The Partition Project

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

In this engaging and moving middle grade novel, author Saadia Faruqi writes about a contemporary Pakistani American girl whose passion for journalism inspires her to learn more about her grandmother’s experience of the Partition of India and Pakistan—and the bond that the two form as she helps Dadi tell her story.

When her grandmother comes off the airplane in Houston from Pakistan, Mahnoor knows that having Dadi move in is going to disrupt everything about her life. That fact is confirmed when Maha has to give up her bedroom to the grumpy old woman and is assigned to be Dadi’s unofficial babysitter.As an aspiring journalist, Maha knows all about the importance of facts (though her best friend would say that stories are just as important). She can’t wait to start her journalism elective—until their teacher announces that their big assignment will be to film a documentary, which feels way outside of what she would call “journalism.”While Dadi starts to settle into life in Houston and Maha scrambles for a subject for her documentary, the two of them start talking. About Dadi’s childhood in northern India—and about the Partition that forced her to leave her home and relocate to the newly created Pakistan.As details of Dadi’s life are revealed, Dadi’s personal story feels a lot more like the breaking news that Maha loves so much. And before she knows it, she has the subject of her documentary.

About the Author

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American writer, interfaith activist, and cultural-sensitivity trainer and is the author of the early-reader Yasmin series and A Thousand Questions. She resides in Houston, Texas, with her family.