Rainbow Fair

Gr 4-7–Intersectional identities, friendship, keeping secrets, and a big school fair will keep everyone busy in Ma’s latest. Seventh grader Sophie is getting ready like everyone else for the Rainbow Fair, a yearly event in her middle school where students organize booths to talk about their identity and heritage. Her best friend Katie has petitioned and received approval for the first LGBTQIA+ booth ever. Sophie has worked the Chinese booth in the past. However, she has kept her Muslim religion a secret, even from her closest friend. After a mishap, she is “outed” to the class as Hui, or Chinese Muslim. Encouraged by her teacher, she agrees to run a Muslim booth alone, as no one else in her school shares her beliefs. Problem is, she hasn’t discussed any of that with her parents, who do not actively practice Islam. And now that new girl and devout Muslim Anna has joined school, can Sophie successfully work at both booths, while keeping secrets from her family? This middle grade novel tackles the issue of intersectionality, even if in simple ways and readers will relate to Sophie and Katie. Some of the dialogue seems forced and unnatural, but the overall message is delivered: we all contain multitudes, and stereotypes are hurtful to everyone. This novel will find a reading base who can cheer for the nervous, anxious middle schooler who’s still figuring out who she is.