3/02/2019
Name : Read for Fun
Location : Australia
Title : Hijabi Girl is a wonderful snapshot of life in a modern Australian school and a very sweet story.
Review : I often say that diversity is important in books, in many different forms. Children need to see main characters in books that not only look like them, but who also reflect the World they live. Both of my children grew up in schools where cultural diversity was the norm. Hijabi Girl tells the story of Malek and her friends, Tien, Lily, and Zac. They are a diverse group and kids, however their differences don’t make any difference to their friendship. This book touches on a number of issues including being new at school, teasing, differences in interests and appearance, and differences in family background. These differences are accepted by all the characters. Hijabi Girl is a wonderful snapshot of life in a modern Australian school and a very sweet story.

15/01/2017
Name : Annie
Location :
Title :
Review : A great story I could relate to and read in one sitting.. A story that teaches kids to choose your socks, not your friends, by colour.. Melek is a hijabi girl who wants to create her own Aussie rules team and forms friendships in a non Muslim society.. I really saw myself in Melek, a girl who doesn't see her hijab as a boundary to great things.. Where is it written a hijabi girl can't play Aussie rules!? lol I love how this story talks of friendship among cultures, where difference is embraced not rejected.. I can see this story is a step to bridging gaps in the younger generation.. Special thx to my friend Juliet M. Sampson (author) who sent this book to me as a gift xxx

18/08/2016
Name : Rhyllis Bignell (Read Plus)
Location :
Title :
Review : Hijabi girl by Hazel Edwards and Ozge Alkan Ill. by Serena Geddes. Bookpod, 2016. ISBN 9780994358356 (Age: 7-9) Recommended. Children's librarian Ozge Alkan collaborated with Hazel Edwards to write a junior novel with the main character, a spirited eight-year-old Muslim girl. Melek's dream is to have her own Aussie Rules football team and of course to be the best player in the world. When she helps new student Tien on her first day of school, Melek remembers how difficult it was for her, especially all the jokes about her hijab. Was it a towel, did she have cancer or was she bald under the scarf? Their classroom is a wonderful learning environment 'a doing kind of place', with science project models, a Rainbow Reading Chair and colourful encouraging posters. Of course, there is one student at Melek and her friend Lily's table who loves to cause problems. While Miss is writing an A-Z of positive characteristics on the board, Zac's pet rat escapes from his bag, but Rattus Rattus is soon captured and returned to his bag. After Tien's introduction to her new class, she is seated at the blue table with Melek, Lily and Zac. Her special skill is drawing, sketching and blending colours from her large collection of coloured pencils. At the end of the day, their teacher announces the Book Parade scheduled for Friday and all her students are to dress up; they may even win the Best Dressed Class Award. Together Melek and Tien plan to write and illustrate a new book - 'Super hijabi girl plays Aussie Rules Football'. Melek's mother is a tailor who makes super hijabi scarves, which have many uses as butterfly wings, flags or capes. The authors have written an easy to read junior novel that explores friendships, the respect of cultural differences and religions, creative problem solving and the importance of having goals in life. Discussion notes and activities are available. Hijabi girl is a fabulous resource for classes to learn about social inclusion, celebrate diversity and to explore our multicultural society. Rhyllis Bignell

1/07/2016
Name : Dr Virginia Lowe
Location :
Title :
Review : ‘This is a Significant Book’ Melek meets the new girl as she rushes to school, almost late. She is Tien from Vietnam, and she loves to draw and doesn’t like to read much. Melek, on the other hand, loves to kick a footy – her dream is to start a girls' Aussie Rules team – and she loves to read as well. With them on the blue table is Zac, his pet Rattus Rattus, and Lily the dress-up queen. Together they make a fascinating easy to read chapter book. This is a significant book. As Melek says she can’t find any books with people wearing hijabi in them, so how can she dress up for the book parade? She just has to write and illustrate it herself. Now there is one, which Hazel and Ozge wrote together and Serena Geddes illustrated. ( first reviewed in In Create-a Kids' Book Bulletin)

14/06/2016
Name : Annie at Re-Vue
Location :
Title :
Review : This is a great story and one I could relate to even as an adult. I read this in one sitting, it’s pretty cool.. ‘Hijabi Girl’ teaches kids to choose your socks, not your friends, by colour.. Melek is a hijabi girl who wants to create her own Aussie rules team and forms friendships in a non Muslim society.. I really saw myself in Melek, a girl who doesn’t see her hijab as a boundary to great things.. Where is it written a hijabi girl can’t play Aussie rules!? (lol) I love how this story talks of friendship among cultures, where difference is embraced not rejected.. I can see this story is a step to bridging gaps in the younger generation.. I encourage all younger readers to read this as soon as possible… Special thx to my friend Juliet M. Sampson (author) who sent this book to me as a gift!!! -Annie https://read3rzrevublog.wordpress.com/2016/06/12/hijabi-girl-by-hazel-edwards-and-ozge-alkan-illustrated-by-serena-geddes/

9/04/2016
Name : Joanna
Location :
Title :
Review : All the Differences Make No Difference. I enjoyed reading this book for primary school-aged kids. It addressed all sorts of real-life things that children have to deal with, from being new at school and not having a lot of money in the family to being cheesed off at people not pronouncing your name properly and having different talents to others in your class. A lot happens in the book: naughty boy brings his pet rat to school, new student begins, teacher organises class to be part of the book character parade, kids talk about the food they eat (Halal, Vietnamese) and it all happens in the very familiar environs of an Australian school. All the differences make no difference, in a way. Lovely. #diversitymatters

26/03/2016
Name : Margaret Clark
Location :
Title :
Review : ‘Excellent story, lots of warmth and humour even though dealing with a difficult subject. I loved Miss as the very Hungry Caterpillar in her red high heeled shoes.’ Margaret Clark (author)

26/03/2016
Name : Coral Vass
Location :
Title :
Review : Review first appeared in Kids'Book Review. Unable to find any book characters in a hijab for school Book Parades, children’s librarian Ozge Alkan approached award winning author Hazel Edwards to write a story about one. And so, with collaboration, Hijabi Girl was birthed. Hijabi Girl is a celebration of multicultural Australia. From diverse lunchbox snacks, to different cultural clothing, Hijabi Girl gives the reader a well-rounded view of what most Australian mainstream schools look like today. Despite these differences, children are children wherever they are and whatever background they come from. Hijabi Girl is a window into the world of four very different primary school children. There’s new girl Tien from Vietnam, who loves to draws everything that happens at school, soccer-mad Zac who enjoys teasing the girls, dress-ups-guru Lily who likes princesses, and 8 year old Melek, the very talkative, feisty girl in a hijab. Tackling issues such as respect for other cultures and making friends even when people are from different backgrounds, Hijabi Girl is a refreshing look at the diverse mix of cultures within most Australian school yards. Coupled with excellent Teacher Resources and a glossary in the back of the book, this is a fun chapter book recommended for independent readers.

26/03/2016
Name : Anastasia Gonis
Location :
Title :
Review : Hijabi Girl Review By Anastasia Gonis first published in Buzz Words Melek , which means ‘angelic’ in Turkish, is a multi-skilled girl who wears a hijab. She is not what her name claims. She is talkative, quick-thinking, a problem-solver, loves to-do lists, and has a hijab Barbi in the parades. and a great imagination. Tien, the new girl at school, is Vietnamese. She loves drawing pictures that ‘tell stories faster than words’. Melek knows about standing out and being different, so she helps Tien settle in. She also has a generous and forgiving nature, saving Zac in the pool, who then insists he was just pretending to drown. Zac makes fun of Melek and her hijab. He’s a show-off, full of excuses and has a pet rat called Rattus Rattus which he frequently smuggles to school. But the possibility of change hovers around him. Lily is keen on dressing up and things from the past. These are the four characters in this story, set in a mainstream school. Many schools have Book Character Parades. Librarian Ozge Alkan became co-author with Hazel Edwards to create this book after young students’ requests for a book with a character wearing a hijab . There wasn’t one to be found, so Hazel suggested Ozge write her own. This new title is suitable for the 8+ readership. It’s a chapter book for independent readers finding their stride. It comes with excellent Teacher Resources, Ideas and Activities. It allows children to step into other people’s shoes, and view the world through their eyes. It also has good examples on how to fit in when you are different.

26/03/2016
Name : George Ivanoff
Location :
Title :
Review : Fiction, especially children’s fiction, can do extraordinary things. It can often achieve things that no amount of lecturing or shouting from rooftops can. It can be enlightening while also being entertaining. It can promote understanding while also telling a good story. And this is what Hijabi Girl does. It’s a good story about kids in a school. Like all kids they have their friendships and difficulties; they deal with teachers and teasing; they have their likes and dislikes. They are ordinary kids doing ordinary things. But one of them happens to be Vietnamese. And another is a Muslim girl who wears a hijab. The cultural differences among these kids are simply part of everyday life, along with all the other little differences between them. One character likes soccer, another likes drawing; one character is into princesses, another likes Aussie Rules footy; one character eats rice paper rolls, another eats only halal food; one character has a pet rat, the others don’t; one character wears a hijab, the others don’t. In the end, difference is not only accepted, but celebrated. As it should be in real life. More kids books like this please!