Aarzu All Around

Gr 6 Up–Abbas includes seven poetry types, a taste of cricket, a glimpse into the Muslim faith, and the realities of living in a developing country with a patriarchal culture in her most recent work. Twelve-year-old Aarzu and younger sister Sukoon were orphaned a year ago and taken in by an uncle and aunt. However, the family dynamic does not favor the sisters or women. Sukoon is barely five and needs a kidney transplant, yet emotionally explosive Uncle Khaloo refuses to pay for any medical care. Aarzu and her aunt seek to raise funds unbeknownst to anyone, even each other. Aarzu’s disguise for employment as a boy is found out and she is grounded for two weeks. Thus, she sadly misses the tryouts for the girls cricket team. The ending chapters are fast-paced and tie a neat bow as Aarzu does end up making the cricket team, and her family moves in to work for the family who employed Aarzu. With its ambitious attempt to cover numerous plot points through different poetic forms, this novel may be slow to engage readers. The emphasis on the specifics of cricket may also be a challenge for those unfamiliar with the sport. In addition to the word art and poetry, artist Prabhat has graced the pages with grayscale illustrations. Included is a glossary of terms for cricket, the local Pakistani dialect, and Muslim terminology.