National Book Award Winner: Kareem Between

Kareem Between is a sympathetic portrait of a 7^th-grader born to Syrian refugees, who can’t feel himself fully American or fully Syrian.

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2024, 324.

Reading Level: Middle Grade, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-14

In the Quran it says/ you’re supposed to say/ insha Allah/ if you want/ something /to happen.

More than anything, Kareem wants football to happen—first a place on his school’s varsity team and ultimately on the Chicago Bears. The first Syrian-American in the NFL! What could be more American than that? He’s never known any other country, but Kareem doesn’t always feel American, especially when the class jock keeps pointing out his heritage. He doesn’t really belong to Syria either, unlike his parents who fled their native country’s political turmoil. His older sister insists on wearing a hijab and can be strident about it (as well as bossy to little brother).

Now that there’s a bloody civil war going on in the homeland, Mama is concerned about her parents caught in the crossfire. And there’s a new kid at school named Fadi, a Syrian refugee with a thick accent and minimal English, who’s assigned to Kareem as a buddy. And football tryouts are coming up, and Kareem doesn’t have a prayer of replacing the designated quarterback, who happens to be the coach’s son (as well as a jerk). Worst of all, the new President of the USA has instituted a “Muslim ban” which may threaten his relatives trying to escape a perilous situation. Kareem desperately wants to fit in, but where does he fit?

This classic middle-grade dilemma gets a new twist with the immigrant/refugee theme and the verse format. The author often uses semi-concrete verse forms, such as curvy sentences to designate a snaky hiss or spread-out letters for a long pass. (She appears to know her NFL terms, too.) Where religion is concerned, Fadi identifies himself as a Christian, reminding readers that not all middle-eastern natives are Muslim. Nevertheless, Fadi doesn’t draw any distinctions between his faith and Kareem’s and uses the word Allah for the Christian God. This may be confusing to readers, so some sorting-out may be in order. The “Muslim ban” instituted by Donald Trump in the early days of his first term was short-lived and not well-conceived in the first place, but it’s easy to understand the view of nationalized Muslims. Its repeal showed America remaining true to its promise. Kareem Between won this year’s National Book Award for youth fiction, and is a fine example of its genre.

Bottom Line: A thoughtful, well-written exploration (with plenty of football) of an immigrant family adjusting to a new culture while keeping one foot in the old.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Sports novels (and other novels) with Muslim protagonists include Freestyle, Shirley and Jamilla Save Their Summer, The Sky at Our Feet (starred review), and Power Forward.
• Resource: See our list of Sports Books that Pack a Punch!

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