FICTION

La escuela secreta de Nasreen: Una historia real de Afganistán

S. & S./Beach Lane. Aug. 2025. 40p. tr. from by Mariana Llanos . Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781665972413. Gr 1-3
COPY ISBN
Gr 1-3–A moving pictorial account based on real events involving the Taliban regime. Framed illustrations beautifully accompany Winter’s Nasreen’s Secret School, now in Spanish, as Nasreen’s paternal grandmother powerfully delivers this tale. Nasreen’s father is taken away by soldiers, but when her mother disappears to find him, she shuts down completely, anxiously awaiting her parents’ return. Grandmother is worried and decides they must knock on a neighboring street’s green door, the entrance to a secret school for girls. Nasreen is befriended by a fellow classmate, Mina, who helps her learn to open up and smile again. No longer alone, Nasreen thrives at school and Grandmother is satisfied that new opportunities and goodwill are headed Nasreen’s way. Winter’s picture book details the moments when Nasreen and her family face peril and make choices that force them to move forward. Set in Herat, Afghanistan, Nasreen’s story explains how art, books, and community make up the best parts of one’s culture. The text emphasizes how being resilient can inspire respect and tolerance between people to make societies more equitable for all.
VERDICT Purchase for curricular tie-ins and where there are gaps in collections.

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