Huda Was Here; H. Hayek

Huda and Akeal, the stars of Huda and Me, are back and are once again up to no good.

Nine-year-old Huda, her six siblings and their parents are a very close knit family so everyone is devastated when dad loses his job as the neighbourhood security guard and is forced to work interstate. Determined to get dad his job back, Huda has the perfect plan…cause mischief and show dad’s bosses that without him the streets are crime-ridden.

As the bandits' crimes escalate, the authorities step up the hunt for the culprits. Will Huda’s plan succeed? Will she get caught in the act? How far is she willing to go?

Un-law abiding citizens star in this fast-paced, highly entertaining and frequently funny tale as Huda and her siblings get up to mischief and plenty of nighttime hijinks as they take matters into their own hands to get dad his job back. Lion-hearted Huda knows no bounds when it comes to family. She causes havoc and carries out misdemeanours galore on a pursuit for justice that takes a rather surprising turn when she uncovers the real reason her dad lost his job. This just adds further fuel to a fire that is already well aglow and is the spur that is needed for more bold and brazen acts.

It is great fun spending time with this Lebanese-Australian Muslim family and with chapters flipping between present day and past events you soon feel a part of their eventful life. Huda is easily relatable, as too is her rather reluctant brother and partner in crime, Akeal, who spends most of his time trying to justify their naughty choices and keep Huda out of much trouble as is physically possible.

A family dealing with job loss and having to cope with the financial pressures that come with it will be familiar to many and here we get an understanding of how these grown-up issues affect children. In Huda and her brother Akeal’s case they try to fix things themselves. Readers will have their own morals and views challenged as Huda goes about her antics, asking them to question; Is it ever right to do the wrong thing? How far would you go to keep your family together? Does Huda deserve to be punished for her law-breaking?

With brilliant characters, fantastic Muslim representation and plenty of questionable yet well-intentioned actions this is certainly a book well worth picking up. It would be a great story to share with a class as the discussions that it would lead to would be impassioned, interesting and no doubt divisive.

Recommended for 9+.

With huge thanks to Allen & Unwin for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.