Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie Kingsley
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Problem-solving girl shares her culture in sweet stories.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
YASMIN IN CHARGE is a collection of four stories starring young Yasmin and her Pakistani family. When her teacher has to step out of the classroom and wants Yasmin to keep everyone on task, Yasmin discovers how hard it is to get her classmates to finish their work. In other stories, she needs to come up with a food she likes that is special enough to serve at a family party, finds another way to feed zoo animals after she drops their plate, and tries to be a superhero around her neighborhood, only to discover that there was no one big problem to solve.
Is It Any Good?
This sweet collection of stories keeps young readers' attention with both Yasmin's actions and the brightly colored, jump-off-the-page illustrations. Yasmin in Charge focuses on good intentions and persistence, and is a wonderful showcase for Pakistani culture, with Urdu words and traditional foods sprinkled throughout the stories. Yasmin is relatable; the problems she's solving and the situations she's in are just right for readers at this level.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the classroom reacts in the first story in Yasmin in Charge. Are the Were kids fair to Yasmin? What do you think of a teacher leaving a student in charge of a class, even for a minute?
Does your family have any food traditions? Anything your ancestors made, or a new tradition that your family started?
What other books have you read that have characters like Yasmin?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Hatem Aly
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Topics : Superheroes , Adventures
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Capstone Young Readers
- Publication date : March 1, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 5 - 8
- Number of pages : 96
- Available on : Paperback
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate