Skunk Girl

Skunk Girl
By Sheba Karmin
Published by Farrar Straus Giroux

“Karim’s first novel provides a rare exploration of Muslim culture and will be a welcome addition to teen collections.” –Lynn Rutan, Booklist

“Whether they share Nina’s circumstances or not, readers will readily identify with her struggle, and they’ll find her an endearing and admirable literary companion.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

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Description
If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she’s sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go something like this:

+2 points for getting excellent grades

–3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister

+4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High

–1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers

+2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage

–10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she’s not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back

In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and learns that it’s possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy.

Reviews & Accolades
“Nina is a Muslim Pakistani-American, and her parents have very firm views on social behavior: she is not allowed to date or attend parties. She has always chafed at the restrictions, but she becomes even more resentful after she develops a mutual attraction with a handsome classmate. Nina stages a mild rebellion, which ends with deepened appreciation for her family’s cultural views…Karim’s first novel provides a rare exploration of Muslim culture and will be a welcome addition to teen collections.” –Lynn Rutan, Booklist

“Eleventh-grader Nina struggles with her Pakistani-Muslim identity and all that it entails…She struggles with the values of her parents and her own feelings about right and wrong. She comes to a conclusion that leaves the story both satisfyingly unresolved and true to Nina’s character. The author is nonjudgmental about Nina’s decisions that are in conflict with her parents’ beliefs, such as experimenting with alcohol, but through Sonia is also able to portray a character who is more comfortable abstaining. There are a lot of different plot elements, and the story is really more about Nina’s development than about any single issue.” –Kristin Anderson, School Library Journal 

“Whether they share Nina’s circumstances or not, readers will readily identify with her struggle, and they’ll find her an endearing and admirable literary companion.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“As the first person narrative progresses, Karim’s acerbic insights into America’s Pakistani society will have readers chuckling loudly. Nina’s ready wit and sarcasm are thoroughly enjoyable as she describes her tiresome relatives, her cloistered life, her perspectives that are always at odds with her parents’, and her constant struggle with body hair.” —The Telegraph (India)

Groups Represented
Pakistani American
Muslim American

Themes
Family relationships, cultural traditions, sibling relationships, multicultural friendships

Setting
Upstate New York

Author Research
TBA

Engagement Projects
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