Words in the Dust

All in all, I say: SKIP IT. The characters names were all too much alike. There were some unnecessary characters or time spent on unnecessary characters. There is a scene toward the end that is heart-wrenching. I know things like that happen and I don't want my students to be exposed to it at age 12/13. Amazon describes plot as, "Zulaikha hopes. She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her--"Inshallah," God willing.

Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to her village, promising not just new opportunities and dangers, but surgery to fix her face. These changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha--but can she dare to hope they'll come true?"