17 must-read contemporary books like Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi

Cover of Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi

Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

By: Saadia Faruqi

4.19

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

Yusuf Azeem has spent all his life in the small town of Frey, Texas—and nearly that long waiting fo…

If you liked the contemporary plot in Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi , here is a list of 17 books like this:

1. Powerless (Supers of Noble's Green, #1)

By: Matthew Cody

4.61

Format: 313 pages,

Superheroes soar in this promising debut--and they're kids! Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in … read more

Similar categories in Matthew Cody's Powerless (Supers of Noble's Green, #1) book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

2. At the Bottom of the World (Jack and the Geniuses, #1)

By: Gregory Mone , Bill Nye , Nicholas Iluzada

3.26

Format: None pages, Hardcover

New York Timesbestselling authors Bill Nye the Science Guy and Gregory Mone take middle-grade reade… read more

Similar categories in Gregory Mone's At the Bottom of the World (Jack and the Geniuses, #1) book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

Cover of The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead

3. The Lost Library

By: Rebecca Stead

4.14

Format: 215 pages, Hardcover

A little free library guarded by a cat and a boy who takes on the mystery it keeps. When a myst… read more

Similar categories in Rebecca Stead's The Lost Library book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
  • audiobook
"But aren’t “parents"

-Rebecca Stead, The Lost Library

"That delicious book smell, his heart said."

-Rebecca Stead, The Lost Library

"Being a Great Reader means feeling something about books."

-Rebecca Stead, The Lost Library

"Head high, my dear! Eyes up! Take your place in the world!"

-Rebecca Stead, The Lost Library

Cover of Linked by Gordon Korman

4. Linked

By: Gordon Korman

4.18

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks in… read more

Similar categories in Gordon Korman's Linked book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • school
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"A paper chain can be done when it hits a certain number of links. But tolerance is a project you always have to keep working at."

-Gordon Korman, Linked

Cover of The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh

5. The Lost Year

By: Katherine Marsh

4.50

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

A middle-grade survival story that traces a family secret back to the Holodomor, a terrible famine … read more

Similar categories in Katherine Marsh's The Lost Year book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

6. Red, White, and Whole

By: Rajani LaRocca

4.43

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

An #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when he… read more

Similar categories in Rajani LaRocca's Red, White, and Whole book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
"What does the sky do when the moon is gone forever?"

-Rajani LaRocca, Red, White, and Whole

"We say goodbye to Amma. I am empty. I’ve been watching and saying goodbye for months."

-Rajani LaRocca, Red, White, and Whole

"« We say goodbye to Amma. I am empty. I’ve been watching and saying goodbye for months. »"

-Rajani LaRocca, Red, White, and Whole

"Her face is as bright as a full moon, always gentle, always changing, but predictable. Like our moon, she only shows us one face. The strong one."

-Rajani LaRocca, Red, White, and Whole

Cover of Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow

7. Simon Sort of Says

By: Erin Bow

4.31

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a ho… read more

Similar categories in Erin Bow's Simon Sort of Says book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"Dad picks Denver [to get his rabies shots], and he's totally fine, but he's going to be away for three days. "Just like Jesus," Mom says. I can hear the phone say, "Isobel!"

-Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says

"In the tabernacle did the [squirrel]--" "Eat the Host?" says Dad. "Yes he did." "And was it--" "Consecrated?" says Dad. "Yes it was." ... "What, uh, happened to the squirrel?" "That squirrel is now 3…"

-Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says

"The dog- Todd?- looks up from its leaking beer, puffs a sigh, then crosses the room to head-butt the fridge door closed. "Ummm" I manage "Did you see he got a--" "It's okay," she says. "He only has o…"

-Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says

Cover of Tumble by Celia C. Pérez

8. Tumble

By: Celia C. Pérez

4.16

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk, a dazzling novel about a young girl who co… read more

Similar categories in Celia C. Pérez's Tumble book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Chester Keene Cracks the Code by Kekla Magoon

9. Chester Keene Cracks the Code

By: Kekla Magoon

3.86

Format: 293 pages, Hardcover

Cracking the code isn't all it's cracked up to be in this scavenger hunt adventure from a Coretta S… read more

Similar categories in Kekla Magoon's Chester Keene Cracks the Code book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • school
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of The Manifestor Prophecy (Nic Blake and the Remarkables, #1) by Angie Thomas

10. The Manifestor Prophecy (Nic Blake and the Remarkables, #1)

By: Angie Thomas

4.19

Format: 354 pages, Hardcover

Internationally bestselling superstar author Angie Thomas makes her middle grade debut with the lau… read more

Similar categories in Angie Thomas's The Manifestor Prophecy (Nic Blake and the Remarkables, #1) book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee

11. Maizy Chen's Last Chance

By: Lisa Yee

4.29

Format: 277 pages, Hardcover

Welcome to The Golden Palace! Maizy has never been to Last Chance, Minnesota. . . until now. Her… read more

Similar categories in Lisa Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
"When you're in a position to help, that means you're in a good place in your own life."

-Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen's Last Chance

"Sometimes people don't know their dreams until they're in it. Other times, their dreams escape them because they are too busy being busy."

-Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Cover of Violets Are Blue by Barbara Dee

12. Violets Are Blue

By: Barbara Dee

4.25

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

From the author of the acclaimed My Life in the Fish Tank and Maybe He Just Likes You comes a movin… read more

Similar categories in Barbara Dee's Violets Are Blue book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
Cover of Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn

13. Honestly Elliott

By: Gillian McDunn

4.33

Format: 263 pages, Hardcover

Sometimes finding yourself can be a little messy. Elliott has been struggling since starting mid… read more

Similar categories in Gillian McDunn's Honestly Elliott book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
"The goal isn't perfection- the goal is making something new. (pg. 18)"

-Gillian McDunn, Honestly Elliott

Cover of The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

14. The Parker Inheritance

By: Varian Johnson

4.18

Format: 331 pages, Hardcover

The letter waits in a book, in a box, in an attic, in an old house in Lambert, South Carolina. It's… read more

Similar categories in Varian Johnson's The Parker Inheritance book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
"Brandon said. “I guess I like boy books."

-Varian Johnson, The Parker Inheritance

"It’s just … I don’t think there’s such a thing as boy books or girl books. I think there are people books."

-Varian Johnson, The Parker Inheritance

"His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a little. "You like puzzle books and you haven't read The Westing Game ?!' he yelled."

-Varian Johnson, The Parker Inheritance

Cover of Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango

15. Iveliz Explains It All

By: Andrea Beatriz Arango

4.19

Format: 272 pages, Library Binding

How do you speak up when it feels like no one is listening? One girl takes on seventh grade while f… read more

Similar categories in Andrea Beatriz Arango's Iveliz Explains It All book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"and it's important to stop, be kind to ourselves, and ask for help- ask for love."

-Andrea Beatriz Arango, Iveliz Explains It All

"But you have to be somewhere I can find. You understand? Somewhere I can find. I nod, because I know what he is saying and what he is not saying. He can't find me if I'm not here. (p. 113 of the hard…"

-Andrea Beatriz Arango, Iveliz Explains It All

"I am not okay, and sometimes I wish people wouldn't believe me when I say I am. I wish they would ask, just one more time, and I wish they wouldn't tiptoe around me like I'm a poem, so I could show t…"

-Andrea Beatriz Arango, Iveliz Explains It All

Cover of The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung

16. The Boys in the Back Row

By: Mike Jung

3.88

Format: 240 pages, Hardcover

Best friends Matt and Eric are hatching a plan for one big final adventure together before Eric mov… read more

Similar categories in Mike Jung's The Boys in the Back Row book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • school
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Partly Cloudy by Tanita S. Davis

17. Partly Cloudy

By: Tanita S. Davis

3.81

Format: 240 pages, Hardcover

An exploration of the microaggressions of middle school and a young Black girl named Madalyn who le… read more

Similar categories in Tanita S. Davis's Partly Cloudy book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna (Petra Luna, #1) by Alda P. Dobbs

18. Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna (Petra Luna, #1)

By: Alda P. Dobbs

4.26

Format: 273 pages, Hardcover

It is 1913, and twelve-year-old Petra Luna's mama has died while the Revolution rages in Mexico. Be… read more

Similar categories in Alda P. Dobbs's Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna (Petra Luna, #1) book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller

19. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

By: Tae Keller

4.17

Format: 277 pages, Hardcover

A story about a girl who is alienated by her friends . . . for believing in aliens. Sometimes m… read more

Similar categories in Tae Keller's Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
"I had to make her understand that this mattered--what people thought had everything to do with who she was. Because how do we know who we are without knowing our place in the world?"

-Tae Keller, Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone

Cover of Focused by Alyson Gerber

20. Focused

By: Alyson Gerber

4.17

Format: 304 pages, Kindle Edition

Clea can't control her thoughts. She knows she has to do her homework . . . but she gets distracted… read more

Similar categories in Alyson Gerber's Focused book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
Cover of Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

21. Concealed

By: Christina Diaz Gonzalez

3.92

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

Ivette Joanna And now: Katrina Whatever her name is, it won't last long. Katrina doesn't k… read more

Similar categories in Christina Diaz Gonzalez's Concealed book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner

22. A High Five for Glenn Burke

By: Phil Bildner

4.14

Format: 288 pages, Hardcover

A heartfelt and relatable novel from Phil Bildner, weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger a… read more

Similar categories in Phil Bildner's A High Five for Glenn Burke book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
Cover of Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros

23. Falling Short

By: Ernesto Cisneros

4.08

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

A novel about two best friends who must rely on each other in unexpected ways. Isaac and Marco a… read more

Similar categories in Ernesto Cisneros's Falling Short book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • school
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi

24. Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

By: Saadia Faruqi

4.19

Format: 368 pages, Hardcover

Yusuf Azeem has spent all his life in the small town of Frey, Texas—and nearly that long waiting fo… read more

Similar categories in Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • school
  • muslims
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Shine On, Luz Véliz! by Rebecca Balcárcel

25. Shine On, Luz Véliz!

By: Rebecca Balcárcel

4.28

Format: 276 pages, Hardcover

A beautiful coming-of-age story for fans of Front Desk and Merci Suárez Changes Gears , this book c… read more

Similar categories in Rebecca Balcárcel's Shine On, Luz Véliz! book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • audiobook
"The self is not discovered, but created."

-Rebecca Balcárcel, Shine On, Luz Véliz!

Cover of Stowaway (The Icarus Chronicles, #1) by John David  Anderson

26. Stowaway (The Icarus Chronicles, #1)

By: John David Anderson

3.93

Format: 384 pages, Hardcover

The first book in a coming-of-age sci-fi duology about Leo, a kid trying to navigate the galaxy in … read more

Similar categories in John David Anderson's Stowaway (The Icarus Chronicles, #1) book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • middle grade
  • childrens
  • fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of Lupe Wong Won't Dance by Donna Barba Higuera

27. Lupe Wong Won't Dance

By: Donna Barba Higuera

3.94

Format: 256 pages, Hardcover

Lupe Wong is going to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues. She's also championed cause… read more

Similar categories in Donna Barba Higuera's Lupe Wong Won't Dance book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack

28. Black Bird, Blue Road

By: Sofiya Pasternack

4.15

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

In this historical fantasy novel from Sydney Taylor Honor winner and National Jewish Book Award fin… read more

Similar categories in Sofiya Pasternack's Black Bird, Blue Road book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • middle grade
  • fiction
  • historical fiction
  • audiobook
Cover of The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James  Bird

29. The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls

By: James Bird

3.93

Format: 288 pages, Hardcover

A middle-grade novel by James Bird about a boy sent to his Ojibwe family to straighten out his life… read more

Similar categories in James Bird's The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
Cover of Candidly Cline by Kathryn Ormsbee

30. Candidly Cline

By: Kathryn Ormsbee

4.24

Format: 320 pages, Hardcover

A must-read for fans of Julie Murphy and Ashley Herring Blake, this queer coming-of-age story from … read more

Similar categories in Kathryn Ormsbee's Candidly Cline book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook
Cover of The Swag Is in the Socks by Kelly J. Baptist

31. The Swag Is in the Socks

By: Kelly J. Baptist

4.15

Format: 234 pages, Hardcover

Xavier Moon is stepping out of the shadows when his great uncle gifts his with outlandish socks and… read more

Similar categories in Kelly J. Baptist's The Swag Is in the Socks book and Saadia Faruqi's Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero

  • childrens
  • school
  • realistic fiction
  • middle grade
  • young adult
  • fiction
  • contemporary
  • audiobook

29 best-selling fiction books like Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero by Saadia Faruqi

Transform Your Habits

The Lost Library

Rebecca Stead

4.14

Transform Your Habits

Linked

Gordon Korman

4.18

Transform Your Habits

The Lost Year

Katherine Marsh

4.50

Transform Your Habits

Red, White, and Whole

Rajani LaRocca

4.43

View all the books

19 must-read fiction books like Honestly Elliott by Gillian McDunn

Transform Your Habits

Strangeville School Is Totally Normal

Darcy Miller

3.75

Transform Your Habits

Chester Keene Cracks the Code

Kekla Magoon

3.86

Transform Your Habits

Maizy Chen's Last Chance

Lisa Yee

4.29

Transform Your Habits

Manatee Summer

Evan Griffith

4.23

View all the books

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