Don't Be Scared

by Saadia Faruqi, Shadia Amin (Illustrator)

Riz is determined to prove to his dad that movies matter and ghosts are real, but he and his friends might be in over their head when they investigate the local creepy mansion. Join for the spooky adventure full of family drama, folklore from different cultures, and new-found friendships from acclaimed author Saadia Faruqi and artist Shadia Amin!

Riz Choudhry lives for two movies and anything spooky. His dad? Not so much. While Riz dreams of filmmaking and jump scares, his father dreams of Riz going to med school or law school—and neither one includes ghosts.

But the film club is Riz’s safe haven, a place where other supernatural-obsessed first-gen kids swap scary stories from their cultures. So, when the group decides to film a documentary about the creepy old mansion in town, Riz is all in. But there’s a problem. His dad wants Riz to quit the club. AND the building is about to be demolished. Now Riz and his friends must use the power of filmmaking to save the mansion…before it vanishes forever.

Packed with shivers, laughter, and heart, Don’t Be Scared celebrates friendship, heritage, and daring to fight for what matters—even if it means disagreeing with your family.

Genres: Graphic Novels

208 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 8, 2026

About the author

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author, essayist and interfaith activist. She writes the children’s early reader series “Yasmin” published by Capstone and other books for children, including middle grade novels “A Place At The Table” (HMH/Clarion 2020) co-written with Laura Shovan, and “A Thousand Questions” (Harper Collins 2020). She has also written “Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan” a short story collection for adults and teens. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose, and was featured in Oprah Magazine in 2017 as a woman making a difference in her community. She resides in Houston, TX with her husband and children.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max, Amy and Riz are all in the same afterschool film club, and they are all first generation Americans. Max’s parents were from Pakistan, Amy’s from South Korea and Max from Mexico. And none of their parents want them to study film. But they all enjoy it, and do it anyway.

In their town is an old Victorian, boarded up, about to be torn down, that they think would be a great thing to do a documentary about for their film club. They learn that there are two ghosts in the house, when they start doing research. And they think that adds to the story.

To top it off, they all trade stories from their cultures about ghosts.

This is a fun story about being a first generation kid, and investigating ghosts. The pictures are fun, the plot is plausible, and the kids are all earnest. I love reading the various ghost stories from the various cultures that were sprinkled into the story. Also showing the jerk of a kid that keeps saying nesting things in the club, is unfortunately, something that happens often enough, it too has to be portrayed.

Good for kids that like to be scared, at least a little bit. All the stars, really.

Thanks to Netgalley and First Second for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be coming out on the 8th of September 2026.

[h i n d]

Riz is determined to prove to his dad that movies matter and ghosts are real, but he and his friends might be in over their head when they investigate the local creepy mansion. Join for the spooky adventure full of family drama, folklore from different cultures, and new-found friendships

[Sacha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I enjoy Faruqi's writing so much, regardless of the genre or age group, and this newest graphic novel is a blast, especially for those of us who like a dash of spookiness in our lore and entertainment in general!

Riz loves Film Club, and he's thriving there. Despite one kid who is a racist creep (geographically, some of us may have...incoming expectations and biases about this?), the rest of the group offers all kinds of opportunity for community. Riz makes friends there, not only with other kids who like movies but with others who like SCARY (age appropriate!) stuff! It's so fun to see this group bond not only over the fun of the thrills but also to tie these thrills to stories from cultures they connect to in different ways. These vignettes were my favorite part of the experience!

Running a close second to that aforementioned favorite is Riz's relationship with his dad. Readers learn Riz lost his mom some time ago, and so Riz and his dad are on their own. There are a lot of challenges associated with this, but watching the two of them find each other throughout the text is extremely touching.

In a perfect world, I'd have loved to have even more of those examples of culturally connected lore. I can also see this as the start of a series. Riz is an intriguing character, and he has a lot of growing left to do. I wanted to spend more time with him and to see what he might create next.

I came in a fan of this author and feel even more strongly about that position now.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and First Second for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Adri Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riz is your typical middle schooler, his interests include film and all things spooky-dooky. There seems to be a cultural disconnect between him and his father, since he was born in the USA, and his father and mother immigrated from Pakistan. His father does not understand Riz’s interests and would prefer him prepare for a career in respectable field like medicine or law. They must find a way to compromise and meet in the middle.

Meanwhile, Riz had joined the Film Club at school and finds comradery in other First-Generation Immigrant kids. They both have stories stemming from their Korean and Mexican cultures, which Riz is lacking due to his disinterest in the subject. Perhaps this is the way for his father and him to connect via scary stories!

Riz and his friends decide to do their film club project on a local piece of spooky lore, the Hollister Manor. The librarian’s is the last of the Hollister family that owned the building where two young girls bodies went missing during a fire and were never found. The deadline quickly approaches for the Manor is set to be demolished shortly. Can Riz find a middle ground with his father? Can the kids save the Hollister Manor with their film project? You’ll have to read to find out!

#ThxNetGalley #SaadiaFaruqi #DontBeScared

[Abby Aguilera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley.

This was so fun! I loved the cultural spirits and lore that show up across the three main cultures depicted by characters. The message of making friends, not being ashamed of your culture and bridging generational gaps with parents was really touching. The only thing I wish there had been more of was resolution with the bully character because it felt like there wasn't really a consequence and while that's not the point of the book, it would've been nice to see. Thank you for this ARC, I so enjoyed it!

I was given the opportunity to read this title by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Haruka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!!! The book isnt just about making friends. The issue about immigrants also shown in here. Culture of others as well. Everything is so blend in and it works. Love the ending so much. The ghost move on peacefully. Got closure. The house was saved. Great read!!!
.
.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance~

[Sabrina Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are absolutely stunning and blend seamlessly with the story, enhancing every moment. I loved getting to explore ghost stories from different cultures and seeing them brought to life so vividly on the page. Beyond the haunting tales, it’s also a beautifully told story about a father and son learning to understand and accept one another, which adds so much heart to the book.

[Ms. Yingling]

Netgalley

[McKinzie Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Cute story, a fun introduction to spooky stories for young readers. Full review to come in August!