Muslim students make up a significant and growing portion of classrooms across the United States, and most of them spend twelve years in school without ever encountering a book where the main character shares their faith. The research on what this costs children is consistent: students who do not see themselves in the stories they read tend to develop a relationship with reading that is functional at best and adversarial at worst. For Muslim students, this gap is almost entirely addressable. The books exist. They just need to get into classrooms.
This guide is for the teachers and librarians who want to change that.
Where to Start: The Highest-Impact Titles by Grade Level
Grades K to 2: Ramadan Around the World by Ndaa Hassan is the most versatile classroom book we carry for this age group. It introduces children to the global Muslim community across cultures and geographies, and it works equally well for Muslim students who recognize their own traditions and for non-Muslim students encountering those traditions for the first time. Yasmine's Belly Button and Secret Recipe Box both handle connection and community through gentle, funny stories that any young child can enter.
Grades 3 to 5: The Planet Omar series by Zanib Mian is the most frequently requested series we carry for this age group, and for good reason. Omar is a funny, imaginative Muslim boy navigating school, friendship, and family in a way that feels completely real. For students who prefer something quieter, Anisa's International Day by Reem Faruqi handles cultural identity and friendship fracture with unusual honesty.
Grades 6 to 8: Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi is a National Book Award finalist told in verse, about a Syrian American seventh grader navigating loyalty, football, and a mother stranded abroad. It is the kind of book that English teachers reach for because it is genuinely good literature that also happens to center a Muslim protagonist. The Kaya Girl by Mamle Wolo and Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf both bring Muslim characters into adventure and fantasy contexts that expand what students think of as Muslim stories.
Grades 9 to 12: Better, Not Bitter by Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, belongs in every high school library. Tagging Freedom by Rhonda Roumani pairs well with any unit on the Arab Spring, civil rights, or the cost of resistance. A Temporary Gift by Asmaa Hussein is appropriate for mature high school readers and handles grief, faith, and loss with a precision that most adult memoirs do not achieve.
For Ramadan and Eid Units
If you are preparing a classroom celebration or unit around Ramadan, our Ramadan and Eid collection is the most comprehensive curated selection available from a single source. We can also support school book fairs timed to the season. Contact us to discuss scheduling.
For School Libraries
If you are building or expanding a school library collection to better reflect your Muslim students, we recommend starting with three anchors: one picture book collection for the early grades, one series for middle grades (Planet Omar or Marya Khan), and one young adult title for the upper grades. From there, the collection grows naturally based on what students request.
Maktabah brings book fairs to Islamic schools and community organizations across the United States. Every title is selected with intention. If your school is interested in hosting one, visit our contact page.