Common Sense Media Review
By Jasmine Baten
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Touching verse novel about xenophobia, identity, friendship.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In KAREEM BETWEEN, Kareem is a Syrian American Muslim boy whose best friend just moved away right before seventh grade. Kareem always feels stuck between being Syrian and being American. He's trying to figure out how to make the football team, but it's hard when the quarterback is a bully and the war in Syria has made calls with his grandfather (his favorite person) harder than ever. A family of Syrian refugees has a son Kareem's age, but being friends with someone who gets made fun of for his heavy accent and for being Syrian is a risk for Kareem's shot at the football team. Things get even worse when the president issues Executive Order 13789, known as "the Muslim Ban," putting Kareem's family in danger and pushing Kareem to find his voice.
Is It Any Good?
This heartfelt and emotional novel in verse will have readers empathizing with Kareem and cheering for him as he finds courage and learns to love his identity. Kareem Between will be a soothing read for any reader who's ever felt afraid of embracing who they truly are, and for kids who've been affected by prejudice, the challenges of immigration, or war in their home countries. Shifa Saltagi Safadi's gentle, poetic prose kindles a special connection to Kareem and his family, who are relatable in their love of their cell phones, ice cream, and American football, while Syrian and Muslim readers in particular will enjoy seeing parts of their lives beautifully reflected in these pages.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
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Families can talk about Executive Order 13789, which was a real rule that was implemented in 2017 that prevented people from seven Muslim-majority countries from coming into the United States. How do political decisions like this affect American families like Kareem's? What was so meaningful to Kareem about the airport protest?
The school quarterback tells Kareem that he'll get Kareem onto the football team if Kareem does his homework for him. How does Kareem deal with this challenge to his integrity? How does Kareem manage to do the right thing, in the end? What does he learn from this experience?
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Fadi is made fun of for being Syrian, but Kareem is afraid to stand up for him because he's afraid of getting made fun of too. What can Kareem's story teach us about how racism shows up in schools? How can we deal with it in our daily lives?
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Kareem mentions a lot of NFL teams, books he's reading, and products from different companies he uses. How do mentions of real-world "stuff" in books you read affect your experience of the story? Why do you think authors use these references?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Activism , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Humility , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : September 10, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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