Farah Rocks Fifth Grade by Susan Muaddi Darraj
Illustrated by Ruaida Manaa
Stone Arch Books, January 2020.
Hardcover Chapter Book, 144 pages (w/ larger font, spacing, and margins)
Includes: Farah’s Holy Hummus Recipe, two glossaries: a Glossary of English Words, and a Glossary of Arabic Words.
Ages 8-12.
Things on Farah’s mind?
–Attending Magnet Academy (a school for “gifted” students) next year with her Official Best Friend Allie Liu.
–Her little brother Samir who experiences developmental delays after being born months premature.
–Her parents’ financial strain and increased hours at work.
Despite her awareness of family finances and the reality that Samir will spend more time in her care, she isn’t resentful or burdened. This is an unfortunately rare book where a sibling genuinely enjoys the other.
Enter the new girl: Dana Denver.
Immediate to her entrance on the bus we are presented with the crux of the book’s conflict. Dana targets Samir, and then Farah (who comes to his aid) + Dana is welcomed/accepted by whom we will come to learn is a popular girl and old friend of Farah’s. Everyone will come to find Dana to be sweet and sympathetic. Excuses will be made—some of them valid things to consider. Even the empathetic Farah struggles with her feelings about Dana’s situation. The novel will not dismiss Dana’s difficulties, but neither will it excuse her behavior.
The story through a series of sources acknowledges that Dana has stress-points: new state & school, parents recently separated, she’s really tall for her age group, red-headed (which she seemed defensive about), her grades are failing which threatens her place on the basketball team. Dana’s interactions with pretty much anyone who matters to Farah, other than her brother and his young disabled friends, are normal if not pleasant.
No one proves bothered enough by the bullying, or how/what the actions mean. Even when Farah’s concerns are not brushed aside by her Official Best Friend, they are by the adults—the one she should be able to tell, the one’s Allie encourages her to tell. Reporting a problem becomes confused with and compounded by the presence of a character who is a chronic tattler. Farah becomes frustrated and worse—afraid.
Farah is afraid of Dana for herself, but her primary concern is leaving Samir behind to fend for himself once she’s moved on to Magnet Academy. She’ll also justify her remaining at Harbortown by suggesting it will also benefit her parents. She’s going to try to sabotage her chances to get into Magnet and maintain a pretty serious mountain of lies. (Un)fortunately for Farah, she proves smart and capable in many areas… But it will all catch up with her.
“Dana Denver is ruining my life. She has me terrified to get on the bus every morning. She also has me failing my classes on purpose so I can stay at Harbortown and watch out for Samir. And now my Official Best Friend is dressing like her.
Why is everything suddenly so hard?
I used to love school. I used to have a best friend. now she’s abandoning me for the popular crew.”
Abandonment is a good theme to explore in this increasingly complex young reader. Abandonment to Farah is choosing the other side. After an earlier summer away, we learn that ex-best friend Bridget’s interests and choices diverged from Farah and Allie’s which is a common occurrence and doesn’t require judgement [even if we want to]. Divergence does not require choosing a “side” to be on. It is when Bridget did more than just want something else for herself, it’s when she turned against Farah. In some questionable need (reflex ?) to “other” or belittle/criticize in order to truly alienate/separate and empower/elevate/validate oneself, parts of who Farah is are demeaned by Bridget. The book will not equivocate on whether Bridget’s actions were excusable—they aren’t. In light of her past experiences with Bridget, Farah is extremely worried about Allie’s potential defection [and misses her own, by choosing not to go to Magnet]. Everyone wearing cowboy boots isn’t a commentary on cowboy boots, in the context of the story: it’s become a symbol of defection because Dana, the bully, wears cowboy boots. It signals an alignment in Farah’s mind; which will mean she is on her own.
Farah isn’t alone. There are a few people she could confide in and she doesn’t. The school counselor situation translates both as a new neighbor and new mom (who misses small details, e.g. stuck cheerio). What really emphasizes the downward spiral is that she doesn’t go with an option she shares early on in the narrative: her math teacher (whom she really has to lie to):
“Mr. Richie is African American, and he particularly worries about kids who aren’t white and how we’re doing at school. He tries to be extra aware in case someone makes us feel different, since there aren’t too many of us at Harbortown.”
She certainly doesn’t want to further concern her parents; there are the work hours, the not-meeting-expectations-of-going-to-Magnet-Academy; and the deceptions.
The climax to the novel is kinda beautiful—so it must involve Samir and the bus. It’s a lovely explosion that leads to a wonderful Important Talk between Mother and Daughter, between Father and Daughter, and between Official Best Friends. [I love Farah’s family and friends.] It will lead to a nice exchange and follow-up between school faculty members; although to my mind, the follow up with the faculty places the novel on the edge of message-y didacticism that can be painful or super-exciting depending on the adult/young reader. It’s the talking to the school faculty about bullying, its forms, her story. It was nearly too education. But then, it’s Farah who can and will do the next right thing and being marvelously courageous about it. It’s an author modeling how the conversation needs to be taken further in life and in middle-grade novels.
Farah will necessarily miss some opportunities, some insights, because she is a fifth-grade first-person narrator. That said, the Author will not write her as an unreliable narrator. Farah is observant, empathetic and intelligent; she is capable, reliable. I appreciate the mother’s response when Farah mentions how “Dana acts like an angel around grown-ups.” We all have known a Dana. So we are frustrated all over again at how Farah is left un-believed for so long. [She really should have confided in her kick-ass mom, says a mom.]
>>A note on our reliable narrator. It was something that struck me in the middle of the night after I read it. Farah does not use similes or metaphors (if she does, it isn’t remarkable (“puzzled expression”) and I’d have to reread rather than scan back over the novel). Any similes, metaphors, or analogies are used by other characters or in the narrative by the author herself. The mother likens their life to the labyrinth they are visiting. The implication of polishing stones, sitting down, the nest, or the labyrinth are placed there by the author. Farah’s speech doesn’t borrow or rely on anything other than what she sees; hers uses a clear, direct, informative tone. She often expresses having a problem with those who are overly/overtly dramatic: e.g. the tattle-tell, the physically combative siblings. Then there is her disdain at the misapplication of “denim” (such a beautiful moment). Farah isn’t a fanciful character, her imagination expressed in visions of studying Latin with her best friend. The author removes potential question marks that occur when exploring the reliability of a narrator; the necessity apparent when the first-person must be believed.
Farah Rocks Fifth Grade is an excellent high-empathy read. Farah is an astute first person perspective who is still very much a fifth-grade human being. She is surrounded by a good family and official best friend—however troubled her and Allie’s relationship had become. The characters are seen to be both flawed and good; Intelligent and young—attributes that needn’t require sides.
Farah is a good new character to join the ranks of young reader novels featuring a singular personality and their lovable supporting cast members. Many are excited that this book will begin a series—I’m one of them.
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Noted: That Farah is Palestinian American is exciting. I look forward to seeing her series fill historically white-occupied shelves. I appreciated the inclusion of Farah’s parents’ histories, their expectations, the recipe, the Arabic in-text-words and glossary, and Farah’s loving sense of humor about her father’s speech. Also, the addition of their religious life (St. Jude’s Orthodox church) and how that added the conversation of forgiveness and obligations to the story.
Too: The topic/content, novel length, spacing/size of words and margins, (and glossaries) will make this an excellent choice for reluctant readers and/or ESL students (child or adult). I see it as an ideal choice for a young reader’s book club; it should yield a lot of conversation, and it could accommodate busy, reluctant, or less-practiced readers.
For Readers of : Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan. Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale series; Cleary and Blume readers. Good for children who could do with the reminder that they are allowed to be the child and that their parents can be the parents.
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Susan Muaddi Darraj is an award-winning author of more than ten books, including two short story collections. She is an associate professor of English at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, and she also teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and Fairfield University. A native Philadelphian, Susan currently lives in Baltimore. She loves books, coffee, and baseball, and she’s mildly obsessed with stationery supplies.
My name is Ruaida Manaa, I am a Colombian/Lebanese Illustrator and Designer. My belief is that creativity comes from curiosity so I am constantly exploring and visually interpreting the world around me. I grew up in a multicultural family, surrounded by different languages, loud parties and delicious food! So culture and cultural exchange are definitely my greatest inspiration. I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Master of Fine Arts in Illustration. I am currently based in Barranquilla, Colombia, where I work with clients all over the world.
leslie d. 