An emotional tale of a family's grief and healing full of courage and hope -Kirkus Reviews
Faruqi renders this tender story of loss with a deft hand employing vivid details surrounding
Adnan's Pakistani Muslim identity . . . and nuanced characterizations to present a tear-jerking
ode to family. -Publishers Weekly (starred review) A realistic moving exploration of family
loss and healing. -ALA Booklist Faruqi takes on the difficult subject of family loss with
beauty and grace in her gentle lyrical style. She allows Adnan a young table tennis
enthusiast to go through grief while holding not just sadness but love and joy in an honest
and nuanced story that is ultimately filled with hope. -Veera Hiranandani Newbery Honor author
of The Night Diary For fans of Planet Omar and The Ethan I Was Before award-winning Pakistani
author Reem Faruqi of Unsettled delivers a middle grade novel in verse about table tennis
player Adnan who dreams of the championship and a fun-filled family trip to Florida. But when
tragedy strikes he and his family must cope with a terrible loss and come together as one
again. This poignant story about a Muslim family learning to heal is hope-filled and moving.
Adnan Zakir loves table tennis. He's also colorblind and left-handed and has a fondness for the
aviation alphabet. He's super close with his sister Aaliyah who is a great dancer and
memorizer of the Quran and he loves his little toddler brother Rizwan who only wants to grow
up and play table tennis like his big brother. All Adnan dreams of is making it to the Ultimate
Table Tennis Championship in Florida and if he qualifies for the tournament he knows he will
get to spend the Eid holiday with his cousins. But when the family travels there unthinkable
tragedy strikes and Adnan swears he'll never play table tennis ever again. Slowly he and his
family must learn to make peace and move forward as a family. A Junior Library Guild Gold
Standard Selection pick! A Cybils Finalist Award for Poetry!
