The author does a wonderful job showing how preconceived ideas about "others" can prevent people from seeing others as they really are. In this novel, Yasmeen and Ayelet are set up as enemies from their first meeting - Yasmeen is Palestinian-American and Ayelet is Israeli-American, and while the two girls can see past their differences and recognize their similar backgrounds, Yasmeen's father struggles with their friendship. The current events taking place in Israel and the Gaza Strip provide a backdrop for the story and give young readers more insight into the struggles these cultures have with one another.

This book would create deep, thoughtful discussions in a middle school classroom. Highly recommended.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Wishing Upon the Same Stars
by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Pub Date 01 Feb 2022
HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperCollins
Children's Fiction | Middle Grade | Multicultural Interest



I am reviewing a copy of Wishing Upon the Same Stars through HarperCollins Children’s Books and Netgalley:





Yasmeen Khoury is twelve when she moves with her family to San Antonio. She just wants to 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 as she faces middle school mean girls and tries to make new friends. But after Yasmeen meets her neighbor, Ayelet Cohen, a first-generation Israeli American. The two girls gradually grow closer, and Yasmeen is grateful to know another daughter of immigrants who understands what it feels like when your parents’ idea of home is half a world away.






After Yasmeen grandmother moves in after her home in the West Bank is destroyed, Yasmeen finds her family and Ayelet’s suddenly at odds, forcing them both to grapple with how much closer the events of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict are than they’ve realized. As Yasmeen starts 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?





I give Wishing Upon the Same Stars five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

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. But I loved how Ms. Feldman showed how similar we all are through Yasmeen. I could sympathize and relate to her even though I haven’t specifically gone through everything she has.
Yasmeen was an incredibly real narrator. While she was heartbroken over what was going on in Jerusalem, she also was trying to figure out her place in San Antonio. I loved how honest she was. She was sometimes selfish in her priorities, but she’s also a twelve year old girl. She was dealing with a lot of different things. She would mess up, realize her mistakes, and try to fix them. She was super relatable especially in her relationships with her friends.
I loved how Ms. Feldman showed a lot of unique characters both in culture and personality. Yasmeen makes a friend in San Antonio named Waverly, so it was fascinating to watch the cultures clash. Ms. Feldman did a great job of showing different kinds of prejudice. In one sense, there are the very clear hate crimes which the Khourys do face, but they also face this aspect of being foreign. They have a different culture, and sometimes people were hurtful without trying to be. I thought it was interesting though that Yasmeen realized there are prejudices against other people too. Some of the characters are Mexican, and Yasmeen learns that every ethnicity has something going on. They all have a history that not everyone knows about, and I like how the main character didn’t know about it either. She was learning along with the readers.
Some of the parts of the book were a little bit slow, but I think overall it was a really interesting story. Yasmeen’s voice is perfect for a middle schooler, and it introduces a lot of good conversation starters. And I hope this book makes someone feel seen. Representation is so important, and I’m glad I get to read more diverse books like this. I would definitely recommend it to any middle schooler or younger!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

https://bcattv.org/bcat-shows/something-to-talk-about/?fbclid=IwAR0bsc_3mCV1q3nzdIz2QdlvJ8OOcy6s8Ipd9usUowF8QhJmOKOFXc_eEmQ

This is the story of Yasmeen. She moves with her family from Michigan to Texas, where life is very different. She encounters racism, friendship problems, and her grandmother move in with them to name a few things. I loved the development of Yasmeen and her family throughout the books. This story is so well written and I really enjoyed the book.

I really loved this story of Yasmeen and her move from Detroit to San Antonio and all she goes through. I liked the development of her relationship with her neighbor Ayelet and how they bonded over being daughters of immigrants.
This is such a needed story because so many students are children of immigrants and find themselves not fitting in, here in American.
Deals with topics of moving, family, friendships, and being the new kid in school. And just growing up and figuring out who you are. A great coming of age story!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

"Wishing Upon the Same Stars" by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman
Release Date: 2.1.2022

Yasmeen Khoury and her family moves from Detroit to San Antonio. Feeling like the odd girl out, she is surprised that her classmates are very different from the kids in her majority Arab neighborhood back home. Yasmeen faces bullying from the mean girls while trying to make new friends.

Yasmeen meets her neighbor, Ayelet Cohen, a first-generation Israeli-American. The girls bond through their shared experiences of being the daughter of immigrants.

After the West Bank is destroyed, Yasmeen's grandmom moves in with her family in San Antonio. The girls and their families realize how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affect their lives in America, This gives the girls to opportunity to realize their heritage, home, and their identities. Yasmeen and Ayelet begin to realize that peace will never come between their two homelands without them acting peaceful towards one another.

What a great debut novel by Ms. Nammar Feldman! Yasmeen already feels different, since she's the new girl. She's also a preteen and feeling awkward and is Arab-American. She just feels like she does not fit in anywhere. Many of my afterschoolers can identify with Yasmeen and Ayelet, as many are New Americans themselves and have had similar feelings. My natural born American students can identify with the themes of fitting in and starting a new school.

Just when Yasmeen finally finds someone that she considers a friend, the West Bank is destroyed. Students may not be aware of the conflict over this piece of land in Israel, where both Yasmeen and Ayelet's families still have loved ones living. I cannot imagine many of my afterschoolers know much about this conflict, so this will definitely open up many conversations about current affairs. This novel will also spark conversations about friendship, family, loyalty, and feeling at peace.

I look forward to purchasing this title for my students to check out.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing an ARC copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.


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