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A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

By Jasmine Warga
What if the only way to save your family’s reputation was to find a girl who shouldn’t exist?
Jasmine Warga, the celebrated Newbery Honor author behind A Rover’s Story, returns with a middle-grade mystery that feels both whimsical and deeply grounded. In A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, sixth-grader Rami Ahmed is used to being overlooked, but everything changes when a valuable painting vanishes from the museum where his mother works. With his mother unfairly targeted as a suspect, Rami refuses to stay invisible. He teams up with a classmate named Veda and a turtle named Agatha to uncover the truth. The story takes an eerie turn when Rami encounters a ghostly girl who seems to have stepped right out of the stolen artwork. Critics have already celebrated this 2024 release, with Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal giving it starred reviews for its captivating mystery and meticulously built museum backdrop. It is a story about finding one’s voice when the world seems determined to keep you quiet.
This novel is an excellent fit for any library’s collection because it turns the abstract idea of justice into a real and personal mission. By focusing on Rami’s Lebanese American heritage and his struggle to be “seen,” the book aligns perfectly with UN Sustainable Development Goal #10: Reduced Inequalities. Students can identify Rami’s caring nature as he works to restore his family’s reputation and help the mysterious apparition known as Blue. In a classroom, an educator could use Rami’s detective work to anchor a Grade 6 unit on advocacy and fairness. For instance, after reading, students might research real-world instances where people were misunderstood by systems of authority and propose ways to make their own school environment more inclusive. The story provides a clear roadmap for student agency; it shows that even when adults are looking the other way, a young person’s persistence can correct a wrong. It moves the conversation from simply noticing unfairness to actively investigating and solving problems in one’s own community.

The compelling story of Amal’s fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude.

Pub year : 2024

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