Huda Was Here

When Akeal’s dad loses his security guard job in their neighbourhood and is forced to take an out-of-state job to support the family, Akeal and the rest of his family know they are in for a difficult time ahead. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) Akeal’s headstrong and stubborn younger sister, Huda, has plan to bring Dad back home. If there isn’t enough crime in the neighbourhood to warrant a security guard…well, then she’ll just have to make more crime!

Together, Akeal and Huda become the ‘Crimanimals’ committing acts of banditry by night, from tipping rubbish bins over to graffitiing their school to stealing the shoes from outside the local mosque. As the story progresses, alternating between perspectives showing before, during, and after the ‘Bandit Plan’, Akeal and Huda discover that there may be more to their dad’s unemployment than they originally thought. It is eventually revealed that the committee that had employed their dad had actually conspired to fire him, planning on using the money they had been paying him for their own selfish purposes. 

After several close calls, Akeal and Huda are eventually arrested by the police (as readers saw at the start of the book), but a surprise appearance by none other than their father and some quick thinking on Huda’s behalf results in the committee being found out, their dad getting his job back, and normalcy being restored to the family...along with certain punishments for Akeal and Huda, of course!

A wonderful sequel to Huda and Me that also stands on its own, this story further portrays the wonderfully relatable dynamics amongst Akeal and Huda’s family, especially between the siblings themselves, with an engaging mystery thrown in. While not as prominent as the previous book, the family’s religious practices are still present throughout, giving the story a wonderfully refreshing and diverse setting. Huda is a loveable menace as per usual, and readers (especially parents!) will relate wholeheartedly to her brother’s constant worrying. A humorous yet heart-warming story about family. 

family, religion, crime, the greater good, money troubles, losing your job, family separation, bandits, siblings, mystery

1. Language: ‘God/Oh my God’ x11. 2. Huda and Akeal commit a variety of crimes as the ‘Crimanimals’ in an effort to get their dad his job back; none of these are violent or harmful acts.