Reem Faruqi > Quotes

“Sometimes you don’t see the ball coming,
It spins right by you.”
― Reem Faruqi, Call Me Adnan: An Emotional Novel in Verse for Middle Grade Readers about a Pakinstani American Family's Grief and Healing

“When I doodle,
my mind forgets
all that is happening
around me,
the bad
and the good
and the in-between.

My doodles
become sketches.
And when I write
in my journal,
the words and pictures
play and flirt
with each other.
-Nurah”
― Reem Faruqi, Unsettled: An Award-Winning Story about Immigration, Family, and Finding Belonging for Children

“Losing makes me feel awful. Losing makes me want to hide under the table to never feel this way again.”
― Reem Faruqi, Call Me Adnan: An Emotional Novel in Verse for Middle Grade Readers about a Pakinstani American Family's Grief and Healing

“When I get mad,
I am not like
the water in a rice pot
simmering slow.
I am calm
calm
calm
and then I explode.
I am a teakettle
waiting to scream.
-Nurah”
― Reem Faruqi, Unsettled: An Award-Winning Story about Immigration, Family, and Finding Belonging for Children

“I won't remember
your name
long after you're gone,
but if you have a piece
of art that's memorable,
I will always remember your work.
Always.
-Ms. White”
― Reem Faruqi, Unsettled: An Award-Winning Story about Immigration, Family, and Finding Belonging for Children

“WEIRD BUT TRUE FACT #4 Did you know that you can tell the temperature from counting the chirps crickets make? Count the number of chirps in 14 seconds, then add 40 to get the temperature in Fahrenheit.”
― Reem Faruqi, Golden Girl: A Pakistani American Story about Family, Friendship, and Doing What's Right for Kids

“Dadi's voice is clear
as she pinches off
pouty pink petunias,
wilted blooms.
'You need to get rid of
all the old
and dead flowers
to make space
for new ones.'

Maybe I need to get rid
of all my old
and bad choices
to make space
for new ones?”
― Reem Faruqi, Unsettled: An Award-Winning Story about Immigration, Family, and Finding Belonging for Children

“I am the water,
buoyant with hope.
-Nurah”
― Reem Faruqi, Unsettled: An Award-Winning Story about Immigration, Family, and Finding Belonging for Children

“Even though Abba’s passport is American Blue, it seems like it doesn’t matter because his skin is Pakistani Brown.”
― Reem Faruqi, Golden Girl: A Pakistani American Story about Family, Friendship, and Doing What's Right for Kids