Alina Butt and her family have recently moved to the UK from Pakistan. Her father manages a small store, and their family lives in the apartment above it. Alina is plagued by typical adolescent worries: being liked, fitting in, having embarrassing parents, not having the right material trappings, etc. Most of all, she is bothered by her last name, which attracts the attention of a bullying classmate. Alina's problems are largely self-inflicted. She has a fun group of friends, a loving family, and teachers who look out for her. Meanwhile, her family has to contend with more serious matters, including her sister being harassed by a boy. Through a series of events, Alina develops a sense of perspective that allows her to see beyond her own problems. She is an endearing, spunky protagonist whose personality is realistically developed. Ultimately, she learns to recognize her many good qualities, and all the issues are neatly resolved.

An awkward Pakistani Muslim sixth grader learns to love every part of herself.For her first few weeks at Greenhill Middle School, all Alina Butt wants to do is to move home to Pakistan. Her family has moved cities several times since they immigrated to England in 1998, three years ago, and Alina still longs for her beloved family and misses being in a place where she fits in-and where her surname isn't material her classmate Adam Atkins can use to torment her. Things start looking up when she befriends Emma, Kayla, and Vaani, who instantly understand her quirky humor and who bond over a shared love of the Spice Girls. With their help, Alina tries out for the lead in the school play, a feminist adaptation of Cinderella. But when Emma and Adam are cast as the leads and Alina is cast as a mouse, her jealousy threatens to undo all the progress she's made. It's only after a series of unlikely encounters with bullies-Alina's sister's bully and her own-that Alina realizes that she's growing into someone she just might like. In this charming, tightly plotted debut, Alina's witty, vulnerable narratorial voice guides readers through her intensely authentic personal evolution. The plot is further served by a cast of supporting characters, each of whom is full of surprises. Adam and Emma read White, Vaani is of Indian heritage, and Kayla is described as having curly black hair.An insightful coming-of-age novel. (Fiction. 9-13)

Gr 4–6 —Alina Butt finds her last name embarrassing. It makes her the target of bullying by classmates. On top of that, she's just started at her fourth new school in three years after moving from Pakistan to Great Britain. While her family seems to have settled in just fine, Alina struggles to find friends. She enjoys her kindergarten-age brother but envies her sister Nadia's ease with people; at least until she discovers that Nadia has troubles of her own, including a boy who keeps harassing her. Eventually, Alina makes friends using her trademark humor and kindness. After trying out for the school play, Alina finds herself playing a mouse in a fractured fairy-tale version of Cinderella, with her good friend Emma playing the lead. To her dismay, the boy who has been bullying her, Adam, plays Prince Charming. Jealousy leads Alina to make some unkind choices before she finds her voice standing up for her little brother. She learns there's more to Adam than she thought, and she's braver than she believed. This charming, eye-opening book highlights not only the struggles of an immigrant girl, but the power that comes from seeing things through someone else's eyes. VERDICT A general purchase where coming-of-age stories that work well for striving readers are needed.—Heidi Grange