About the Book
Four kids meet at an airport for one unforgettable night in this middle-grade novel by four bestselling and award-winning authors When a thunderstorm grounds all flights following a huge Muslim convention, four unlikely kids are thrown together. Feek is stuck babysitting his younger sister, but he'd rather be writing a poem that's good enough for his dad, a famous poet and rapper. Hanna is intent on finding a lost cat in the airport--and also on avoiding a conversation with her dad about him possibly remarrying. Sami is struggling with his anxiety and worried that he'll miss the karate tournament that he's trained so hard for. And Nora has to deal with the pressure of being the daughter of a prominent congresswoman, when all she really wants to do is make fun NokNok videos. These kids don't seem to have much in common--yet.
Told in alternating points of view, Grounded tells the story of one unexpected night that will change these kids forever.
About the Author :
Aisha Saeed is the author of Written in the Stars, which was a YALSA Quick Pick, and Amal Unbound, which was a New York Times bestseller and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. She is also a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Huda Al-Marashi currently lives in Encinitas, California, with her husband and three children. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, Al Jazeera, the VIDA Review, the Offing, and elsewhere. Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a passionate educator, anti-racism activist, wife, and mother of two. She is a 2016 MuslimARC Muslim Anti-Racism-AMEL Fellow. She currently resides with her family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. S. K. Ali is the author of Saints and Misfits, a finalist for the American Library Association's 2018 William C.Morris award, and the winner of the APALA Honor Award and Middle EastBook Honor Award. Her debut, and second novel, Love from A to Z, were both best YA books of the year as named by Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and the American Library Association. The Proudest Blue, her pictured book coauthored with Ibtihaj Muhammad, was an instant New York Times bestseller. Amir Abdullah (he/him/his) is an actor, playwright, and audiobook narrator residing in Los Angeles. He has been seen on stage at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Geffen Playhouse, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, California Shakespeare Theatre, A Noise Within Theatre, and other theaters around the US. On screen, Amir most recently appeared on Chicago Med and on the last season of Empire and has been seen on other network shows and films. As a narrator, he is a four-time Golden Earphone Award winner and an ALSC Notable Children's Recording recipient. Most known for narrating the YA series Tristan Strong, he has lent his voice to dozens of other prolific authors' works such as Ibram X. Kendi, Kwame Mbalia, Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Dubois, Eric Jerome Dickey, and more. You can hear him as the voice of Yasir in the videogame Abo Kashem and in the HP Lovecraft Society Radio Plays and as a regular on the Open Door Playhouse. He can be seen and heard in commercials for Ford, Adidas, Kaiser Permanente, and Facebook, as well as many others. As an actor Amir won Best Actor at the Movieville International Film Festival for his work in the film The Untimely Concurrence. Amir's playwriting debut, Pray to Ball, had its world premiere at Skylight Theatre Company in Los Angeles and won the Ovation Award for Best Set. He graduated with an MFA in acting from Pennsylvania State University and a BFA in acting from the University of Miami. A storyteller at heart, Deepa Samuel enjoys travel, ethnic cuisine, and delving into other cultures. At home, when she's not parked in her cozy chair with a cup of Earl Grey (naturally, with real sugar and milk) and a good book, Deepa is content spending time with her family and friends. What better way to spend time with people than to create memories over personal stories. Whether it's catching up at the latest new Mediterranean restaurant, or cooking up a feast at home with loved ones, laughter (and, perhaps a glass of wine) are simply all she really needs. Neil Shah is an Audie Award-nominated narrator and AudioFile Earphones Award winner who has recorded over one hundred audiobooks. A classically trained actor with an MFA from the Old Globe/University of San Diego program, Neil has appeared off-Broadway and on regional stages, as well as in film and television. Jeed Saddy is a mother of four who studied voice-over and improv in San Francisco and now resides in the Los Angeles area.
Review :
"An ensemble cast brings listeners to Zora Neale Hurston Airport, where bad weather grounds four preteens who are traveling home with their families...Each kid is a carefully developed individual whose complex emotional interiority emerges in thoughtful vocal performances...There's much to enjoy."
-- "AudioFile"
