Unsettled

Now in paperback! A stirring, hopeful immigration story of Nurah and her family, who move from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, from the author of the award-winning picture book Lailah’s Lunchbox. Powerful and charming, Other Words for Home meets Front Desk in this debut middle grade novel in verse about finding your footing in a new world.

From Pakistan to Peachtree City—Nurah’s stirring story of finding your place.

When Nurah’s family moves from Karachi, Pakistan, to Peachtree City, Georgia, all she really wants is to blend in, but she stands out for all the wrong reasons. Nurah’s accent, floral-print kurtas, and tea-colored skin make her feel excluded, and she’s left to eat lunch alone under the stairwell, until she meets Stahr at swimming tryouts.

But in the water Nurah doesn’t want to blend in: She wants to stand out. She wants to win medals like her star-athlete brother, Owais—who is going through struggles of his own in America—yet when sibling rivalry gets in the way, she makes a split-second decision of betrayal that changes their fates.

Ultimately, Nurah gradually gains the courage to stand up to bullies, fight for what she believes in, and find her place.

Reem Faruqi is the acclaimed author of Do You Even Know Me?, Call Me Adnan, Milloo's Mind, Anisa's International Day, Golden Girl, and Unsettled, which is loosely based on Reem’s own story. She is also the author of ALA Notable Books Lailah’s Lunchbox and Amira’s Picture Day and the award-winning I Can Help. Of Pakistani descent, Reem immigrated to Peachtree City, Georgia, in the United States from the United Arab Emirates when she was thirteen years old. Reem is also a teacher and photographer who loves to doodle. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three daughters.