Hafsa's Way

In this gripping novel by the author of the New York Times bestseller Amal Unbound, Hafsa pushes back against her family's expectations--and discovers her own power.

Hafsa intends to be a doctor one day, so she's thrilled to be accepted into Bukhari Summer Science Camp for kids who share her dream. Her parents, however, do not share her enthusiasm. They don't support the idea of girls being doctors, the camp is expensive, and they don't want to send her off to the big city of Lahore unsupervised. But when her brother-in-law offers to pay, and he and her sister invite her to stay at their house instead of in the dorms, her parents grudgingly give in. Hafsa couldn't be more excited, but things get off to a shaky start when it immediately becomes apparent that she accidently signed up for the wrong program. And since she's the only one not staying in the dorms, her fellow students treat her like an outsider--and a country bumpkin. On top of all that, she's worried about her sister, who seems to have set aside her own career goals to please her in-laws.

But Hafsa's way is to forge ahead, whether that means finding ways to pursue her medical studies, immersing herself in the climate studies program, or taking a pivotal field trip to the zoo--where an encounter with an elephant leads to several unexpected outcomes. It's not easy to negotiate being part of a community--and a family--that doesn't support her dreams, but Hafsa's never been the type to take no for an answer. She's determined to grab any chance she can for a better future, no matter what the odds are stacked against her.

Author: Aisha Saeed
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Published: 03/10/2026
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 8.49h x 5.85w x 0.87d
ISBN: 9780593529379
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2026
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2026 pg. 69
Publishers Weekly 12/15/2025
Booklist 12/01/2025
Kirkus Reviews 01/01/2026

About the Author
Aisha Saeed (AishaSaeed.com) is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of books for children, including her middle grade novels Omar Rising and Amal Unbound (a New York Times bestseller and Global Read Aloud). Her picture book Bilal Cooks Daal received an APALA honor, and she also wrote the picture books Zuni and the Memory Jar and The Together Tree. Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books(TM). She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family.