Does My Head Look Big In This?

A new Australian book explores the life of an immigrant teen wearing the hijab. Can't wait to read it. From the UK-based Independent:

Most novels aimed at teenage girls deal with first kisses, friendship and problems with parents. But a new book to be published later this month will tackle the thorny issue of wearing the hijab, in one of the first novels to portray the experiences of a Muslim girl growing up in a Western society.

Does My Head Look Big in This? is the story of Amal, a 16-year-old Australian Muslim girl who one day decides out of the blue that she wants to wear the hijab at her secondary school. Her decision shocks her parents and friends but gives her a sense of inner calm and conviction.

The author, Randa Abdel-Fattah, 26, a lawyer from Sydney, based the novel on her own experiences as a teenager growing up in Australia where she wore the hijab between the ages of 14 and 17.

"I wanted to write a book that allowed readers to enter the world of the average Muslim teenage girl and see past the headlines and stereotypes," she said. "There has been a shocking lack of books that tell the story of what it's like to grow a Muslim teenager."

(Thanks to the wonderful kid lit blog Chicken Spaghetti for the link.)