Kareem Between

     As we move toward a second Trump presidency Shifa Saltagi Safadi's Kareem Between, showing the human dimensions of the tragedies caused by his first regime, is a timely read for the juvenile readers in our lives.

     Middle school is not going well for Kareem. His best friend has just moved away, leaving him alone to navigate places like the cafeteria. He messed up at football tryouts. He basically lives for football. He's doing all the homework of a classmate, the coach's son, who has promised to get him on the spring squad. He's been put in charge of helping Fadi, a new immigrant, adapt to school. 

"Fadi's accent 

is going to make him stick out 

at school 

             like a soccer player 

on a football field. 

If I hang out

with Fadi,

it'll be a huge penalty."

     But a much larger problem looms on the horizon. His mother has to return to Syria temporarily. She plans to bring her parents to America. Her father needs heart surgery. She's bringing medicine that will make him strong enough to travel. 

     But his health will not be the only challenge the family faces. He who I shall not name has just been installed in the Oval Office and signed xenophobic Executive Order 13769.

     Kareem Between, told in free verse, will resonate with kids who have ever felt that they don't fit in. Football fans will enjoy the NFL facts scattered through the book. 

On a purrrsonal note, we're speeding towards winter a little too quickly. We may be seeing the white stuff before the end of the semester. And since the time change darkness falls too early. 

A great big shout out goes out to my fellow bus commuters.

Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone