Aretha, David. Malala Yousafzi and the Girls of Pakistan. Greensboro, North Carolina: Morgan Reynolds, 2014.

As Malala Yousafzi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this week, I was preparing to read a new middle school biography of her that I recently acquired in my ebook collection for an 8th grade book talk. While I knew her story, Aretha does a lovely job of filling in the background details of her remarkable young life in a way that is perfectly accessible to the junior high reader. Winner of the 2014 Wilbur Award Winner for Best Book, Youth Nonfiction and recipient of a Booklist Starred Review, this title certainly lives up to the accolades.

Aretha details her childhood in Pakistan, focusing on her father’s passion for education, specifically educating girls in a country where literacy rates are very low. He details as well Malala’s love for education and the natural world around her. He describes the coming to power of the Taliban in her small town and the changes that follow, including the destruction of her school. The history and development of the Taliban is outlined for the reader. We are stunned once again at the Taliban’s very specific decision to target Malala and the circumstances of her shooting. Readers will root for her as she struggles to live and continue to learn so that she might fulfill her passion to improve education for all of her country’s girls. In a beautiful passage after her recovery, the author relates how Malala mused on how she might confront her attacker. While initially considering hitting him with a shoe, she decides that such an approach would make her no better than he is. Instead she hopes for a dialogue where she might argue for the importance of education for all children. I appreciate that Aretha also presents a balanced picture of how she is perceived in her native country, explaining why all of the citizens in her country don’t consider her their hero.

The biography is enhanced with beautiful photographs of Malala, her friends, her home, and Pakistan. These illustrations will certainly aid the students in more clearly understanding the nature of life in Pakistan. Some easy to read infographics and side articles also enhance the primary text.

Its short length, 62 pages, middle school friendly vocabulary, and the photographs and infographics make this title ideal for reluctant readers and younger readers who might be intimidated by Malala’s autobiography. I am excited to book talk this title. As we all know, many of our children take their compulsory education for granted; some, in fact, resent it quite profoundly. This biography serves as a strong reminder of how much education is desired and valued by other children around the world. The book also serves as a call to action. Students can certainly work together to make the world a better place and can be inspired by the heart and actions of one young Nobel Peace Prize winner.