Sadia by @ColleenNelson14 @dundurnpress #forestofreading #redmaple

Sadia
Colleen Nelson
Dundurn Press

I loved the way Sadia successfully learns to navigate her new Canadian home and the love of basketball with her Muslim culture and traditions.  My favourite word I learned from this book was "dejabbing."  I think this would be a great read aloud in grades 6+ as it would generate some questions and conversations around equity and justice.
I felt Colleen created a very believable and relatable character in Sadia and her friends.  My students have really enjoyed reading this book as they loved the positive message! I appreciated the message that refugees arrive in Canada with different strengths and needs.  We need to remember to meet all of our students in our class where they are and not where we think they should be.  I suggest reading the memoir Homes by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung is a natural companion read to this novel. This Canada Reads finalist taught me more about the Syrian crisis.

Homes: A Refugee Story by Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, Winnie Yeung @fhbooks #Canadareads @cbcbooks

Homes

Abu Bakr al Rabeeah,  

Winnie Yeung

Freehand Books

I really enjoyed this nominated Canada Reads book as it helped me gain insight into the life of a Syrian family and their dangerous journey to Canada.  This was an excellent memoir to read as it taught me more about the Syrian crisis and I have developed more empathy and understanding.  The book is quite accessible for many readers and many I feel that students in grades 7+ could learn from it.  I would make a great read aloud as it would generate many conversations around social justice and gratitude for our Canadian lifestyle.  This memoir would have been very difficult to write as it would bring back difficult times and mastering the words to describe his experience would have seemed daunting.  I congratulate the writing team!
This is a great companion to Colleen Nelson's fictional novel Sadia.