Once Upon an Eid by S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

Title: Once Upon an Eid

Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

Editors: S.K. Ali & Aisha Saeed

Publisher: Amulet Books

Age: 10 and up

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Islamic Content: Eid

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Concerns: music, alluding to a crush in one of the stories

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Summary/Review:

This middle grade book is an anthology of 15 Muslim stories that take the reader through an emotional roller coaster. From the moment I opened it, it kept me hooked within its pages, being tugged through the hopes and joys of Eid with each Muslim family. In this book the diverse background of the Muslim authors and their unique storytelling style truly peeks through every single one of their words. Some are light and joyful, others are deep and emotional but every one of these stories is wholesome and meaningful. The characters are not only from diverse backgrounds but also diverse in their family dynamics. It includes characters dealing with family rivalry, financial struggles, divorce, illnesses, loss, displacement, friendships, belonging, reverts, mixed families and multi-generational ones: all through which serves as a lens of what Eid joy looks like for each family and their unparalleled circumstance. While most stories are centered around Ramadan and Eid-ul Fitr, only one is set in Eid ul-Adha. A couple of them are told in poetry form and there is also an illustrated comic story included. One of them discusses a different sect and their struggle to belong. I am so grateful to see so many Islamic gems sprinkled throughout this book. Although this is intended to be a middle grade book, every reader of all ages will be drawn to the incredibly moving stories in this anthology. It is one of those books that you'll be glad to have added to your bookshelf and it will never run its course.

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