Young Readers Edition
By Malala Yousafzai with Patricia McCormick
4RBooks: 6/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grades 5+
Good Reads: 4.35/5
Common Sense Media: 5/5, ages 10+
224 pages, including appendix and Pakistan historical timeline.
Synopsis:
Malala was once able to live a happy life with her family in Pakistan. She had great friends, a large and fun family, and was a stellar student at the school founded by her father. Unfortunately, that began to change when the Taliban began infiltrating the local community and forcing sharia law on everyone. Western culture is forbidden: music, dance, TV, movies, etc. Women must be covered from head to toe and aren’t allowed out of their homes without a family male escort. Girls are not allowed to go to school.
Many in the community and the Pakistani government fight back against these Taliban influence rules, and war breaks out in the area. Malala and her father fight to keep their school open and Malala becomes a spokesperson for girls’ education. This makes her a target for the Taliban, and she is shot.
Caring doctors and a concerned government make sure she gets taken to England to receive the surgical care she needs. She eventually recovers and continues her work to make educating girls around the globe a priority. She has become an international symbol and spokesperson, giving speeches at the United Nations and is the subject of numerous books and documentaries. She has started her own organization, the Malala fund, to support her endeavors.
“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”
Parental Guidance: medium for mature readers, medium-high for younger readers.
While not overly graphic, the horrors of war and Taliban rule are not down –
played: bombs, gunfire, murders, whippings, etc.
The reality of poverty is also detailed, Malala comes across children digging in the
trash heaps for food.
Malala is shot by the Taliban. Her injuries and surgeries are detailed.
Malala is Muslim so her descriptions of God and prayer are from that perspective.
Recommendation:
Many people are familiar with Malala’s story, but it is worth presenting to every new generation of students, especially girls. The story is compelling, important, and inspiring. This book should be available in every middle-school and high-school library. I wouldn’t put this in an elementary library because it would be too intense for K-4 students. 5th and 6th grade students could handle it with teacher or parent guidance.
Her faith and application of her faith is impressive, but Christian parents need to remember that it is based on the Muslim religion. She uses the term God, not Allah, but she is Muslim.
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