Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani-American author.

Biography

Originally from Karachi, Pakistan, Faruqi moved to the United States in 1998. She completed her bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida and her master's degree in liberal arts from Baker University in Kansas. After

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

and while she still worked as a grant writer, Faruqi began writing about

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

for a local newspaper in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

as a way to combat Muslim

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

s. After this work, she led educational discussions and training sessions about Islam at different institutions, including churches, synagogues, schools and police departments. Several years after 9/11, frustrated by the lack of understanding and acceptance she saw in the west regarding Muslims, Faruqi began her fiction career. Her debut book was a collection of short stories about life in Pakistan, titled ''Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage From Pakistan''. The book was released in 2015. Her first children's book, ''Meet Yasmin!'' was released in 2018 and focuses on the adventures of a seven-year-old Pakistani-American girl. The book is part of a series of books with the character Yasmin, illustrated by

Hatem Aly Hatem ( ar, حاتم) is a masculine Arabic given name, it may refer to: Given name * Hatem Ali, Syrian actor * Hatem Ben Arfa, French football player of Tunisian descent * Hatem Aqel, Jordanian footballer * Hatem Ali Jamadar, Bengali politic ...

. At the end of each book, a glossary of Urdu words, facts about Pakistan, and related activities are included. The Yasmin series has won numerous accolades, including Parents Magazine's Best Summer Reading Books for Kids 2019 and NPR's Best Children's Books of 2020. On August 11, 2020, the middle grade novel ''A Place at the Table'' was published, co-written by Faruqi and Laura Shovan. The book is about two 11-year-olds—Pakistani-American Sara and Elizabeth, who is Jewish—who develop a friendship after becoming cooking partners in class. Faruqi and Shovan embarked on this project as a way to address the dichotomy that arises in immigrant families between parents and grandparents born in the home country versus first generation children born in the adopted country. Food is an important theme in this novel, as a way to connect cultures, traditions and families. In 2021, ''A Place at the Table'' won the South Asia Book award highly commended title. On October 6, 2020, Faruqi published her first solo middle grade novel ''A Thousand Questions'' about eleven-year-old Pakistani American girl Mimi who visits Pakistan during summer vacation to meet her grandparents. There, she meets servant girl Sakina, and they form an unlikely friendship across class lines. ''A Thousand Questions'' won honor at the 2021 South Asia Book Awards and was a Washington Post KidsPost book club pick for summer 2021. Further, it was a Best Children's Books of 2021 by Bank Street College of Education, and A Mighty Girl 2020 Book of the Year. On September 7, 2021, Faruqi released ''Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero'', a middle grade novel highlighting the attacks of 9/11. This book focuses solely on the experiences of the Muslim American community during and after 9/11, a perspective she felt was missing from other children's books about the attacks. This book highlights Islamophobia, racism, white supremacy and a host of other themes through the eyes of twelve-year-old Yusuf, whose small Texas town is commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the attacks. Included in the novel are journal entries by Yusuf's uncle Rahman, who was a young boy in 2001. Y''usuf Azeem'' was one of School Library Journal's Best Middle Grade Novels in 2021. Faruqi has also written

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

books for young readers, aimed at removing

s of Muslims and presenting accurate information about their achievements. Included are ''Eid-al-Fitr Mad Libs'', and ''The Wonders We Seek: Thirty Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape The World'', co-written with her mother Aneesa Mumtaz.

Publications

Standalone books

* ''Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan'' (2015, ) * ''A Place at the Table'' (2020, Clarion Books, ) * ''A Thousand Questions'' (2020, Quill Tree Books, ) * ''Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero'' (2021, Quill Tree Books, ) * ''The Wonders We Seek: Thirty Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape the World'' with Aneesa Mumtaz, illustrated by Saffa Khan (2022, Quill Tree Books, ) * ''Rani's Remarkable Day'', illustrated by Anoosha Syed (2023, Clarion Books, ) * ''Saving Sunshine'', illustrated by Shazleen Khan (2023, First Second Books)

''Ali the Great'' series

The ''Ali the Great'' series is illustrated by Debby Rahmalia. * ''Ali the Great and the Paper Airplane Flop'' (2023, Picture Window Books, ) * ''Ali the Great and the Market Mishap'' (2023, Picture Window Books, ) * ''Ali the Great and the Eid Surprise Party'' (2023, Picture Window Books, ISBN 978-1-6663-9389-7) * ''Ali the Great and the Dinosaur Mistake'' (2023, Picture Window Books, ISBN 978-1-6663-9388-0)

Marya Khan series

The ''Marya Khan'' series is a chapter book series about a spunky eight year old Marya and her Pakistani American family. Other prominent characters include her arch-enemy Alexa, her best friend Hanna, and her third grade teacher Ms. Piccolo. This series is perfect for grades 3-4. It is illustrated by Ani Bushry''.'' # ''Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party'' (2022, Harry N. Abrams, ) # ''Marya Khan and the Fabulous Jasmine Garden'' (2023,

Amulet Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

, ) # ''Marya Khan and the Spectacular Fall Festival'' (2023,

, ) # ''Marya Khan and the Awesome Adventure Park'' (2023, Amulet Books, ISBN to come)

''Must Love Pets'' series

The Must Love Pets series is a lower middle grade series about a Pakistani American girl named Imaan who starts a petsitting business with her friends London and Olivia in order to convince her mother to let her keep a dog of her own. Each book in the series is about a different pet sitting client. Perfect for grades 3-5. # ''Friends Fur-Ever'' (2022, Scholastic Paperbacks, ) # ''Kitten Chaos'' (2022, Scholastic Paperbacks, ) # ''Bunny Bonanza'' (2023, Scholastic Paperbacks, ) # ''Dog's Best Friend'' (2023, Scholastic Paperbacks, )

''Yasmin'' series

The ''Yasmin'' series is Faruqi's most popular and best selling series. It features a seven year old Muslim girl named Yasmin, and her family, which includes her parents and grandparents. This is an early reader series for grades 1-2, and is illustrated by

. Some titles are also published in Spanish and French Canadian. # ''Yasmin the Builder'' (2018, ) # ''Yasmin the Explorer'' (2018, ) # ''Yasmin the Fashionista'' (2018, ) # ''Yasmin the Painter'' (2018, ) # ''Yasmin the Chef'' (2019, ) # ''Yasmin the Superhero'' (2019, ) # ''Yasmin the Teacher'' (2019, ) #Yasmin the Zookeeper (2019, ISBN 978-1-5158-4581-2) # ''Yasmin the Friend'' (2020, ) # ''Yasmin the Gardener'' (2020, ) # ''Yasmin the Soccer Star'' (2020, ) # ''Yasmin the Writer'' (2020, ) # ''Yasmin the Librarian'' (2021, ) # ''Yasmin the Recycler'' (2021, ) # ''Yasmin the Scientist'' (2021, ) # ''Yasmin the Singer'' (2021, ) # ''Yasmin the Detective'' (2022, ) # ''Yasmin the Doctor'' (2022, ) # ''Yasmin the Farmer'' (2022, ) # ''Yasmin the Ice Skater'' (2022, )

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Faruqi, Saadia Living people Writers from Karachi American writers of Pakistani descent Year of birth missing (living people) Pakistani emigrants to the United States 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers American women children's writers American children's writers University of Central Florida alumni Baker University alumni