Genre: : YA Fiction, Political Fiction
Key Stage: Year 9/10+
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan (2018)
Plot: I Am Thunder is a novel, centred on the life of fifteen-year-old girl, Muzna Saleem. She aspires to be writer, a journalist but struggles with her strict, traditional Pakistani parents who want her to become a doctor. Once she has to move school and home to South London, Muzna realises that she can’t be quiet forever and must fight back and stand up for herself and for what is right. And when Arif suddenly takes an interest in her, she is encouraged to explore the world of freedom. But things don’t always seem as good as they appear. Everyone has secrets, right? When Arif and his brother Jameel influence her into their extreme view of the world, Muzna’s freedom begins to disappear and she is forced to question everything around her and make the decision and apply what she has learnt from coming here.
Positives and negatives: the overall plot just captivated me. One particular thing that I had felt connected to was the female protagonist- she is a Muslim girl from South Asia and born in England. What I also admired was the relationship of Muzna and Khadija: it reminded me of two of my closest friends who always, without a doubt, remind me of my creator. As much as I loved it, the only thing that would change is the reunition of Salma and Muzna; I really wanted them to be friends again or to at least meet up with each other after the first meeting of each other after a while.
Who I would recommend this to and what you should read next: This is a book perfect for all young adults upper KS3 and above but it particularly resonated with me as young Muslim girl; Muzna’s growth in this book is an inspiration to all. And, if you enjoyed this book just as much as I did then make sure to read two others of my favourites: Love in a Headscarf and Love from A to Z (one of our recommendations in the 2022 Reading Challenge) These two books will undoubtedly become a favourites for fellow students who are either young historians or helpless romantics.
Reviewer: Yaminah