Does My Head Look Big In This?

Does My Head Look Big In This?

Randa Abdel-Fattah

Orchard Books 2005

Summary

Amal isn't a regular, blend-in-with-the-crowed teenager--although sometimes she wishes she could be. Her religion and beliefs are what "control" her life, or so that's what some people think. For Amal, her Muslim background is a part of her, it's her choice to where the hijab--a symbol of her religion and devotion to God. In her school it's hard to stand strong, with snobby kids taunting and teasing her every corner she turns. Amal must learn to be strong and to dig deep in order to realize why she's really wearing the hijab.

Personal Review

I personally didn't like this book. It didn't seem to have a strong story line or theme in it. It seemed to jump around from one theme to another, and because there were quite a few different little stories going on, it seemed like we lost the main point and message of the book, and instead got a lot of little messages. The characters didn't seem very well developed, although they were all hilarious, and had me laughing sometimes. I also wouldn't recommend this to young teenagers. One thing that I did like however, was how Amal stood up for what she believed in even when the temptation to do otherwise was so strong.

Cautionary Notes:

There were a lot of swear words in here, as well as references to 'girl things' and 'doing the dirty.' There is also drinking and smoking scenes as well. I was personally surprised how much 'bad' stuff there were in this book.