.

Thank you to @Netgalley and Salaamreads/Simon Schuster from an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Amina’s Song by Hena Khan is available March 9th, 2021.

Hena Khan had me at “What if your heart lives elsewhere”

Amina’s Song is a sequel to Amina’s Voice. The book opens in the busy bazaars of Anarkali in Lahore, Pakistan.

The opening of this story was home; all my senses were transported to Pakistan. The haggling with shopkeepers, sugarcane juice, the funny commercials, lying under the open skies, the fragrant smells of raat ke rani (queen of the night), the evening tea, all have a sense of belonging.
Amina is visiting her Thaya jaan and his family in Pakistan. She has connected emotionally with Pakistan and her extended family and especially her cousin Zohra. She has grown close to her brother and developed an appreciation for relationships.
Amina is excited to return home and share her love of Pakistan with her friends.

However, upon returning home Amina realizes that her friends, Soojin and Emily, don’t have an interest in her trip, along with a project in Social Studies and some disturbing news from Pakistan, Amina feels that everything is falling apart.

How Amina shows the beauty and strength of Pakistan and displays her pride in Pakistani culture makes up the rest of the story.

Hena Khan does a wonderful job of presenting that countries are so much more than what media and news headlines portray.
Amina’s struggle of trying to find her place between two cultures and show the good of both, is real.
Amina learns to shift perspectives and not generalize. Through her school project and her family’s community outreach project, she teaches others how to view things through a different lens and that countries are so much more than just governments.

There is goodness and charm in everyone’s culture, and I enjoyed how Amina, in a very innovative manner, shares the positivity and beauty of Pakistan with her peers.

That being said, although I thoroughly enjoyed the read, there were parts that I struggled with.
The dance, music, the hint of romantic interest (friendship), some mix messaging by her parents, all left me with questions.

Amina's Song recommended for Middle Grade readers.

“Every culture has shameful parts of its history and groups of people who do things that are wrong.”-Amina’s Song.

Amina's Song is a wonderful sequel to Amina's Voice. When the novel starts, Amina is in Pakistan, visiting her Uncle Jaan, who visited Amina and her family in Amina's Voice. Amina is enjoying learning about Pakistan, the way she enjoyed introducing her Uncle Jaan to America. When she and her family return to Greendale, Wisconsin, she struggles to reconnect with her friends, who seem to have moved on without her during the two months that she was gone. The novel continues through Amina's 7th grade year, following her as she matures and make a new friend, a boy who shares her interest in music. This novel is an enjoyable story of coming-of-age, written in an easy-to-read fashion that captures the trials of early adolescence without growing up too fast. A great choice for any teen who is interested in growing up slowly, and for anyone who wants to learn about another culture from the point of view of an introspective teen who describes her life, friends, and culture with energy and empathy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Amina's Song picks up toward the end of Amina’s first visit to Pakistan to spend time with her extended family. While she was nervous going into the trip, the experience has been amazing. In addition to learning more about her heritage, she’s grown much closer to her uncle and cousins. Before leaving Pakistan, she promises her Thaya Jaan that she will find a way to communicate the nation’s beauty after she returns home.

As she did in Amina’s Voice, Amina must again push beyond her comfort zone in order to accomplish the task her uncle has set for her. She’s excited to share the details of her visit with her friends, but they’re more focused on talking about their own summertime experiences. As Amina attempts to fulfill her promise to Thaya Jaan, she grapples with finding her place with her peers, her culture, and even her own family.

I really enjoyed this book, and I’m excited to recommend it to my students, especially the sixth graders. The characters as a whole rang true to me, especially Amina and her peers. As the story progresses, Amina, Soojin, and Emily begin to pursue different interests, which Amina worries will pull them apart. She herself begins spending time with a new friend as they pursue music together. Throughout the novel, Amina continues to learn and grow as a character. While she finds new ways to use the voice she worked so hard to find in the previous novel, it’s still not easy for her to be in the spotlight. This adds to the sense of realism.

I really enjoyed the focus on service and helping others, the message that friendships can survive despite differing interests, and learning more about Pakistan. I loved the scenes that took place there as I (and many American students) are not familiar with what life is like there. Those scenes helped me to better understand the similarities between life there and in the U.S.

I can see some children having difficulty with some of the vocabulary that’s used in the book, but I also think it adds to the authenticity of living in a family with parents who grew up in another country. It seems like a place for readers with those experiences to see themselves and maybe even have a chance to share their culture with their peers.

We first meet Amina in the book Amina's Voice, in which Amina tries to overcome crippling shyness with sharing her beautiful voice. Amina grapples with her own diversity; being an American-born Muslim growing up in the American Midwest, while still maintaining her Pakistani heritage.

In this second book we meet Amina in the final days of her family trip to Pakistan. She has fully embraced her family in Lahore, and is sad at the prospect of leaving. At the same time, she misses her friends and her home. Arriving home, excited to share her trip with friends, she discovers their interests are elsewhere, and they are not as interested in hearing of her trip as she is in sharing it. She finds herself balancing both worlds; loyal to what life is like in Lahore and America both, and a school project makes her realize that her friends perception of life in Pakistan is more focused on the negativity, rather than on the beauty. Through this story she struggles with fear; her beloved uncle is ill, and her family is worried about his prognosis.

As an adult reading this book, I feel it is a good look at what it means to be of two minds; Amina is proud to be American and is also proud of her Pakistani heritage. She is growing up and learning what it means to expand her interests and her friendships, while embracing who she is at heart.

I loved Amina's Voice when I read it a couple years ago and was so excited to get to read Amina's Song early! This one has just as much charm as the first book, with sweet characters and vivid descriptions. I liked reading about Amina's school life and her friends. It's always refreshing to read about middle friends who aren't horribly mean to each other. I love that the friends love and respect each other. Kids need this in the books they read.
I also enjoyed the plotline about Nico and the writing of the song. I think it was important for Amina to find her voice and she did by the end of the book. I liked the progression of Amina's confidence, starting with Amina's struggling to find her voice in the market in Pakistan to finally in the end, recording a song and being able to do some public speaking at the end of the book.
Highly recommend this sweet and smart sequel!

Amina is back in the sequel to 'Amina's Voice' and this time the books starts while she is visiting their relatives in Pakistan. While there she realizes that it is easy to form an opinion of an entire country based on one or two news stories. She herself had been apprehensive about visiting her the home country of her parents until Baba talked through it with her. Before she returns to the states, her uncle asks her to share the good things about Pakistan with people in the US. For a 7th grader, that is a big ask and at first it seems impossible. She chooses Malala as her wax museum project and then realizes that the Taliban does not give her classmates a view of Pakistan that would make them want to visit. She also befriends a new student named Nico who is passionate about making his own beats. Could Nico help Amina write a song using the journal she started after returning from Pakistan? Will her song be something that makes her family proud and reflects their love for their home country? Along with the project and songwriting, Amina is also talking with her friends and family about ways they can help others. Includes some great ideas that kids can incorporate in their own communities. This one would be really good as an audiobook as well. Wondering if there will be a Youtube video to show Amina's talents?

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I first met Amina a year ago, and this sequel was like catching up with an old friend! The book begins during her summer vacation visiting family in Pakistan, as Amina spends time getting to know her older cousin and exploring the city where she lives. However, Amina still occasionally feels that she doesn't completely fit in with her family there. That feeling reappears as she returns home to Glendale, WI, and starts seventh grade with her best friends Soojin and Emily. How is Amina supposed to feel settled when the parts of her heart are scattered?

I adored getting glimpses into her extended family's life in Pakistan, and Khan masterfully described the feeling of your heart being stretched between multiple 'homes' as you grow older. The tension that Amina feels with her friends and family feels authentic, as does her struggle to please her parents and fit in at school. She's a character who's all heart, and her voice (no pun intended!) will speak to many middle-grade students. Fans of Front Desk and New Kid will adore this!

I loved this book about sharing who your are and what you are made of. I loved how Amina faces a new set of totally different challenges and how fun it is. It's a perfect book for readers ages 9-12.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my opinion of this book.

Amina has returned home from a life-changing trip to see her family in Pakistan. During her time there she grew closer her family and experienced the culture first hand that has shaped her family's life.

When she returns to America, she is excited for show her friends and classmates how amazing Pakistan is, but they don't quite see it at first. She is able to use a class project and a song she has written to help them see things differently.

Amina and her friends have the same kinds of hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and other issues that friends have at this age. They always navigated with the same kindness and openness that I wish people of all ages would use to solve their issues.

Like Amina's Voice, this book has a lot of simple life lessons that are perfect for middle grade readers. They aren't hard to decode, but won't feel super preachy, either.

Once again, a really lovely book that many kids will love.

I received an electronic ARC from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Khan further develops Amina's story as readers see her visiting in Pakistan in the summer and then returning home for seventh grade. In the first book, she found her voice, and now in the sequel, she learns to use it and share it with others. Like many middle schoolers, Amina struggles to figure out who she is and how she wants to use her talents. She isn't sure how to blend the part of herself that is from her hometown with the part that awakened as she learns more about Pakistan. In the end, she finds her courage and records the song she wrote with help from a new friend.
Looking forward to having this one on the shelves for our students.

What a lovely book! I read this is one sitting. Amina is such a lovely character and I enjoyed that the book moved at a fast clip. After a trip to Pakistan, Amina feels torn between her various identities. Promising her uncle that she will show people back in America how lovely Pakistan is, Amina sets off (and sometimes struggles) to do just that. An excellent middle grade sequel.

When Amina gets home from visiting her relatives in Pakistan, she finds it odd that no one pays much attention to her uncertainty over her own identity. Learning about her roots changed her and gave her a better understanding of why other people think the way they do. But how can she convince her friends and classmates to care amid the flurry of excitement over first crushes, school events, community service and all the ordinary thrills of middle school? Once again Amina turns to song to speak the language that everyone understands.
If hard pressed, I don't know if I'd be able to tell you why I decided to read this book. I didn't love the first one, although it's lovely for what it is. To me, Amina has always felt a little flat--too good without any significant character flaws. I also have a hard time forgiving the author for not including the phonetic pronunciation of her name until like halfway through the book because I instantly felt guilty for pronouncing it wrong in my head up to that point. The message and themes are really beautiful, and I like the idea of this book, but to me the characters get in the way of the story, and I have a hard time getting excited about a book whose protagonist feels unrealistic. That being said, the plot is really clever and the story really made me think. I would be happy to recommend this book to my students as a soft way to let them know that the world is bigger than what one set of eyes can see.

This book had my heart. As a British Pakistani who has frequently travelled to Lahore and who in her formative years actually lived, studied and worked there, this book resonated with me immensely. From the crowded narrow lanes of Anarkali Bazaar trying to price haggle to enjoying chai with the extended family and bonding with cousins, Hena Khan captured everything beautifully. She wrote about the Lahore and the Lahoris I know. Khan highlighted the country's progressive nature, shedding its stereotypical 'backwards' image.
Amina discovers the love for her heritage and for Pakistan during a summer visit from the US. Also, during a class presentation, Amina sheds light on some prominent Pakistani women which was absolutely brilliant.
Through the thoughts and words of a pre-teen, Khan also talks about racism in Western society, helping refugees and letting parents know that it's okay for their daughter to have male friends.

A solid sequel to "Amina's Voice." Returning from a wonderful family vacation to Pakistan, Amina seeks to challenge a racist and deficit narrative about Pakistan, but finds it difficult back in America. A good middle age read.

I think this book did a good job of continuing Amina's story. I liked the addition of a platonic male friend despite her friends and mom trying to assume otherwise. I do feel that the story was lacking a true point of suspense or climax and kind of petered out at the end.

Beautifully written book where the main character is a Pakistani girl who is trying to show her friends and classmates in America the beautiful side of Pakistan. It's completely appropriate for YA readers (5th grade and up would be my recommendation) and taught me quite a bit about the Pakistani community and history. Well done!

This story was lovely. I really enjoyed learning more about Amina and seeing her pursue her passion for singing, and facing her stage fright in many ways throughout the book.

I also loved how the beginning of the book took place in Pakistan and how Amina learned more about powerful Pakistani women throughout the story. I find Malala to be so inspirational and I love teaching my 5th grade students about her, but I thought it was so important that Hena Khan highlighted a variety of wonderful Pakistani women in this book.

I look forward to adding this book to my classroom library once it is released in print!

This was a fun follow up to Amina’s Voice. The topic of immigrants was handled well, and the main character Amina also explored the sometimes difficult task of reconciling two parts of an identity. The boy-girl as just friends storyline was deftly handled as well. Fun read.

Thanks to Partners NetGalley, Salaam Reads, and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the digital ARC of Hena Khan’s Amina’s Song in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, March 9.

Hena Khan’s Amina’s Song, the sequel to Amina’s Voice, begins in the summer after book one, when Amina and her family are visiting their relatives in Pakistan before she begins seventh grade. Amina feels braver after having mustered her courage both to recite the Quran and sing in front of a crowd, but she’s still working on figuring out what is most important: she wants to say and to whom.

Amina absolutely loves her extended family, including her uncle, who visited the United States when she was in sixth grade (that’s in Amina’s Voice), and her cousin Zohra, who is an amazing guide to the community and culture of her parents’ home country. It’s while she’s still visiting that Amina begins to work through the way we think about other places: she had been afraid to travel because of stories about Pakistan that she heard on the news. When she talks to Zohra about visiting Amina’s home, she finds that Zohra feels the same way, afraid of visiting the U.S. because of similar reports of violence and discrimination.

When Amina returns home, feeling utterly changed, she finds that her friends seem to be the same and are uninterested in exploring what Amina has discovered about herself. She wants to share and to work through her complicated questions, but she’s either brushed aside or met with resistance.

What I love about both of these books centers on Amina herself. She is (as many middle schoolers are) working through some big questions: Can people change? How do we share what’s most important to us with the people we love? What does it mean to be someone’s friend? How do we share our pride in a country or community while also acknowledging its faults? What does it mean to be a good person? These are questions that I hope my own children consider, and I love that Khan is presenting them in a narrative that is both compelling and relatable for a middle-school audience.

While I do think that Amina’s Song could work as a standalone, I highly recommend both books: do yourself a favor and pick up both Amina’s Voice and Amina’s Song!