Summary

Chapter 1 begins with Amina sitting in music class with her best friend, Soojin. Their music teacher, Ms. Holly, is asking for volunteers to perform a singing solo in a musical production. Soojin implores Amina to volunteer, but Amina’s shyness prevents her from doing so. Amina reminds Soojin of the time in second grade when Amina froze on stage during a monologue, so Amina has never used her voice in public ever since.

After the class, Soojin tells Amina that her family is going to receive American citizenship soon. Because of this, Soojin wants to change her name to something more American. As Amina questions Soojin’s desire to change her name, Emily, an ex-bully, approaches and begins to help Soojin come up with western names. Amina assumes that Soojin will brush her off given their history, but Soojin's excitement increases as Emily...