Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan (review)

Reviewed by: Safiyyah's War by Hiba Noor Khan Kate Quealy-Gainer Khan, Hiba Noor Safiyyah's War. Allida/HarperCollins, 2024 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063351868 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063351882 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 When the Germans enter France, the subtle changes that eleven-year-old Safiyyah has noticed in Paris since the beginning of the war become starkly apparent: her best friend's family decides to leave for London, her classmates' bullying of Jewish students becomes vicious, and her open, affable father, one of the leaders of the Grand Mosque of Paris, suddenly becomes secretive and distracted. As a Muslim, Safiyyah doesn't yet feel targeted, and even when the Nazis take the city, she's more desperate to be of help to her friends than to worry about herself. The chance to finally do something arrives when she sneaks into her father's office, discovers he's been smuggling Jewish people through the tunnels of Paris, and insists that she be allowed to help. Thus begins her role as a messenger, passing notes and packages for the resistance, but she'll have to muster up even more courage when the Nazis come to search the mosque while a group of Jews wait in the basement to be led to safety. While the first half of the book is light on action, it makes the stakes clear: the adults in Safiyyah's world are clearly on edge, and while she doesn't fully understand the threat, she knows that people she cares for are in danger. Her relationship with an elderly Jewish botanist is especially poignant as her role shifts from an admirer of his intelligence to a witness of his fear. The risks that Safiyyah's father takes are immense, both for himself and his daughter, but his conviction that all people are deserving of safety is deeply felt, and readers will appreciate his belief in Safiyyah's ability to do what needs to be done. An author's note details the story's real-life inspiration of the Resistance movement among Paris' Muslim community and how the Grand Mosque was used to move Jewish people through the city's catacombs to safety.