Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can
Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers · Print & ebook · February 10, 2026
A Nonfiction pick for readers exploring Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can.
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- Who it’s for
- Readers interested in nonfiction biographies of Muslim women in comedy
- Themes
- Pursuing creative dreams, Disability and societal barriers, Muslim identity
- Genres
- Biographies of Women for Kids, Physical Disabilities, Middle Eastern & Arab American Stories
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From the prolific Pulitzer Prize–nominated Muslim reporter Dr. Seema Yasmin comes an exciting nonfiction chapter book about one of America’s first female Muslim comedians—Maysoon Zayid—the first in the riveting and inspirational Muslim Mavericks. This is the story of the girl who could! Maysoon Zayid was just a girl from New Jersey.
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She might have sometimes felt like she was in the shadow of her three older sisters, but in her dreams, she was Mimi—an amazing actress, comedian, and dancer! The only problem? People kept telling Maysoon her dreams were impossible! Achieving her goals certainly wasn’t easy; as a Palestinian Muslim girl born with cerebral palsy, Maysoon faced all sorts of challenges—both physical and societal. But Maysoon didn’t dare give up. Instead, she followed her heart all the way to the screen and stage to become one of America’s first ever women Muslim comedians and an actress on her favorite TV show.
Who it’s for
- Readers interested in nonfiction biographies of Muslim women in comedy
- Readers interested in stories of pursuing creative goals amid challenges
Where it sits
| Biographies of Women for Kids | 69% |
|---|---|
| Middle Eastern & Arab American Stories | 69% |
| Physical Disabilities | 45% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Biographies of Women for Kids
- Physical Disabilities
- Middle Eastern & Arab American Stories
- Authors
- Seema Yasmin
- Publisher
- Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Published
- February 10, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Pursuing creative dreams · Disability and societal barriers · Muslim identity
- Reading lane
- Biographies of Women for Kids