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Skunk Girl - KitaabWorld

Skunk Girl

$ 16.95

If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she's sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go something like this:

+2 points for getting excellent grades
–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister
+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High
–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers
+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage
–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she's not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back

In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and learns that it's possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy.

Sixteen-year-old Nina Khan feels like an outsider, and there are two things that she thinparticularly set her apart from others in her small town: her perfect older sister, Sonia, and the fact that she has inherited the “Pakistani hairy gene.” It’s bad enough that she has dark hair on her legs, arms, and face, but then she also grows a dark, downy stripe down her back. While this is understandably mortifying for a teenager, its importance dimishes when compared to the central issue of the book. Nina is a Muslim Pakistani-American, and her parents have very firm views on social behavior: she is not allowed to date or attend parties. She has always chafed at the restrictions, but she becomes even more resentful after she develops a mutual attraction with a handsome classmate. Nina stages a mild rebellion, which ends with deepened appreciation for her family’s cultural views. While some plot turnarounds come too easily, Karim’s first novel provides a rare exploration of Muslim culture and will be a welcome addition to teen collections. Grades 7-10. --Lynn Rutan

Age: 12 and up
Language: English
Format: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 240
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1 edition (March 31, 2009)
Author: Sheba Karim
Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.1 x 8.6 inches
ISBN-13: 978-0374370114

 


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