As a Florida native and a twin, I absolutely loved the setting of this book. Saving Sunshine follows twins Zara and Zeeshan as they adventure through Key West on a vacation to celebrate their mother's success as a doctor. However, when the two get into trouble because of their constant bickering, their phones are taken away from their parents and they are forced to work together to enjoy their vacation. Zara, who is obsessed with animal preservation, finds a sick turtle and she and her brother must get over their petty arguments to save it. I thought that the graphics in this beautifully designed graphic novel were stunning and truly transported me down to Key West. I especially loved the inclusion of small science fun facts which could educate middle-grade readers. This book also tackles themes of identity and Islamophobic microaggressions in a very digestible way for younger readers. My only complaint is that I wish it were longer so that we could see more of Zeeshan's story, as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for the E-ARC! All opinions are my own.

First and foremost, the art in this book is incredible. It has a really beautiful watercolor style that leaves a lasting impression. So gorgeous.

This middle grade book is packed with important themes and lessons for kids, including:

* The impact that bullying/discrimination has on people
* Every day microagressions that POC have to face
* Sibling relationships and how difficult they can be to navigate sometimes
* The value of unplugging haha

In particular, I loved how the book tackled relationships and how our experiences shape our interactions. Zeesh and Zara are twins, and have a bit of a fraught relationship. But underneath the ways they lash out at each other are memories that have deeply impacted and/or wounded them, which influences how they perceive their future interactions and colors their reactions. The author uses well-placed flashbacks to show this with great impact.

I really enjoyed this story, and think it’ll be an impactful read for the middle grade crowd.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Saving Sunshine is a middle-grade graphic novel about twins who do not get along. Zara is obsessed with animals and conservation, while Zeeshan loves everything space and NASA related. Their family takes a trip to Florida for an award ceremony where, due to their own actions, the twins are punished to go without their phones. They find a sick turtle on the beach which becomes the goal they bond over.

The artwork is beautiful line work and watercolor. The story's central conflict is Zara and Zeeshan's relationship, but it also includes segments on bullying, racism, and micro-aggressions Muslims face in the United States today. I wish there had been more information on Muslim culture with a glossary or afterward of some kind addressing the issues. I would definitely recommend this book for 5th-8th graders, especially if you have a student who just started wearing a hijab.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy.

As a muslim, this book was meaningful to me, and I hoped some muslim kids read this.
It was enjoyable read with beautiful art. The story also relate for adult. A solid 5 stars for this graphic novel.

Thank you to Saadia Faruqi, Shazleen Khan, First Second Books and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A graphic novel that pleasantly surprised me. I enjoyed the graphics immensely, even though I'm very hard to win over in this respect.

When I read the synopsis, I was a little worried that the story wouldn't be suitable for an adult audience : two children fighting could have become childish very quickly. But it wasn't. The plot deals with mature issues, and the children are fun to follow.

I wasn't surprised to read about the difficulties faced by American Muslims. We've all heard ignorant people ask such questions before, about origins and headscarves. But what really made an impact on me were the children's reactions.

In short, a graphic novel that deserves to be read, for the social issues it tackles, the beautiful illustrations and the plot, which I believe is very enjoyable.

4 stars

Faruqi has another hit on her hands with this latest middle grade effort, and as an added bonus, this time readers get to experience her magic in the form of a graphic novel! Having read several books by this author, I was expecting to enjoy the storyline, but the combination of illustrations and characterization exceeded my already high expectations.

Zara and Zeeshan, "Zeesh," are middle school age twins who are participating in some intense sibling quarreling. Their parents, both doctors, are not having this behavior, and so when both kids cross the line, they lose their phones right at the start of their parents' conference turned family vacation in Florida. Zeesh loves all things space and is mildly obsessed with NASA videos. With similar fervor, Zara loves animals, including her cat at home, those on her social media and connected to her volunteer efforts, and more recently a loggerhead turtle in need, Sunshine. Without their phones, both siblings feel they'll be disconnected from the true joys of life, but as any slightly older reader might guess, it's the loss of those phones that helps them connect with each other.

This is a nicely paced plot helmed by intriguing characters who get both an engaging storyline and one that introduces some tougher topics, too, in an age-appropriate manner (think microaggressions and the like). I loved the illustrations, sense of place, and messaging, and I'll be recommending this to students.

Here, Faruqi offers a few rays of sunshine even in the darkness of the preteen hormonal storm.

I am a huge fan of the Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi and this middle grade graphic by her is a wonderful step up for fans of Yasmin. I also think fans of Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui would enjoy this title!
The plot follows twins who don’t get along very well and have very different interests, one interested in environmentalism and animals and the other in NASA and outer space. They are part of a Pakistani and Muslim American family and Zara and her mother both wear a hijab.
The book has important messages about the value of family, disconnecting from digital devices, and sticking up for your beliefs when people are bullies.
Non-fiction fans will love the small fact boxes about different animals and outer space.

An easy to read graphic novel for the middle grades. The protagonists, Zara and Zeesh, are twins and the story is centered around their relationship. The instances of anti-Muslim bigotry in the story allow for some more meaningful dialogue between the twins and their parents. The illustrations are lovely and pair well with the story.

Zara and Zeeshan are twins. They are also fighting. Zeeshan is interested in outer space, and Zara is interested in savings wildlife. They do not get along. They are muslims in the US. I bring up this last fact, because, although they shouldn’t have problems, there are microaggressions all around, from their friends not saying their names right, to the TSA pulling their father aside each time they try to fly, to people asking where are they really from from.

They have gone on a trip to Florida because their mother, who is a doctor, is being honored, and they get in such a big fight that their parents take their phones away, and they have to, gasp, find things to do without them.

And that is where Sunshine comes in. Zara find a turtle, who is not feeling well, and tries to help it get back to good health, and in the ocean again. And Zeeshan decides to help her, even if it has nothing to do with outer space.

Such a good story about cooperation. Great pictures, and honest look at how microaggressions can wear you down.

Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 5th of September, 2023.

This was such a beautiful story! It touches on some important themes like family, as well as prejudices and negative stereotypes and how these affect the main characters at such a young age. It's a powerful story, I loved the sibling dynamic we see and the growth their relationship had. The illustrations were really beautiful and I really enjoyed that aspect too. I highly recommend this graphic novel.

CW: racism, xenophobia, bullying.

What a fantastic story of siblings learning to appreciate one another! When Zara and Zeesh can't stop bickering during a family vacation, their phones are confiscated, cutting them off from their separate interests: Zara's animal activism, and Zeesh's NASA videos.
I loved the way their personal struggles were woven into the story, and how they were able to learn from their parents as well as one another.
This is a sensitively written, beautifully illustrated story, an empathy builder, and a fantastic window/mirror book for young readers!
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I loved this graphic novel! The illustrations are beautiful and I learned fun facts about animals and space. I did feel like I was listening to my own children fight, which tells me my students are definitely going to relate! My son has already asked me to buy a copy of it!

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley and I really enjoyed it! Such a sweet story about these two Muslim American twins who always fight with each other learning to get along and set their differences aside and their passions together on a trip to Florida for their mom's award as an outstanding doctor. As a Muslim I really loved this it was a great Muslim rep and Zara was such an adorable hijabi. I love both space and animals so I enjoyed that a lot. The illustrations are mind-bogglingly pretty, I loved it! I also liked the incorporation of micro aggressions and racist and Islamophobic comments that the family unfortunately get just for being brown Muslims... America and the world have to do better... Anyways beautiful graphic novel, I definitely recommend it for all!

This graphic novel was hilarious and well-drawn, definitely worth the money and the hype, and I hope will be successful!

This was such a cute and wholesome story. It makes me so happy that young muslim kids now get to grow up with graphic novels and stories that reflect their lives so beautifully.

Absolutely lovely, a perfect family-centered Muslim American story blended with beautiful artwork. A definite buy for any middle grade shelf. More thoughts are:
* <<<<sibling bonding
*all of the watercolor-y art is beautiful, but I especially love the softly rendered flashbacks that show the protagonists' past experiences and their motivations
*the parents guide their kids, but the kids also learn lessons for themselves and it's just nice?
*I love that both kids have a passion that they mutually begin to understand of one another
*Zara's reason for wearing hijab is that she wants to show she's proud of being Muslim, which ehh, but I'm fine with that response from a sixth grader.

Saving sunshine is a beautiful graphic novel with colourful artwork. The story centres two twins with very different passion who have to spend their holiday having to entertain themselves while their parents are at a conference. Throughout the story we see flashes of their past and the difficult things they have experienced being children of Pakistani immigrants in America. Zara and Zeeshan discover beauty in each others passions and learn to look after each other even though sometimes they find the other insufferable (classic siblings).

I love this so much. The art was amazing and I love how the author covered the topic of hijab in a way it’s easy for children to understand.

I would love a story about the parents 🤭


Thanks you for the arc!

Excellent graphic novel showing Zara and Zeesh constantly bickering and so, when the family goes away to Florida , the parents take away their cell phones. Even though Zara has to deal with bias because she wears a hijab, she’s an animal activist and when she sees a loggerhead turtle on the beach she wants to help it. After talking to a local vet, Zara learns that so much human activity can be detrimental to turtles. Zeesh finds his sister is right about animal rites and its importance. One night during a storm Zara and Zeesh try to find the turtle, and they help him go into the water. The two kids can’t find their way back afterwards and yell for help. What happens next?

“Everyone’s from somewhere, son. We all have our history, a place we connect with. What’s a tree without roots, eh?”

Saving Sunshine is a middle grade graphic novel about a pair of very different twins who have to learn to work together — specifically by saving an endangered turtle.

This was such a sweet and yet important graphic novel. The protagonists, Zara and Zeeshan, have vastly different interests and are constantly fighting. The family is Muslim American and throughout the story we see how they have been faced with different stereotypes and negative attitudes. As a teacher, my heart ached to see some of the things that these kids had faced in school.

The illustrations are beautiful and the story itself is easy to digest. The dialogue felt a bit stilted at times, but I feel like that’s often something I experience with graphic novels.

Saving Sunshine is definitely an easy to read story that covers the important topics of family, friendship, feeling alienated, and standing up for yourself. I will absolutely be reading this one with my middle graders at some point.

Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for giving me a chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Saving Sunshine is out in the world on 5th September.