Review Detail

Kareem Between is a story told in verse about a seventh grader, named Kareem. Kareem’s best friend has moved away, he didn’t make the football team, and he was voluntold to show the new Syrian refugee student around school because of his heritage. Austin, the current QB has promised to get Kareem another tryout for the football team but for this to happen there’s just one thing that Kareem has to do for him.

As this is happening, Kareem’s mom is going to return to Syria to help her family, but now she is stuck there due to new rules that the government just passed. Kareem is stuck between two countries, his friends, his parents, and right and wrong. What will he do?

What I Liked: I had heard about this book all over social media and I had been waiting for the perfect time to read it. I am thrilled that I picked this book up and it is one that I will re-read whenever I need a little ounce of hope or when I feel torn between right and wrong.

Kareem makes many wrong choices to fit in but these choices are not without any consequences which I appreciate. There are moments in which Kareem has difficult decisions to make as a teenager trying to fit in with his peers and he ultimately makes the right decisions for him. I appreciate that the author included both of those decisions and that we got to see how Kareem’s decisions impacted not only him but his friends and family.

There is a passage in this book regarding being an American (“What do you do when American laws make you feel small?”) and it captures the essence of this book perfectly. I re-read this passage several times because it spoke to me. This book is beautifully written and tugs at one’s heartstrings, there are so many moments in which the words come to life.

As I read this there were moments in which I forgot that the events in this story were things that occurred in the US not too long ago. The author’s note in the back reminded me of what 2017 looked like as Executive Order 13769 was put into place but the book and this note reminded me of the hope that also comes from people standing united.

Final Verdict: Kareem Between is an amazing book that is written in verse about what it is like navigating various parts of your identity as a teenager. This is a great book for those of us who need a little hope right now and a reminder of how powerful community and united voices can be.