Urbana: Hail Mariam
$17.99
Author Huda Al-Marashi is coming to Urbana Middle School! Please read instructions below before you order a signed copy of Hail Mariam to be delivered to your child’s school on the day of the author visit. The last day to place your order will be September 13.
- Make sure you select LOCAL PICKUP at checkout, so you are not charged shipping (your student will receive their book at school on the day of the visit).
- Don’t forget to include your student’s name and grade in the order notes field at checkout to help your school easily distribute books when they are delivered on the day of the visit. You can find this section under ‘Payment Options’, where it says ‘Add a note to your order.’ Click the check box and a text box should appear for you to type the note.
About the book:
Hail Mariam is an interfaith Muslim take on Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret drawn from the author’s own experiences in Catholic school.
Sixth grade wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.
Iraqi American Mariam Hassan transfers to a local Catholic school and before her first day her parents remind her that she might be the first Muslim her classmates have ever met. No big deal, right? Just represent an entire religion while making new friends, keeping up with schoolwork, and figuring out who she is.
When Mariam’s younger sister, Salma, is diagnosed with a serious lung condition, her family faces endless doctor visits and sleepless nights. Mariam tries to lighten their burden and keep her own problems to herself—including the fact that she’s just been cast as Mary in the school’s Christmas nativity play.
Mariam wants to honor her faith and her new community, but she’s terrified of crossing a religious line. Can a Muslim girl be the lead in a Christian story? What will her family think? And why does she feel like every decision she makes represents all Muslims?
Mariam discovers that faith, much like friendships, isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. As she leans on her family, friends, and school community, she begins to see the power of interfaith cooperation and learns she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Hail Mariam is a celebration of the beauty of finding common ground.
