It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel, by Firoozah Dumas

(Paperback, 384 pages, first published in 2017)

Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block...for the fourth time.

California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy.

It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home.

A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the bestselling Funny in Farsi.

• California Library Association’s John and Patricia Beatty Award Winner
  
• Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Grades 6–8)
  
• New York Historical Society’s New Americans Book Prize Winner
  
• Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature, Honorable Mention
  
• Booklist 50 Best Middle Grade Novels of the 21st Century
  

Cautions: Includes prejudice, some bullying, and cultural tension during the Iranian Revolution and U.S. hostage crisis. Themes of hiding one’s heritage and struggling to fit in may be sensitive for some readers. Balanced with humor and a hopeful ending. See Redeemed Reader review here.

Recommended Age: 10+