Farah Rocks Fifth Grade

This book is a captivating story about growing up. This story is a true page turner that hooks you in and makes you instantly fall in love with the main character and her family. It takes serious subjects such as being a minority, bullying and differing family dynamics and makes them relatable for anyone who is reading. This is a perfect story for younger children/ middle school age but, it is also a perfect story for adults and can teach us important lessons as well. I would recommend this a million times over. You will NOT regret reading it. I guarantee you will love Farah as much as I did!

Farrah Rocks Fifth Grade is a wonderful, relatable story. She really cares about her family and about her friends. The story hooks you from the very beginning -- it only took me two days to finish the book. What I really loved was the representation of Orthodox Christians! Even though Orthodoxy is the second-largest denomination in the world, it's relatively unknown in the USA, so I applaud the book for including it! Additionally, I enjoyed the recipe at the end of the book and I plan to make it soon. Thanks for a great read!

What a great book! Lots of topics that I myself related to when I was Farah's age, and seeing much of what my kids battled when they were in middle school. Being told to go to adults for help, not being heard, and putting too much pressure on oneself to please others clouds your judgement. Lessons of respect and friendship, but most of all forgiveness. Be yourself, but also trust those who really want to help. This book should be in every middle school across America. Teaches about Arab culture and upbringing and love the Arabic language and mispronunciation of "p" and "b" letters. Made me chuckle every time. Can't wait for the next book!

Farah is a bright fifth grader who excels at math and wants to get into a magnet school for advanced students next year. She'll have to keep her grades up. But there's a new girl at school who's been bullying Farah's younger brother and making fun of Farah. Farah tries to report what's going on, but the bus driver doesn't believe her, nor does the cafeteria monitor, and the principal says the girl is nice. The girl makes fun of her name, of kids who are "different", and pushes her brother all the time. Where no one can see. What can Farah do and who will watch out for her brother if she goes to a different school next year ? She comes up with a desperate plan. Things never work out quite the way one expects, but in this case, intervention by caring adults who finally realize there's a problem is key to resolving it. Adults learn about different kinds of bullying, and Farah learns to speak up. It's a gripping story and, unfortunately, one that happens too often. This is a good guide for kids who aren't sure what to do. It doesn't have all the answers because each situation is different, but it's a great start.

I got this for my daughter’s bday and she loved it and wants to get the rest of the Farah rocks books. Definitely recommend for kids ages 9-11

Does anyone know how important it is for children to see themselves in literature? As a veteran high school teacher, I can tell you it is CRUCIAL to create lifelong readers. So many of our students were completely turned off from reading in their formative years because they simply could not identify/relate/see someone like them in literature. Whenever I have a heart-to-heart with my high school students addressing their reluctance to reading, the number one response is that they just never found anything that kept their interest because they couldn’t relate. My precious 7 year old girl (reads at a 5th grade level) has been attached to this book and calls Farah her “friend”. She finished the book in 2 days, and it would have been in one day had I allowed her to forgo eating, bathing and homework! This story is relatable to ALL children, and I found myself really enjoying it too! Don’t wait to purchase this amazing book! We can’t WAIT for the next one!!

My 4th grader read the book quickly and she was very much engaged. She was flipping back and forth to the glossary as she had so much fun learning new words. She was fascinated by the "bully" story and she really enjoyed learning more about the Arabic culture. Nicely done and highly recommend.

This wonderful book is beautifully-written and so fun to read! Perfect for 8-12yo's, depending on reading level, and a great read-aloud, too. Farah is lovable and believable, her thoughts and experiences authentic and touching. My daughter is anxiously awaiting the second book in the series!