July 2014 Debut of the Month Boys, homework and family – Zeynab has all the usual concerns of any girl her age. But Zeynab has another thing to think about which is perhaps most important of all. Does she want to live with the expectations of her Muslim family or does she want to be more like her friends at school? And can she be both? Zeynab – and her family – think that she can but how much negotiation will it take to get the balance right? Zeynab’s journey towards adulthood is kindly explored.
A Piece of Passion from Barry Cunningham, Publisher, Chicken House To be honest, I’m sometimes still scared of other cultures. When people look different, believe in different things and eat food I’ve never heard of, I worry they might feel the same about me, and we won’t have a good time. But Colette Victor’s cool story shows how friends can be really good at making all kinds of differences fit together, even if everything starts out scary – in the end we don’t have to be the same to get on really well!
Zeyneb is like any other thirteen-year-old British girl, juggling the demands of her social life, school work and family. But as a Muslim girl attracted to a non-Muslim boy she has more difficult choices and one very big decision. Now a woman in the eyes of her religion, she must decide if she will wear a headscarf. Zeyneb wants to make the right choice, not just for her family or friends, but for herself.
Colette Victor moved from South Africa to Belgium with her husband and children in 2001. She works as a community worker during the day and spends any spare time she can possibly find writing. Colette is a debut children’s author.
