Kareem Between

This heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh-grade Syrian American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle school.

Seventh grade begins and Kareem’s fall should be off to a great start. But he’s already fumbled it.

His best friend moved away, he bungled his tryout for the football team, and because of his heritage, he was voluntold to show the new kid—a Syrian refugee with a thick and embarrassing accent—around school. Just when Kareem thinks his middle school life has imploded, the hot-shot QB promises to get Kareem another tryout for the squad. There’s a catch: to secure that chance, Kareem must do something he knows is wrong.

Then like a surprise blitz, Kareem’s mom returns to Syria to bring her aging parents out of a war zone and to the United States. But a new executive order prevents her from coming home. If Kareem could throw a penalty flag on the fouls of his school and home life, it would be for Unnecessary Roughness.

Kareem is stuck between. Between countries. Between friends, between football, between parents—and between right and wrong. It’s up to him to step up, find his confidence, and navigate the beauty and hope found somewhere in the middle. 

About the Author
SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the National Book Award Winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and shares her favorite Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.

** Winner of the 2024 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
** A School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book of 2024
** A Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2024
** A PEOPLE Magazine Best Kids Book of 2024
** A Junior Library Guild Selection
** A Common-Sense Media Selection for Families