Kirkus Starred Review for Hatem Aly's THE BOLDEST WHITE

From the award-winning team of THE PROUDEST BLUE and THE KINDEST RED comes THE BOLDEST WHITE – which shares main character’s Faizah’s story in learning how to overcome her fears and stand tall in front of a crowd. Written by Olympic gold medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali, and illustrated by Hatem Aly!

The official publication day isn’t until September 24th, but the reviews have been flying in. Check out this STARRED review from Kirkus below:

Olympic fencer Muhammad, co-author Ali, and illustrator Aly team up for another tale about young Faizah. Faizah adores summer Fridays, attending Jummah prayers at the mosque with her mom and big sister, Asiya. Faizah loves fencing lessons, too—except when she must perform in front of her peers. Are they staring at her because she’s messing up? Faizah prefers to fade into the background: at the mosque, she feels safe in the crowd behind the imam, and at home, she shadows Asiya’s fencing moves. When the coach asks if she’ll compete in the fencing tournament, Faizah is reluctant. But after her mom imparts some wise words on courage (“Water the roots for the right reasons, and bravery will grow. Exactly when you need it to”), Faizah learns step by step how to show her skills in front of people, so that when it’s the right time to be bold, she can step out from the crowd. This heartwarming story centering a Black Muslim family and their community showcases lessons from Muhammad—the first Muslim American woman to wear a hijab while competing in the Olympics—about fitting in, faith, and confidence. With Eid on the horizon for Faizah and her family, her busy summer days and anticipation of the holiday result in a vividly depicted milestone in a young girl’s life. Aly’s energetic illustrations reach new heights with compositions that get inside Faizah’s mind and heart. A winning tale to be shared over and over!

Pre-Order your copy now! Published by Hachette / Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.