Muslims in YA

Please note: I’m speaking from the view of mainstream publishers, as there have been Islamic companies who have attempted to provide representation.

In YA novels, there are few Muslim characters. I started making this list for my cousin who wanted to read more YA novels with Muslim characters in them. So that’s why I decided to post the list here. This is by no means a completed list but it gives an indication of the novels that exist with Muslim characters in the YA publishing sphere. I’ll be continuously updating it. Please drop a comment below if I’ve missed one out! I’ve also included some books that also come under kidlit!

Note: I have not read all these books yet but I’m trying to avoid adding books that feature misrepresentation, stereotypes and tokenism – which was something I didn’t do when I made the original list two years ago. I’ll add at the end which books are removed from the list and why. It will take a while to read everything but if you’ve read a book on here and believe it includes problematic rep – please tell me and I’ll change it accordingly.

Any books labelled with *** means it features a Muslim character in the novel but not as the main protagonist. 

LAST UPDATED: 28/01/2019

• A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena
• All The Things We Never Said by Yasmin Rahman
• Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
• A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi
• A Map of Home by Randa Jarrar
• Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
• ***An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
• Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

B

• Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar
• Bestest. Ramadan. Ever. by Medeia Sharif
• Borderline by Allan Stratton
• Boy vs. Girl by Na’ima B. Robert

D

• Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah | my review
• Dahling, If You Luv Me, Would You Please, Please Smile by Rukhsana Khan

I

• I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan
• I Hope You Get This Message by Farah Naz Rishi
• I Love I Hate I Miss My Sister by Amélie Sarn
• ***Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel Caine | My Review
• Internment by Samira Ahmed | my review
• In the Name of God by Paula Jolin

K

• Kick the Moon by Muhammad Khan
• Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faïza Guène

L

• Laughing All The Way To The Mosque by Zarqa Nawaz
• Love From A to Z by S.K. Ali
• Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

M

• Ms. Marvel (comic book series) by G. Willow Wilson (Author), Adrian Alphona (Artist)
• ***My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
• Mirage (Mirage #1) by Somaiya Daud | my review

N

• Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi

O

• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

P

• ***Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine

R

• Rebels by Accident by Patricia Dunn

S

• Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali
• Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham
• She Wore Red Trainers by Na’ima B. Robert
• Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim

T

• Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
• Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim
• The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian
• The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad
• The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty | my review
• The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson
• The Gauntlet (The Gauntlet #1) by Karuna Riazi
• *** The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2) by Rick Riordan
• The Hijabi Club by Shaylene Haswar
• The Light at the Bottom of the World by London Shah
• The Lines We Cross (Also known as When Michael met Mina) by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
• The Story of Maha by Sumayya Lee
• The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
• Throne of the Crescent Moon (The Crescent Moon Kingdoms #1) by Saladin Ahmed

W

• When Wings Expand by Mehded Maryam Sinclair
• Where I Belong by Gillian Cross
• Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Y

• You Must Be Layla by Yassmin Abdel-Magied
• You’re Not Proper (Striker #1) by Tariq Mehmood