Samira Surfs
What's Samira Surfs About
A middle grade novel in verse about Samira, an eleven-year-old Rohingya refugee living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, who finds strength and sisterhood in a local surf club for girls. Samira thinks of her life as before and after: before the burning and violence in her village in Burma, when she and her best friend would play in the fields, and after, when her family was forced to flee. There’s before the uncertain journey to Bangladesh by river, and after, when the river swallowed her nana and nani whole. And now, months after rebuilding a life in Bangladesh with her mama, baba, and brother, there’s before Samira saw the Bengali surfer girls of Cox’s Bazar, and after, when she decides she’ll become one. Samira Surfs, written by Rukhsanna Guidroz with illustrations by Fahmida Azim, is a tender novel in verse about a young Rohingya girl’s journey from isolation and persecution to sisterhood, and from fear to power.
What Kind of Book is Samira Surfs
Topics
Writing Styles
Genres
Locations
Race, Ethnicities, & Nationalities
Religions
What Should I Know As a Parent
Families are unique and have different expectations for the books they choose to read. The following are concepts included in this book that some parents may wish to seek out or avoid.
Note that this list is not exhaustive and there may be concepts in this book that are not included or have been insufficiently or incorrectly detailed here.
Reviews
Such an engaging story and valuable introduction to the Rohingya refugee crisis. Really terrific work of historical fiction. Meaningful friendships, coming of age experiences, and cultural exposure. Also a good intro to novel-in-verse.
Book Lists That Include Samira Surfs
The Creatives Behind the Book
Rukhsanna Guidroz was born in Manchester, England. With a Persian-Indian father and a Chinese mother, Rukhsanna was always drawn to traveling to faraway places. After studying French at King’s College, London, and political science at the Sorbonne, Paris, she left for the steamy shores of Hong Kong. There, she worked as a reporter for the Hong Kong Standard daily newspaper, and later as a producer of the current affairs show Hong Kong Today for RTHK’s Radio 3. She also wrote features for in-flight magazines for China Airlines, Qantas, and Emirates. Inspired by all her life experiences from Europe to Asia, and now to Hawaii, Rukhsanna has many written adventures to share.
What Has Rukhsanna Guidroz Said About This Book
Nothing yet! Let Rukhsanna Guidroz know that you want to hear from them about their book.
What Has Fahmida Azim Said About This Book
Nothing yet! Let Fahmida Azim know that you want to hear from them about their book.
More Books From These Creatives
Similar Books to Samira Surfs
Book Details
- ISBN
- 9781984816214
- Publication Date
- June 7, 2022
- Publisher
- Kokila
- Original Publication Date
- June 29, 2021
- Page Count
- 416
- Word Count
- 31980
- Audience
- Middle Grade
- Reading Age
- 8 - 12 years
- Lib. of Congress (LCCN)
- 2021931136
- Lexile® Level
- 680L
- Est. Fountas & Pinnell Level
- ~P
- Est. ATOS® Book Level
- ~4.4
Contribute to this page
More than halfway there—keep going!
Just the barebones.
Are you the author or illustrator? Claim your book.