Ramadan books are wonderful, and we carry a lot of them. But Muslim children need books all year — stories where Muslim characters exist in full lives that are not organized around a single holiday. Here are ten titles we reach for when we want to put something meaningful in a child's hands in February, or July, or any ordinary Tuesday.
1. Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
A seventh grader stuck between football tryouts, his best friend moving away, and his mom stranded in Syria. Told in verse, National Book Award finalist, and entirely about what it costs to be a kid trying to do the right thing. Islam is the water the story swims in — present without being the subject.
2. The Great Hair Exchange by Asmaa Hussein
Twin sisters Roda and Bushra switch hairstyles before school, and the chaos that follows is both funny and genuine. A story about identity and how Allah made each of us distinctly, without anyone saying those words out loud.
3. Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
A thirteen-year-old in Malaysia breaks the rules of the jungle on her birthday and ends up responsible for setting things right with a very large weretiger. Fantasy rooted in Malaysian Muslim culture, with a protagonist who is tired and funny and brave in the specific way that thirteen-year-olds are.
4. Nusaiba and the 5th Grade Bullies by Asmaa Hussein
Nusaiba hears something cruel said about her mother in a school hallway and has to find her way back to herself. Named after Nusaiba bint Ka'b, the Companion — a detail worth discussing with children when you read it.
5. Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun by Hena Khan
Zara Saleem runs her neighborhood and wants to break a Guinness World Record. Hena Khan is the most reliable author working in Muslim middle-grade right now, and this series is her most purely joyful work.
6. Call Me Adnan by Reem Faruqi
Adnan loves table tennis and the aviation alphabet and his family, and then something terrible happens, and he has to figure out how to keep going. A quietly devastating book that handles grief with unusual honesty.
7. Elephant's Makeover by Rukhsana Khan
An elephant decides to swap her body parts for prettier ones borrowed from other animals. What she finds afterward is better than what she was looking for. Rukhsana Khan is one of the foundational voices in Muslim children's literature, and this book earns its place.
8. Anisa's International Day by Reem Faruqi
Anisa brings her mother's samosas to school for International Day and discovers that someone else had the same idea. A book about friendship fractures and the particular embarrassment of being seen, resolved with warmth and no shortcuts.
9. The Secret Recipe Box by Helal Musleh
Maha's grandmother travels from Palestine to Canada carrying recipes and memories, and Maha has to decide what to do with something she wants to keep entirely for herself. A story about generosity that doesn't force the lesson.
10. Tagging Freedom by Rhonda Roumani
Two cousins on opposite sides of the Arab Spring — Kareem in Damascus, Samira in the United States — whose choices collide. For older middle grade and young adult readers who are ready for a book that treats the world as complicated.
All ten are in stock at Maktabah. If you want recommendations by age or reading level, visit our contact page and ask.