The Green Bicycle by Haifaa Al Mansour

The Green Bicycle

Haifaa Al Mansour

Penguin Young Readers Group · Paperback · April 12, 2016

In the vein of Year of the Dog and The Higher Power of Lucky, this Middle Eastern coming-of-age story is told with warmth, spirit, and a mischievous sense of humor Spunky eleven-year-old Wadjda lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with her parents.

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Who it’s for
Wit and spirit make questions of gender, conformity, and family feel close at hand.
Genres
Middle Eastern & Arab American Stories, Growing Up, Girls & Young Women
Published
Penguin Young Readers Group, April 12, 2016

About this book

In the vein of Year of the Dog and The Higher Power of Lucky, this Middle Eastern coming-of-age story is told with warmth, spirit, and a mischievous sense of humor Spunky eleven-year-old Wadjda lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with her parents. She desperately wants a bicycle so that she can race her friend Abdullah, even though it is considered improper for girls to ride bikes.

Continue reading

Wadjda earns money for her dream bike by selling homemade bracelets and mixtapes of banned music to her classmates. But after she's caught, she’s forced to turn over a new leaf (sort of), or risk expulsion from school. Still, Wadjda keeps scheming, and with the bicycle so closely in her sights, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Set against the shifting social attitudes of the Middle East, The Green Bicycle explores gender roles, conformity, and the importance of family, all with wit and irresistible heart.

Warm Defiance

Wit and spirit make questions of gender, conformity, and family feel close at hand.

Come here for

  • A mischievous, warm take on girls and social expectations
  • Coming-of-age fiction with family at its heart

Expect

  • A playful voice alongside shifting social attitudes
  • A determined young heroine, without losing sight of family

Where it sits

Growing Up46%
Girls & Young Women45%
Middle Eastern & Arab American Stories39%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Alternative Family Stories
  • Girls & Young Women
  • Stories Set in the Middle East
Authors
Haifaa Al Mansour
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
April 12, 2016
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
Alternative Family Stories