Amal

Amal is 12 years old, the daughter of Malik and Mehnaz, and the sister of Seema, Rabia, Safa, and Lubna. She dreams of becoming a teacher and enjoys nothing more than reading and learning from books. Amal stays late after school to help her teacher, Miss Sadia, tidy the classroom and plan upcoming lessons. Amal’s best friend is a boy named Omar who lives in the shed behind her family’s home and works as their servant. Though Mehnaz discourages Amal from spending time with Omar, she secretly visits him behind her father’s fields. Omar lends Amal books from his school library and agrees to read them too, so she can discuss them with someone. When Amal’s family and neighbors express disappointment at the sex of Mehnaz’s new baby, Amal must confront the reality of sexism and female oppression in her community. As the novel...