School Library Journal Review
Gr 6--10--Huda and her sisters are excited about their upcoming trip to Florida. They'll endure the 24-hour car ride from their home in Dearborn, MI, knowing Disney World is on the other end. Leaving home, where they are part of a large and visibly observant Muslim community, means they'll now be in a far different place. Seeing people drink beer or show affection in public is a new and awkward experience. Huda and her sisters are subjected to stares and rude questions. Regardless, they deal with the discomfort and understand their right to practice their religion, including praying in public. The sisters enjoy exploring everything Disney World has to offer. Huda makes some questionable decisions while navigating this unfamiliar environment; one leads to a scary situation. Although it's a fun trip overall, Huda questions why their parents would bring them to a place where so much of what goes against their beliefs is on display. Huda gets her answers and learns more about her family in the process. This follow-up to Huda F Are You? is a delightful story, even when addressing difficult issues. Picturing a tiny "Thoughtful Huda" and "Selfish Huda" on Huda's shoulders as she wrestles with decisions is one way the creator employs humor in both narrative and art without lessening the impact of what the girls face. VERDICT This strong addition to any collection wraps messages about stepping into new experiences while staying true to yourself within a funny, enjoyable story.--Carla Riemer
Kirkus Review
In this follow-up to Huda F Are You? (2021), Egyptian American Huda and her family take a summer vacation. Huda isn't looking forward to the summer after ninth grade, until her father announces that they'll be going to Disney World--sans sister Amani, who's excited for her Quran intensive. But the 24-hour road trip from Michigan hardly nurtures close sisterly bonds as her parents intended. Instead, four sisters and two parents are packed into annoyingly tight quarters, using rest stops to eat, make ablutions, and pray with all eyes on them. Wishing she could just blend in, Huda is further discomfited by the prevalence of revealing clothing, alcohol consumption, and public intimacy at the theme park--not to mention their parents' buddy system of assigned pairs of sisters for each day. Huda makes a literary connection with Kylie, a white girl she meets while waiting in line. But when Kylie's bigoted friends harass Huda and her youngest sister for their Islamic practices and one boy makes unwanted advances, the fallout leads to Huda's learning something important about her older sister and reinforces her family's belief in having the right to joy and claiming their place as Muslim Americans. Comedic and poignant, Fahmy's narrative captures universal feelings of fluctuating confidence and self-deprecation, the ups and downs of family dynamics, and the growing awareness of siblings' humanity outside the family unit. The cartoonlike, full-color artwork is dynamic, with simplified features that accentuate facial expressions. Delightfully heartwarming. (making a graphic novel) (Graphic fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In a follow-up to Huda F Are You? (2021), Fahmy turns the focus on Huda's sometimes-stormy relationship with her sisters. During a family road trip to Orlando, which their mother repeatedly tells them is a bonding opportunity, Huda and her sisters explore the Disney parks, tussle over who's taking up too much space, experience Islamophobia, and--eventually--find ways to help one another out of various jams. Fahmy's signature simplified cartooning style softens some of the tougher moments the sisters encounter, while still enabling her quick, sharp humor to stick the landing. The sisters' varied personalities come through, especially in how they individually feel about being visibly Muslim in a place where they're in the minority. Conflicts about how to react to racism and prejudice--e.g., Huda's inner monologue about whether to accept an apology from a new friend is much more frank and pointed than what she actually says--are neatly folded into the plot. Hand to any tween fan of contemporary family stories, especially fans of Fahmy's first book.
