 Loading...  | Strongest heart Author: Faruqi, Saadia | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
Mo has gotten used to tuning out his father's fits of rage. He knows the best way to respond is not to engage. Mama knows too and took an important job on the other side of the world, leaving Mo along with Abbu. Without Mama, Mo and Abbu move to Texas to live with Mo's aunt and cousin, Rayyan. There is a lot to like about living in Texas, but even with a warm home and a school where he can start to see a future, he knows that the monster his father has within him can break out at any moment.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.00 Points: 11.0 Quiz: 552932 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (03/01/25)
School Library Journal (+) (03/01/25)
Booklist (+) (00/03/25)
The Hornbook (+) (00/05/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 01/13/2025 Thirteen-year-old Mohammed Mirza believes that rather than admitting he’s struggling, it’s easier to pretend that he doesn’t care about anything-neither his unemployed Pakistani American father’s untreated paranoid schizophrenia, nor his white-cued scientist mother, who has abandoned the family for work in Greece. Then Abbu and Mo move from New York City to Houston, a change that prompts an extreme perspective shift for Mo. Now cohabitating with Abbu’s widowed sister, Naila Phupo, and her son, Rayyan, also 13, Mo feels like he’s seeing how "normal people" live for the first time. Because, to Mo, nothing about his life with Abbu is normal. "This is the story of the boy and the monster," Faruqi (the Holidays and Celebrations with Yasmin series) writes in a prologue, immediately setting the stage for this intensely gripping story in which Mo learns more about his father-and himself-and comes to terms with how Abbu’s mental illness affects their life and their relationship. Organic details about living with a mentally ill parent, informed by Faruqi’s own childhood, as addressed in an author’s note, make for a powerful and revealing read. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 03/01/2025 Gr 5 Up—Faruqi's latest takes a deep dive into what it's like living with a parent experiencing mental illness. Mo is an eighth grader with a secret: he lives with a monster. The monster, Abbu (dad), is prone to outbursts, criticizes Mo fiercely, hallucinates, and hears voices. His mom is in Greece helping refugee children, leaving Mo alone with the monster. When Mo and the monster go to live with his aunt and cousin, he slowly learns that Abbu has schizophrenia. As Mo adjusts to life in Texas, he deals with school bullies, bonds with his cousin, and navigates the anger and resentment he feels for his parents. With the help of his aunt, his biology teacher, and his growing Muslim faith, Mo starts to think maybe he's been wrong about his dad. When his dad is hospitalized following a really bad episode, Mo is forced to confront whether Abbu is really a monster or just ill. Faruqi draws on her own experiences with her father's mental illness and gives Mo the support she wishes she'd had via his aunt Naila, making this a story that will grip students from the beginning. Faruqi also uses the Middle Eastern folktales that Mo loves sharing to further explain the lessons he's learning. The scenes where readers see Abbu's episodes are written to show how scary they are for Mo without being overwhelming for middle school readers. VERDICT Recommended for its realistic depictions of mental illness, family struggles, and emotional growth, especially where writers like Jasmine Warga and others are popular.—Amanda Viau - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
