It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

Read the most by: boys and girls

Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy. It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the best-selling Funny in Farsi.

California Library Association’s John and Patricia Beatty Award Winner
Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Grades 6–8)
New York Historical Society’s New Americans Book Prize Winner
Middle East Book Award for Youth Literature, Honorable Mention
Booklist 50 Best Middle Grade Novels of the 21stCentury