Kareem Between

Kareem Between is a middle-grade novel in verse by Shifa Saltagi Safadi about a Syrian American boy caught between two worlds. Kareem is starting seventh grade and dreams of becoming a star quarterback, but life at home is complicated. His mother has traveled to Syria to help her family and cannot get back to the United States, leaving Kareem, his father and his grandparents to manage without her while his grandfather's health declines. At school, Kareem tries out for the football team and meets Fadi, a new classmate who is a refugee from Syria. When Fadi becomes the target of a bully, Kareem has to decide what kind of friend and person he wants to be. Told in short, accessible poems, the book explores identity, Islamophobia, friendship and courage. It won the 2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.