This is a realistic fiction book set in the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. It follows a 10 year old girl named Shubanu and her families story of the arranged marriage of Shubanu and her older story, raising camels in the dessert and the hardships that face a young girl living in a desert patriarchal culture. ( )

Multicultural Literature Book Review

Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. 1989. Alfred A. Knopf: New York.

Genre:
Fiction-Multicultural, Historical fiction

Themes:
Family Problems-loyalty, Multicultural-Islam, Muslim, Arranged marriage at a young age, Death

Reading Level:
Young Adult-High School

Awards:
Newbery Honor, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Horn Book Fanfare Best Book Award, ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Award

Censorship Issues:
Arranged Marriage, Multicultural and Loyalty

Plot Summary (250 words or less):
Shabanu is about a young strong willed eleven year old girl that has to grow up so fast because of culture issues. The story takes place in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan. She loves the life that she is living as a young girl that takes care of camels. Then her older sister dies and Shabanu is faced with an arranged marriage to the man that was suppose to marry her sister. Shabanu has to make a decision about marrying the man arranged by her father that is triple her age. If she marries him she will have to grow up very quickly and leave the life she loves. If she does not marry him, she could be put to death for not following her father’s orders.

Critique:
This was a good book. It was a little slow at the beginning, but picks up pace after her sister’s death. It was a little difficult to read because I had to go back to the glossary to figure out names of the characters over and over.

Curriculum Uses:
Cultural Relations-This book would be a good book to be used when teaching about East cultural. This book would be great to be read in a History class that is studying about the Eastern part of the world. I would recommend the teacher to read it aloud to the class and use it as a discussion book. ( )

Shabanu is a girl growing up in a family of nomads in Pakistan. She was raised to follow the rules: women do not make their own choices; they obey first their fathers and then their husbands.

Shabanu questions her life and longs to be independent. When a powerful man ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is ordered to make a huge sacrifice to uphold her family's honor. Will she obey or follow her own dreams? ( )

Probably realistic tale of a young nomadic woman coming of age. Took a while to get into, slowed down by unfamiliar names of people and things. The author kindly provides a key to character names, a map of the area, and a Glossary, which unfortunately for me, I didn't notice till the end. Made me want to know more about the people and the area of Pakistan. ( )

When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in present-day Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she must either accept the decision, as is the custom. 3rd grade ( )