"All those who are knowledgeable about Arabic children’s literature became that way through personal effort, seeking out books here and there, following people (authors, publishers, book influencers) on social media, and buying books at their own expense."
#TranslateThis YA: An Excerpt of Fatima Sharafeddine’s Award-winning ‘Cappuccino’
"A bitter, metallic taste rises to my tongue. I take a deep breath, put my key in the lock, and shove open the door."
Friday Finds: YA in Translation by Taghreed Najjar, Djamila Morani, and Sonia Nimr
Words Without Borders has posted a new special issue this kid-lit-heavy month, "Time-Travelers, Fisherwomen, and Sleuths: Arabic Young Adult Literature," curated by translator Elisabeth Jaquette.
New in Translation, from ‘The Mystery of the Falcon’s Eye’
Ziad began to feel that there might be some truth in Sitti’s story after all. He pressed her to keep going. “And what happened next, Sitti?”
New Fiction in Translation: Excerpt from ‘Dragon of Bethlehem’
“A lizard? Shame on you. Of course, I mean, all due respect to the lizards. But I am not a lizard. I am a dragon.”
‘Whose Doll Is It?’ Read from an Etisalat Award Winner
Taghreed Najjar's Whose Doll Is This?, winner of 2019 Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature in the "Young Adult" category, is, Hend Saeed writes, the book you've been waiting to read.
2019 Shortlists for Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature
Prize organizers reported that this year they had received 175 submissions from around the world, and that winners in all categories -- including the new "Best Silent Book" category -- would be announced at the opening ceremony of the Sharjah International Book Fair 2019, on October 30, 2019.
On the Importance of Egyptian Children’s Magazines and the Boom in YA
"Last but not least, kids can mess with magazines. Unlike books, they can write in them, color them, and some magazines come with pages to color or connect the dots. A child has more freedom with a magazine than with a book."
By Arab Women: 6 New Books for Young Readers in Translation
It's probably not particularly surprising that of the six new Arabic books for young readers that are available in English translation in 2019, six have been written by women.
Protecting Recollections in ‘The Memory Factory’
"Arab and Western readers are different in what they're cautious about in the book. Arabs have been anxious about how the book talks about the girl's sexual identity, alongside her social and political identity, while Westerners have been anxious about how war and suffering might affect young readers."
The Award-winning Palestinian YA Novel Written in Prison
The book that won the 2018 Etisalat Award for Arabic Children’s Literature in the Young Adult category, The Oil's Secret Tale, was written by Palestinian author Walid Daqqa, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1986.
Mystery and Friendship in ‘Reem: Into the Unknown’
The most compelling aspect of 'Reem: Into the Unknown' is how the author depicts the loneliness, confusion, and disconnected feeling some teens and young adults experience.
