FAMILY MATTERS: NAVIGATING HARD TIMES WITH HEART

2:45 pm - 3:45 pm
| Location of Session: Copper Kitchen
Middle Grade Sessions

Start of Signing: 4:00 pm
| Signing Location: Festival Marketplace

My Schedule

About the Event

In the hilarious and poignant graphic novel, Huda F Wants to Know? by National Book Award Finalist Huda Fahmy, Huda’s ready for her junior year of high school… then her parents announce they’re getting a divorce. In the lyrical and moving My So-Called Family by Gia Gordon, Ash is asked to make a family tree – but how can she do that when she’s been in foster care since she was four? And in her new foster home, who can she trust? In Saadia Faruqi’s powerful and insightful The Strongest Heart, Mo has moved to a new city with his father, who is struggling with mental illness. This session for readers of all ages will discuss big issues like mental health and family instability.

Please note: the author Gia Gordon is no longer able to join us at SABF.

About the Author

Photo Credit: Samreen Gazi

Huda Fahmy

Huda Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and has loved comics since she was a kid. She attended the University of Michigan where she majored in English. She taught English to middle and high schoolers for eight years before she started writing about her experiences as a visibly Muslim woman in America. She is a National Book Award Finalist for her graphic novel Huda F Cares?. Huda, her husband, Gehad, and their children reside in Houston, Texas. Her latest graphic novel is Huda F Wants to Know?.

Photo Credit: QZB Photography

Saadia Faruqi

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American writer, interfaith activist, and cultural sensitivity trainer. She is the author of many books for young readers including the Eisner-nominated graphic novel Saving Sunshine; the popular early-reader Yasmin series; and the middle grade novels A Thousand Questions, Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero, and The Partition Project. She is the co-author of the middle grade novel A Place at the Table and the biographical collection The Wonders We Seek: Thirty Incredible Muslims Who Helped Shape the World. She was profiled in Oprah Daily as a woman making a difference in her community. She serves as editor in chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry, and prose. She resides in Houston, Texas, with her family. Her latest book is The Strongest Heart.

Photo Credit: e.E. Charlton-Trujillo

Gia Gordon

Please note: the author Gia Gordon is no longer able to join us at SABF.

Gia Gordon is a disabled author, youth activist, and former educator. As a dedicated children’s literacy advocate, Gia is co-founder of Never Counted Out, a nonprofit that sends books to programs and classrooms where access to reading material isn’t readily available. When she’s not writing, Gia can be found thrifting or turning no-longer-wanted household goods into beautifully reimagined designs. Her middle grade debut My So-Called Family received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly; was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, a Kirkus Best Book of 2024, and a Bookshop.org Best of Kids Chapter Book of 2024; and is longlisted for the Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Award.

Moderator

Erika Murray

Erika Murray is a former English teacher and school librarian. She currently serves as a co-host of San Antonio’s original Silent Book Club® chapter. SBC-SA is an inclusive assortment of readers who gather together in local parks, cafes, and small businesses to read in the wild and build community with other book lovers.