Set against the backdrop of Karachi, Pakistan, Saadia Faruqis tender and honest middle grade novel tells the story of two girls navigating a summer of change and family upheaval with kind hearts, big dreams, and all the right questions.

Mimi is not thrilled to be spending her summer in Karachi, Pakistan, with grandparents shes never met. Secretly, she wishes to find her long-absent father, and plans to write to him in her beautiful new journal.

The cooks daughter, Sakina, still hasnt told her parents that shell be accepted to school only if she can improve her English test scorebut then, how could her family possibly afford to lose the money she earns working with her Abba in a rich familys kitchen?

Although the girls seem totally incompatible at first, as the summer goes on, Sakina and Mimi realize that they have plenty in commonand that they each need the other to get what they want most.

This relatable and empathetic story about two friends coming to understand each other will resonate with readers who loved Other Words for Home and Front Desk.