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knbee's review against another edition
4.0
This is a charming and funny coming-of-age story, one that I found very relevant to where we find ourselves now despite it taking place in the late 1970's. Zomorod is from Iran and is living with her family in Southern California during the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis. So, as a preteen, she’s dealing with the usual- friendships and school and boys- while also dealing with the unusual- a severely depressed mom and worries about her homeland and unkind neighbors. But there is a lot of hope here despite some hateful characters. Many open their arms to the family, welcoming them to a new place while also showing genuine interest in their home. Imagine the world if we all did that.
meghan_aine's review against another edition
5.0
I had an instant love affair with this book. Funny, with a protagonist whose enthusiasm for life is infectious as she navigates serious conflicts and middle school life in the shadow of the Iran hostage crisis. My students loved Nightbird, which has similar themes of displacement and migration, and I think they will eat this up.
ellsey's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Everyone should read this book. -Review by my 7 year old daughter who I read this to
nmichelotti's review against another edition
5.0
An important book with an ever more important message. A beautiful read especially in the world today with our current events. It made me smile & laugh and although below my reading level I learned so much! Recommend for everyone!
acourtofreading's review against another edition
4.0
This book was by no means the greatest middle-grade book I've ever read, there were times where I struggled to pay attention to the priorities of a 12-year-old girl. BUT I definitely think this is an important book for not just children to read, but adults as well. In this book, the reader gets a glimpse into the life of an Iranian immigrant family at a time where the world was against them, especially Americans. Reading this book allowed me to put myself into the shoes of a young Iranian girl who just wanted to fit in and tell the world that not all Iranians were like those that were always covered in the news. Sound a little familiar to current events?
nssutton's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite reads this year. The writing style a very Judy Blume vibe, which I couldn't quite place until I read the acknowledgements. It was also interesting to learn how much was autobiographical and realize what a love letter it was to the author's friendship with the real life Carolyn and Howie. Such a great book with a rich educators guide available on the author's website.
bgprincipessa's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this one!
Middle-grade historical fiction – “Cindy” (Zomorod) is an Iranian-American girl living in 1970s California during the Iran hostage crisis, and she’s the new girl at school - again. The story follows her life over the course of a few years of middle school, during which her father loses his job because of the relations between Iran & the US. Very funny and gives a good understanding of what it is like to live in the US when people don’t understand your culture – still true today – and about being a translator for your family. But it's also about how hard it can be to make friends and how valuable friendships can be.
I love her can-do attitude – even when she doesn’t understand something she just says “okay!” and figures it out later, like when she is first asked to babysit and agrees to it despite not having baby-sat outside the family before and knowing her parents wouldn't normally let her be alone in a house; or every time she doesn't understand a word and makes a note to look it up later.
There are a few bits that get cheesy or info-dumpy, but overall it works because Cindy is so genuine and honest. Definitely helped by the author's personal experience with some of the occurrences in the story.
Middle-grade historical fiction – “Cindy” (Zomorod) is an Iranian-American girl living in 1970s California during the Iran hostage crisis, and she’s the new girl at school - again. The story follows her life over the course of a few years of middle school, during which her father loses his job because of the relations between Iran & the US. Very funny and gives a good understanding of what it is like to live in the US when people don’t understand your culture – still true today – and about being a translator for your family. But it's also about how hard it can be to make friends and how valuable friendships can be.
I love her can-do attitude – even when she doesn’t understand something she just says “okay!” and figures it out later, like when she is first asked to babysit and agrees to it despite not having baby-sat outside the family before and knowing her parents wouldn't normally let her be alone in a house; or every time she doesn't understand a word and makes a note to look it up later.
There are a few bits that get cheesy or info-dumpy, but overall it works because Cindy is so genuine and honest. Definitely helped by the author's personal experience with some of the occurrences in the story.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
Booktalked this one to middle schoolers in Winter 2017.
We talked about pivotal days in your life - how some days you remember forever. Mine was 9/11. Some of the kids were days their parents told them they were getting a divorce, or major injuries. One said the Paris attacks of 2015.
For Zomorod/Cindy, it's the first day of the Iranian Hostage Crisis of the late 1970s.
It sounds very dramatic, but this book is more meandering than that. I read this book on lunch breaks from work, which might have colored my sense of the pacing - only reading in half hour chunks over months, instead of consuming it over a few evenings at home.
However, I did like the nitty gritty. How she talks about very universal struggles with fitting in within a new community, but adding on the difficulties of living in a different country from where you were born. And then liking a lot about the new place, but still not being recognized as someone who belongs there. Liminality is tough.
It's a thoughtful, honest book, about a character who's very concrete and smart in her thinking. It's sticking with me. Especially with all of the junk on the news this year.
We talked about pivotal days in your life - how some days you remember forever. Mine was 9/11. Some of the kids were days their parents told them they were getting a divorce, or major injuries. One said the Paris attacks of 2015.
For Zomorod/Cindy, it's the first day of the Iranian Hostage Crisis of the late 1970s.
It sounds very dramatic, but this book is more meandering than that. I read this book on lunch breaks from work, which might have colored my sense of the pacing - only reading in half hour chunks over months, instead of consuming it over a few evenings at home.
However, I did like the nitty gritty. How she talks about very universal struggles with fitting in within a new community, but adding on the difficulties of living in a different country from where you were born. And then liking a lot about the new place, but still not being recognized as someone who belongs there. Liminality is tough.
It's a thoughtful, honest book, about a character who's very concrete and smart in her thinking. It's sticking with me. Especially with all of the junk on the news this year.
abbymars's review against another edition
5.0
Whole family cried at the end of this book. I loved reading it together. It's 4th/5th grade reading level, but might be a rough solo read if your kid is an empath.