You look wonderful!

I'll admit that I don't know much about the practice of wearing the hijab (Muslim head scarf), and I'd never read a book on the subject, but I'm so glad I started with Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah. Amal is a 16-year-old Australian-Muslim-Palestinian (she freely states that she's "whacked with some seriously confusing identity hyphens") who goes to a prep school. She likes texting, fashion, and watching Sex in the City, and she's decided that she's ready to wear the hijab. The author does an amazing job of leading us through Amal's decision and consequences, staying true to a high-schooler's thought process and faith, without being preachy. Some parts of the book are funny and some are sad, but they all shed a beautiful light on a culture that's quite different from my own. Highly recommended for 8th grade and up.