A football-loving, Syrian American Muslim boy must find the courage to confront feelings of being stuck in between the worlds of home, school, and wider society.

The start of seventh grade couldn’t have gone worse for Kareem. His best friend moved away, and Kareem was cut from the football team. His integrity is challenged when a chance for a spot on next year’s team comes with strings attached — helping Austin, the coach’s son, cheat by writing an essay for him.

Kareem’s desire to fit in also affects Fadi, the Syrian Christian refugee classmate his mom has asked him to help. Tensions rise when Kareem’s mom is stranded in war-torn Syria as she tries to bring his grandparents to the U.S. Now Kareem must find confidence at school, where xenophobic Austin bullies Fadi, and at home, where Mama’s absence is keenly felt.

The story is set during the 2016-17 school year, amid the build-up to then–President Donald Trump’s executive order affecting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria.

Author Shifa Saltagi Safadi uses line breaks, concrete poetry, and changes in the alignment of the text to powerfully and evocatively convey conflict between senses of identity and self and to accentuate the story’s action.

She seamlessly integrates football, literary, Islamic, and Arabic language references into the plot. The book’s messages of finding the confidence to stand up against injustice and be true to one’s heritage are critically expressed without feeling contrived.

This is a powerful coming-of-age story about standing up for what is right. It features a flawed protagonist who is sometimes hard to root for but always relatable. Written in punchy, brilliant verse, this book shines for highlighting a vital moment in U.S. history and showcasing what it looks like to correct one’s mistakes and find one’s voice in a time of chaos.

Safadi has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, teaches English language arts at a middle school, and reviews Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog.