Whole City Reads

A.M. Dassu’s Fight Back (for 10+ year olds) sees schoolgirl and K-Pop lover, Aaliyah, stand up against racist bullying in her school, triggered by a terrorist attack at a local concert. She goes on to find a community of students who want to join in her fight for self-expression.

Rainbow for Amala (for 8 – 11 year olds) by The Other Way Works is an interactive book, with QR codes to puzzles and videos, which follows Nafeesa and her best friend Karim as they set out on a quest to befriend the quiet new girl, Amala. The book addresses the climate emergency, seen through the eyes of these three Birmingham children.

The stories involved in the campaign deal with challenging topics from identity, freedom of expression, racism and human rights. It's important to keep informed of these subjects as many people you know may feel discriminated against in one or several ways.

Here are some ideas on how you can have safe and supportive conversations about the topics covered in the two books:

1. Set ground rules

• Respect and listen: Emphasize that everyone’s voice matters and that disagreements should be handled with respect and compassion.
• No judgment zone: Make it clear that the goal is understanding, not debating personal experiences.
• Confidentiality: What’s shared in the room stays in the room.

2. Start with personal reflection

• Prompt: “What part of the book resonated with you most and why?”
• Activity: Take a few minutes to write down your thoughts before sharing.

3. Use open-ended questions

• How did Aaliyah’s experiences make you feel?
• Why do you think the author chose to show both fear and courage?
• What does ‘fighting back’ mean to you in everyday life?

4. Connect to real-world issues

• Discuss how prejudice and discrimination appear in society today.
• Ask: “What small actions can we take to make our school/community more inclusive?”

5. Explore empathy

• Role-play: Imagine being in Aaliyah’s shoes. How would they respond to ideas discussed in section 4?
• Discussion: What support would you want from friends, teachers, or community?

For guidance and support around the issues and themes mentioned in the books, check out these local charities:
Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG)
Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Everyone should feel represented in the books they read! Whole City Reads aims to inspire young people and adults to read books with underrepresented groups specifically Muslim girls in the UK. Research from the National Literacy Trust shows:

• Over half (53.1%) of children aged 8-11 said they find it difficult to find books with characters or people like them.
• 1 in 3 children and young people aged 8-18 said that being given books or having books that represent them would make them want to read more.

When just 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2024, it's more important than ever to open up a world of stories that all children and young people can relate to.