by Firoozeh Dumas
Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block...for the fourth time.
California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy.
It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home.
A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the bestselling Funny in Farsi.
Softcover, 384 pages.
Clarion Books
Printed in the United States.
Critical Praise
"This book is a sheer delight—rambunctious and rich. . . . Firoozeh Dumas writes with the perfect light touch that makes us wonder once again: Who is running the big world and why not this person, please?" — Naomi Shihab Nye, novelist and poet
"[A]n honest, witty, and moving portrayal of what it means to be an Iranian immigrant in the late 1970s, during the Iran hostage crisis. — Scholastic Teacher Magazine
- California Library Association’s John and Patricia Beatty Award Winner
- Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Grades 6–8)
- New York Historical Society’s New Americans Book Prize Winner
- Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature, Honorable Mention
- Booklist 50 Best Middle Grade Novels of the 21st Century
- Kirkus Reviews Best Books
- Bank Street Children’s Best Books of the Year
- Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)