Farah Rocks Florida Read online

yallah —

  come on

  zaatar —

  ground-up blend of thyme, salt, and sesame seeds

  zaytoun —

  olive

  zeit —

  oil

  Glossary

  asthma (AZ-muh) —

  a condition that causes a person to wheeze and have difficulty breathing

  bodice (BOD-uhs) —

  the upper part of a piece of clothing between the waist and the shoulders

  fungus (FUHN-guhs) —

  a single-celled organism that lives by breaking down and absorbing the natural material it lives in

  geology (jee-AHL-uh-jee) —

  the study of minerals, rocks, and soil

  grimace (GRIM-uhs) —

  a twisting of the face or features in disapproval or pain

  howlite (HOW-lite) —

  a borate mineral, white in color, discovered by and named after scientist Henry How in 1868

  labyrinth (LAB-uh-rinth) —

  a maze of winding passages that may be difficult to find the way out of

  micropyle (MYE-kruh-pile) —

  a tiny opening in a seed that is used for water absorption during germination

  mineral (MIN-ur-uhl) —

  a substance found in nature that is not made by a plant or animal

  minor (MYE-ner) —

  a person under the age of eighteen

  Minotaur (MIN-uh-tar) —

  a monster in Greek mythology that is shaped half like a man and half like a bull

  mythology (mih-THAHL-uh-jee) —

  old or ancient stories told again and again that help connect people with their past

  ornithologist (or-nuh-THAHL-uh-jist) —

  a scientist who studies birds

  Passeriformes (pas-ser-ih-FOR-meez) —

  the largest order of birds, including many backyard birds such as crows, cardinals, and sparrows

  Phasianidae (fay-see-AN-ih-dee) —

  the bird family that includes turkeys, grouse, pheasants, and partridges

  petrified (PEH-truh-fyed) —

  turned into stone

  rosary (ROH-zuh-ree) —

  a special string of beads used for prayer in certain religions

  About the Author

  Susan Muaddi Darraj is an award-winning author of more than ten books, including two short story collections. She is an associate professor of English at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, and she also teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and Fairfield University. A native Philadelphian, Susan currently lives in Baltimore. She loves books, coffee, and baseball, and she’s mildly obsessed with stationery supplies.

  About the Illustrator

  Illustrator and graphic designer Ruaida Mannaa completed her undergraduate studies at the Universidad del Norte in her hometown in Colombia. She went on to pursue a Master’s degree in illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. She grew up in a multicultural family, surrounded by different languages, loud parties, and delicious food, and she finds great inspiration for her art in culture and cultural exchange.

  Farah Rocks is published by Stone Arch Books, an imprint of Capstone.

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  capstonepub.com

  Text copyright © 2021 by Susan Muaddi Darraj.

  Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Capstone.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Darraj, Susan Muaddi, author. | Mannaa, Ruaida, illustrator. | Darraj, Susan Muaddi. Farah rocks. Title: Farah rocks Florida / by Susan Muaddi Darraj ; illustrated by Ruaida Mannaa. Description: North Mankato : Stone Arch Books, 2021. | Series: Farah rocks | Audience: Ages 8-12. | Audience: Grades 4-6. | Summary: Farah’s little brother is in the hospital with a heart problem that needs surgery, so her parents send sixth-grader Farah off to stay with her grandmother in a retirement condo in Florida; Sitti Fayrouz does not speak much English, has a lot of rules, and does not understand Farah’s interest in geology, so Farah is not happy with the move—but despite being the only child in the community, Farah finds that the people are nice, and despite getting off to a bad start (she accidentally dumped a soda on his lap) she forms a friendship with Dr. Fisher, who shares her interest in science. Identifiers: LCCN 2021006160 (print) | LCCN 2021006161 (ebook) | ISBN 9781496583420 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781496583475 (pdf) | ISBN 9781666315233 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Palestinian American girls—Juvenile fiction. | Gifted children—Juvenile fiction. | Grandmothers—Juvenile fiction. | Grandparent and child—Juvenile fiction. | Retirement communities—Juvenile fiction. | Friendship—Juvenile fiction. | Florida—Juvenile fiction. | CYAC: Palestinian Americans—Fiction. | Grandmothers—Fiction. | Grandparent and child—Fiction. | Retirement communities—Fiction. | Friendship—Fiction. | Florida—Fiction.

  Classification: LCC PZ7.1.D3353 Fas 2021 (print) | LCC PZ7.1.D3353 (ebook) | DDC 813.6 [Fic]—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006160

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006161

  Designed by Hilary Wacholz