Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan

Take a look at the labels I have assigned to this post - curiosity, friendship and fear.

Safiyyah lives in the mosque in Paris. The German army have marched into the city. Luckily, they are not persecuting the Muslim residents of Paris and people are still able to attend the mosque. Safiyyah's father works at the mosque and her family live in one of the apartments. Everyone is living in fear. Safiyyah has two dreadful encounters with soldiers on her way to school and on her way to deliver medicine to an elderly Jewish man. 

Safiyyah's parents, especially her father, are smuggling Jewish people out of the city. Safiyyah becomes a messenger, so she has even more reason to be dreadfully afraid. Luckily, she is an intelligent girl and also luckily, she is incredibly curious. This means she finds out many more details about the rescue of Jewish people who are using the mosque so they can then escape to safety. She knows many more details than her father would have ever planned to tell her. Near the end of the book this information becomes vital as the men including her father are detained in the main prayer room and it is now up to Safiyyah to help over fifty people urgently escape. The tension in this book is so real and certainly keeps you turning the pages.

As with all the best books for Middle Grade and Upper Primary readers about the events of World War II, this book is told as a first-hand account from the point of view of a young child. I have added a few others at the bottom of this post including some special picture books that I used to share with my Grade Six students.

'Safiyyah's War has the soul of a classic & the urgency of a story for our times. A tale of tolerance, unthinkable bravery, and heart-in-mouth true events. I loved this book' - Kiran Millwood Hargrave

'All at once, Safiyyah's War broke my heart and filled me with immense hope. With its unforgettable characters and exquisite storytelling, this really is an extraordinary book' - A F Steadman

'Safiyyah is a protagonist I was rooting for all throughout; a lovely, kind-hearted girl whose story filled me in turns with despair and joy. This book shines through with kindness and empathy at its very heart' - Nizrana Farook

This is a high-octane venture suffused with sheer terror that Safiyyah’s family’s activities will be discovered by the wrong people. There are two important relationships which stand out, particularly the evolution of Safiyyah’s interactions with her father and of her growing respect for him and his work. The other one is with her beloved grandmother, Setti, who exerts a calming and wise presence and has some of the most profound ideas of the novel. Historical Novel Society

This is both a gripping and moving novel. Hiba Noor Khan brings her detailed research to life and introduces us to many less familiar aspects of occupied Paris. The plot is full of suspense and builds to a thrilling climax. Safiyyah is a courageous and compassionate heroine who reminds us that anybody can make a difference. Just Imagine (read this review for more plot details)

Listen to an audio sample from chapter one page 3.

Companion book:

Beyond Belief

You could type any of these titles into my search bar - all of these would be fabulous to share with a reader aged 10+ who has read Safiyyah's War or who has an interest in the events of  World War II.

One Wish by M.O. Yuksel illustrated by Mariam Quaraishi

One wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University

"Fatima knew the best way to help her community was to build a school where students, especially the poor and the refugees, could live and study for free."

I can hear the founder of IBBY - Jella Lempman cheering over these words. And these words too:

"Fatima knew her school was like planting a single seed that would continuously bloom with each student who studied there. Her school, which was also a mosque and a library, opened its arms ready to serve the community."

I hope this amazes you when I tell you Fatima built her school in the year 859. That's 1200 years ago! In 1963 it became part of the Moroccan state university system. 

My wish is that every library could have a rich collection of biographies such as this one which comes from the exceptionally well-stocked school library I visit each week. Every time I read one of the biography titles from this library, I learn something new and amazing and this one - One Wish - is no exception. These hardcover biography titles are somewhat expensive but I think they are a good investment. If you have students in your school with a Muslim background this book is one you should seriously consider purchasing. There are extensive end notes in this book with a bibiography, timeline, author's note and glossary.

Read more about Fatima al-Fihri:

• Teach Mideast
• Bright Insight
• Odyssey Traveller

Take a look at this biography picture book Pinterest. 

Read this interview with Mr Schu about One Wish. The illustrator says:

Nonfiction picture books are a window into history and an introduction to unknown heroes like Fatima al-Fihri and other ordinary people who have contributed to humanity in extraordinary ways; heroes who have illuminated our world and continue to do so even to this day.

And the author says:

Writing biographies or becoming an author was not on my radar at the time but Fatima was a personal hero I kept tucked away in my heart. When I began writing picture books in 2015 as a result of seeing a gap in the marketplace for Muslim voices, that’s when Fatima al-Fihri and my desire to write a biography about her surfaced. We need stories about women who have changed the world for the better, especially stories about underrepresented women who are often stereotyped, misunderstood, and maligned in our current society.

An inspiring profile of a tenacious trailblazer that highlights the power of knowledge. Kirkus

Who could not love a book about a girl whose first spoken word was “read”? Add this biography to any collection looking to be well rounded when it comes to women’s history. School Library Journal