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Aarzu All Around

Autor Marzieh Abbas
en Limba Engleză Paperback – 27 aug 2026 – vârsta până la 12 ani

Imaginați-vă o fetiță de doisprezece ani care trebuie să aleagă între a frământa aluatul pentru roti perfect rotunde și a mânui crosa de cricket pe străzile prăfuite din Karachi. „Aarzu All Around” ne introduce într-o lume plină de un absurd dulce-amărui, unde o burtă falsă și un turban devin instrumentele necesare pentru ca o tânără să își salveze familia. Apreciem modul în care Marzieh Abbas reușește să transforme o situație disperată — nevoia de a plăti tratamentul medical al surorii sale — într-o aventură plină de spirit și curaj, sub nasul unui unchi care crede că locul fetelor este exclusiv în bucătărie.

Structura narativă echilibrează momentele de tensiune, în care Aarzu jonglează între școală, munca sub acoperire și antrenamentele secrete, cu pasaje lirice despre dorul de părinții pierduți. Spre deosebire de The Camel Library, unde autoarea a explorat accesul la educație prin fapte reale, acest roman de debut pentru categoria middle-grade folosește ficțiunea pentru a sublinia reziliența feminină. Observăm o evoluție a temelor autoarei către o zonă mai dinamică, păstrând însă ancorarea profundă în realitățile Pakistanului.

Copiii care au iubit Power Forward de Hena Khan vor găsi aici aceeași pasiune mistuitoare pentru sport și dorința de a sparge barierele culturale, într-un context marcat de o miză personală mult mai mare. Cartea nu este doar despre cricket, ci despre efortul de a-ți păstra identitatea într-un sistem care încearcă să te definească prin limitări. Ritmul este alert, iar ilustrațiile interioare alb-negru punctează vizual momentele cheie ale transformării lui Aarzu, făcând lectura accesibilă și captivantă pentru cititorii de peste 10 ani.

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Specificații

ISBN-13: 9781665970426
ISBN-10: 1665970421
Pagini: 384
Ilustrații: f-c matte cvr (spfx: spot gloss)
Dimensiuni: 130 x 194 x 16 mm
Ediția:Reprint
Editura: Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Colecția Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

De ce să citești această carte

Recomandăm această carte părinților care doresc să le ofere copiilor o perspectivă asupra curajului și solidarității fraterne. Cititorul câștigă o lecție valoroasă despre empatie și determinare, învățând că nicio barieră socială nu este de netrecut atunci când ești motivat de iubire. Este o poveste despre puterea de a-ți scrie propriul destin, chiar și atunci când regulile par scrise împotriva ta.


Despre autor

Marzieh Abbas este o voce distinctă în literatura pentru copii, stabilită în Pakistan, care se concentrează pe aducerea în prim-plan a culturii și tradițiilor locale prin povești universale. După succesul cărții ilustrate The Camel Library: A True Story from Pakistan, Abbas debutează în beletristica pentru preadolescenți cu „Aarzu All Around”. Stilul său se remarcă prin autenticitate și o înțelegere profundă a dinamicii familiale din Asia de Sud, reușind să traducă provocările sociale în termeni accesibili și plini de speranță pentru tinerii cititori din întreaga lume.


Descriere scurtă

“Heartfelt and triumphant.” —Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor–winning Author of Red, White, and Whole

A cricket-loving Pakistani girl stifled by patriarchal expectations disguises herself as a boy to get a job to pay her sister’s medical bills in this “lyrical action-packed debut full of determination and grit” (Reem Faruqi, award-winning author of Golden Girl).

Living with her aunt and patriarchal uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, recently orphaned twelve-year-old Aarzu detests the way she and her younger sister get treated like extras and excluded from all the fun stuff. Aarzu dreams of playing cricket, just like her male cousins and the neighborhood boys in the streets, but her uncle will hear nothing of it. According to him, girls ought to master the art of making round rotis, not play sports.

When her sister requires urgent medical treatment but finances are tight, Aarzu decides to earn money herself. She hears of a part-time job at a bungalow near her school—but it’s only open to boys. Aarzu has no choice but to disguise herself as a turban-wearing boy to get the gig.

Now, Aarzu must find a way to balance school, work, chores, and secret cricket practices—all without burning out or getting caught by her uncle—or else her dreams of making the girls cricket team and her quest to save her sister will crumble around her.

Notă biografică

Marzieh Abbas is a baker turned award-winning author. She loves adding magic to her creations, from a seven-layered rainbow cake to the books she writes for children all over the world. Her work is inspired by her Pakistani culture and Muslim heritage. Marzieh is a member of Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge and a graduate of the Lyrical Language Lab and Children’s Book Academy. She is the author of the popular chapter book series Nadia and Nadir and the middle grade novel Aarzu All Around. A Dupatta Is… is her debut picture book and she has several upcoming board and picture books. She occasionally writes under the name Marzieh A. Ali. Marzieh enjoys learning new skills, jumping rope, sipping chai, and observing nature. She dreams of owning a talking parrot someday. But until then, she lives in Pakistan with her husband and children who inspire her daily. You can find her on the web at MarziehAbbas.com.

Recenzii

Heartfelt and triumphant. Like a sharply bowled cricket ball, Aarzu All Around spins the story of an orphaned Pakistani girl’s efforts to overcome societal expectations and save her sister.
As skillful as an all-rounder, Abbas delivers a lyrical action-packed debut full of determination and grit. Underneath beautiful sensory details lies an empowering message: Never give up or take no for an answer. As a cricket fan, I’ve been searching for a feel-good story like Aarzu’s all my life!
"After Aarzu's beloved parents died in an earthquake, her life of cricket playing and relative
freedom were exchanged for a Karachi slum with her far more traditional relatives. Aarzu
desperately wants to try out for the junior girls’ league, but her uncle feels strongly that Muslim
girls belong indoors as homemakers and caretakers, so she’ll have to sneak in the sports. To
make things worse, her little sister’s health is deteriorating, so Aarzu decides to pose as a boy
and work at a nearby mansion to drum up treatment funds. Can she find a way to keep her
secrets while staying true to her beliefs, her family, and her own heart? The stirring story is told
through an incredible variety of poetic forms (readers will find the entire list of those constructions
in the back matter). Urgent, elegant language, mouthwatering descriptions, and the bustling
Pakistani setting make for an enthralling read, and watching Aarzu embrace her religion while
chafing against societal expectations is a thought-provoking process. A rousing read that affirms
the power of persistence and love."
Following her cricket player baba and educator mama’s deaths in an earthquake, 12-year-old Aarzu and her younger sister Sukoon move in with their aunt, uncle, and cousins in Karachi. Aarzu longs to follow in Baba’s footsteps, but while her uncle allows his sons to play cricket, the sisters must stay inside and assist their aunt with housework. When Sukoon—who lives with kidney disease—faces health complications, Aarzu determines to earn money for a transplant. She first heeds a friend’s advice that she sell roti, which Aarzu gamely practices making despite her poor culinary skills. Then a chance encounter sparks an idea, and Aarzu cuts her hair, disguises herself as a boy, and gains employment as a servant for a wealthy family, which, serendipitously, affords her an opportunity to play cricket. While earning money, cultivating new skills, and finally pursuing her passion, Aarzu learns hard truths about friendship. In her debut verse novel, Abbas (Excited for Eid) employs numerous poetry forms (acrostic, blackout, ghazal) to deliver an accessible tale about resilience as well as the comfort that earnest connection and following one’s dreams can bring. Opens with information about cricket; ample back matter, including a recipe and author’s note, conclude. Ages 8–12. (July)

Descriere

A middle grade Bend it Like Beckham in verse about one girl's journey to pay for her sister's medical treatments and prove that girls can play cricket just as well, or even better, than boys.