Hail Mariam

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Author(s)

Huda Al-Marashi

Publisher

Kokila

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

February 24, 2026

ISBN

979-8217112968

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Hail Mariam is an interfaith Muslim take on Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret drawn from the author’s own experiences in Catholic school.

Sixth grade wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.

Iraqi American Mariam Hassan transfers to a local Catholic school and before her first day her parents remind her that she might be the first Muslim her classmates have ever met. No big deal, right? Just represent an entire religion while making new friends, keeping up with schoolwork, and figuring out who she is.

When Mariam’s younger sister, Salma, is diagnosed with a serious lung condition, her family faces endless doctor visits and sleepless nights. Mariam tries to lighten their burden and keep her own problems to herself—including the fact that she’s just been cast as Mary in the school’s Christmas nativity play.

Mariam wants to honor her faith and her new community, but she’s terrified of crossing a religious line. Can a Muslim girl be the lead in a Christian story? What will her family think? And why does she feel like every decision she makes represents all Muslims?

Mariam discovers that faith, much like friendships, isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. As she leans on her family, friends, and school community, she begins to see the power of interfaith cooperation and learns she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Hail Mariam is a celebration of the beauty of finding common ground.

Editor review

1 review

A Singular School Experience

December 28, 2025 (Updated: July 22, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Mariam Hassan is concerned about starting 6th grade at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, especially since her family is Muslim. Her mother, an Iraqi immigrant, has been told by one of her friends that the school is more academically rigorous, but Mariam is concerned about the fact that there are so many depictions of Jesus around the school, since she thought the Muslim faith (which considers Jesus a prophet) didn't approve. Her younger sister, Salma, doesn't have to attend. Sister Geraldine seems nice, and Mariam decides to run for class president, devising a clever speech complete with props. She makes friends with Isabella, whose family is Latine, and even gets along fairly well with the popular Lauren despite her political run and the fact that she is cast as Mary in the Nativity play, a role that Lauren was hoping to get. Mariam encounters some academic trouble with her penmanship and math, and worries about what her parents will think of her role in the play. When Salma is diagnosed with a lung problem that might be cancerous, Mariam doesn't want to bother them about issues at school. She even manages to message her teacher, writing as her mother, about several different problems. One of these arises when she whispers to another student during a service at school. A nearby adult thinks that she is being disrespectful because she is Muslim, but Mariam is actually trying to get help because she has just gotten her period. Not wanting other students to think poorly of Muslims, she asks Lauren for help in spreading the information that she was talking because she got her period to all of the students! When her grandmother (Bibi) visits, Mariam wonders if she is right, and that if Mariam were a better Muslim and wore a hijab, her sister wouldn't have gotten sick. Mariam also asks to read a passage about Jesus from the Quran before the Christmas play, since she has dropped out of playing Mary after Salma's diagnosis. She isn't granted permission, but reads it anyway, with the help of her schoolmates. It is a huge relief to find out the truth about her sister's condition, and Mariam makes a tentative peace with being a Muslim student in a Catholic school.

Good Points

This story is based on the author's own life. She is Muslim and attended Catholic school, which is a rather singular experience! I grew up in a largely Catholic community, so many of my classmates transitioned back to public school after elementary; I can't imagine hitting middle school and starting at a religious school! There was a lot of fairly positive, open religious discussion, and I learned some things, like the fact that there isn't music in masjid. Mariam's desire to fit in but also remain true to her background is realistic, and she has a fairly positive attitude, running for class office and putting herself forward for the play. It was interesting to see Ramadan occur right around Thanksgiving and Christmas time. The impact of Salma's health on the entire family was also informational. This author also had a story in Ali's and Saeed's Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, and I'll be interested to see what else she writes.

This is a good choice for readers who would like to see more representation of children coming to terms with religion in books like Butler's Rabbit, Rabbit, Ma's Rainbow Fair, Algarmi's Almost Sunset, Siddiqui's Barakah Beats or Braden's Opinions and Opossums.