Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful graphic novel about being true to yourself, finding yourself, and overcoming a terrible attack on oneself. There is a lot of information at the end of the book to help better understand Bengali culture. I would say this is for older grades (9+).

This is such a great graphic novel that i highly recommend for ages 10+. Wonderful artwork and story. We get a glimpse into understanding the history of Bangladesh which is great because that's something we never learn about in American schools.

TW for someone trying to rip off the main characters hijab

This is an OWN’s voice graphic novel.

I definitely have to add that there is a few trigger warnings to this such as assault, trama. mental health etc

Our main character Nisrin is attacked one-day leaving middle school for wearing a hijab. In the beginning, she was wearing to show what it looks like. She never thought she would wear it daily.

She takes the summer to recover from her attack. This is when she decides she wants to wear it all the time to her family’s dismay. They all tell her no but she stands up for herself and wears it anyway. Nisrin quickly realizes that everyone hates it. They quickly judge her for it, but Nisrin persists in wearing it. Its thanks to her cousins and her researching on Islam that she feels closer to God.

It was definitely a bit heartbreaking in the beginning when Nisrin was attacked. You can’t help but want to applaud Nisrin for standing up for what she believes as everyone should.

Such a great story! Will absolutely be adding this to my classroom library. I know so many students have questions about hijab but are afraid to ask. This will also make my students that wear hijab feel represented

Piece by Piece is a middle-grade graphic novel about Nisrin, a 13-year-old Bangladeshi-American living in Oregon in 2002. One day she is viciously attacked for wearing a headscarf. After spending the summer isolated and trying to recover from the trauma, she decides to start high school wearing hijab. Her family doesn't support her and many of her classmates ridicule her. While the book tried to explain her family's opposition to Nisrin's hijab-wearing and her desire to connect to Islam, I found it to be very confusing and difficult to follow. The book attempted to explain Bangladeshi history, but it just didn't work for me. I'm still pretty new to graphic novels so I shared with my 12 and 13-year-old children who love the genre but they "didn't get it" either. The concept was great, but the execution needs a little more work for clarity.

Graphic Novel
I received an electronic ARC from ABRAMS Kids through NetGalley.
Readers see Nisrin struggle to figure out who she is in connection to her faith. She and her best friend are attacked due to the way they looked early in the book. Nisrin's Bangladeshi attire triggered a hate crime by some stranger on the street. Both girls ended up with physical as well as emotional damage. The remainder of the story looks at how Nisrin copes with what happened and her family's reaction to this. They are immigrants from Bangladesh and escaped during the genocide that took place in the 1970's so face their own memories of that time. Readers see Nisrin work to decide about wearing the hijab as she begins high school. She discovers hate and distrust come in all sorts of ways from teachers and classmates. It's heartbreaking to realize how many young women face this as they figure out who they are. Huq captures the pain and the blossoming joy as she finds friends and owns her choices.
A terrific Own Voice novel that pulls readers in. The informative text included at the end offers further insight into Bangladeshi history.
The artwork is stunning and creates the entire world for readers to step into.

Trigger: Violence against women and minorities.

This was such a beautifully illustrated book and such a testament to the Nisrin's tenacity. The story is one that isn't shared nearly enough. It depicts the journey of overcoming trauma, depression and change. It also depicts the importance of asserting yourself, your beliefs & wants for yourself. I loved this graphic novel and just wish I could've seen everything clearly in the E-ARC but otherwise, I thought it was wonderful!

This extraordinary coming-of-age tale about a teenage girl learning to overcome the trauma in her life along with the intergenerational trauma that her family carries is an emotional and heartfelt journey that I felt so honored to be able to read. The main character of this book is Nisrin, a 13-year-old Bangladeshi-American girl living in Milwaukie, Oregon in the year 2002. Eighth grade is wrapping up and she’s all set to end her day on a major high after giving a well-received presentation for World Culture Day at school about Bangladesh while wearing a traditional cultural dress. Yet walking home, she unfortunately finds herself the victim of a hate crime when a man violently attacks her for wearing a headscarf.

As a lover of graphic novels, I can still say that it is not often that I open one up that centers on a darker-skinned Bangladeshi–American girl in the early 2000s. In actuality, I can’t point out too many comics and graphic novels for children that center on young protagonists experiencing the world as a Brown-skinned person in America post-September 11, 2001. Nor can I list children’s media that details the struggles and triumphs of wearers of not just ornas but hijabs as well. Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab is a layered story of Nisrin going from being a victim of a hate crime to not just recovering in a world that she finds to be harsh, but stumbling to recover, heal, and find her voice and agency.

Piece by Piece is the story of Nisrin, a young girl who is the victim of a hate crime when she tries out wearing a hijab for a cultural presentation on the country of her heritage, Bangladesh. In the aftermath, Nisrin decides to wear the head scarf daily despite backlash from her family and peers.

In the aftermath of the hate crime in which Nisrin is targeted, she is diagnosed with PTSD. Piece by Piece did a good job of showing what PTSD can be like, though I did find the beginning of this graphic novel hard to follow. But when Nisrin speaks with her cousin who wears a hijab, she decides to reclaim it and do the same. She receives some backlash and school and from her family, since her grandfather does not practice Islam and has some issues with the religion. She soon finds out that this has to do with the history of Bangladesh and his experiences. Nisrin makes a new friend at school, but also struggles to reconnect with the friend who was with her when the hate crime took place.

While Piece by Piece wasn't perfect for me, it was a powerful read. I loved Nisrin's strength and her decision to wear a hijab even though no one else in her family did. As for the art, I had an unfinished ARC of this graphic novel, but I could already tell it was absolutely lovely. This was a 4 star read for me. I think it leans more young adult than middle grade due to the violent nature of the hate crime and some sexism and mention of the war in Bangladesh, including mention of r*pe.

*will be on my blog in 2022

A moving story about a young Bangladeshi-American girl who becomes the victim of a hate crime when she is violently attacked for wearing a headscarf. As she recovers from the attack, Nisrin starts reflecting on her family's cultural ties and why they've never worn the traditional hijab. She makes a decision to wear the hijab and delve deeper into her religion. While Nisrin learns from her fears and struggles, she is inspired to learn more about her family and background.
A little confusing at times with the shifting timeline, I think this graphic novel will be beautiful in color.

I found the ecopy of this book impossible to read.
Maybe the publisher could have sent it in a larger font?

The story of within this graphic novel is intriguing. Issues of adolescent angst, fitting in at a new school, self-doubt, wanting family acceptance, harassment, bullying, and xenophobia are some of the themes within this book. This book would be a great addition to a classroom read about the way in which people are treated. However, trying to truly evaluate a graphic novel in a digital format is difficult as colored illustrations are essential to a complete review. I'll be looking for this book in full-color when published.

With graphic novel ARCs, it’s hard to pinpoint what issues will be fixed with the final version - BW vs color, text boxes, etc. I’ll try my best to review in good faith of the finished product,

Nisrin’s story is important and compelling. I liked that we see her journey with the hijab, first as a cultural heritage “costume,” then trying to be hijabi but frustrated that her family never taught her the expectations such as wearing long sleeves and pants, then finding support and committing to attending mosque and learning Islam.

It’s hard to fully cover multiple plot threads in the graphic novel format. The time-lapse from the attack to the hospital to therapy to school starting again felt rushed. I wish there was more time to explore her Black friend’s trauma from the hate crime; the teacher’s casual racism; her family’s relationship with Islam. Sometimes the transitions between these beats were confusing, and I’m not sure how much of that will be resolved with a polished publication.

Finally, it made me smile to see the details that grounded this story firmly in 2002: the flip phones and phone charms, the mix cds, the flare jeans…very cute, though I think this story could easily have been set in modern day.

Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab is about a Bangladeshi-American girl named Nisrin in the early 2000s after the events of 9/11. For a school project one day, Nisrin was wearing an orna (Bangladeshi headscarf). While walking home with a friend, a man screamed obscenities at them and ripped off Nisrin’s headscarf. The graphic novel then focuses on her PTSD, demonstrating its manifestation with trippy graphics and unorganized pieces of time. Throughout the book, Huq shows how Nisrin deals with PTSD and how it affects the people around her. She is able to resurface from her shell while being empowered by wearing a hijab to her school. There she faces even more discrimination, but she stands tall, proud, and strong.

The story surprised me. I must not have read the description well enough because I wasn’t aware of its focus on PTSD. The art style is unfamiliar to me, but not unpleasant. The digital copy I read was unfortunately of poor quality, with the words being difficult to read at times. I did enjoy that some of the wording was written in Bangla (the language of Bangladesh). This graphic novel does a wonderful job of opening up discussion about PTSD, religion, racism, prejudice, and family. I highly recommend reading it.

I think this book would be wonderful in classrooms and could help give kids an understanding of another culture. It is great that there are more books that many kids will be able to relate to. I think it would be beneficial to have conversations with.

This graphic novel goes over the intricacies of a young girl, Nisrin, deciding to wear a hijab. I liked how this focused on the internal politics of Nisrin's family in addition to the prejudice she faces from people at school and in the world at large. It provided a nuanced look at an issue that is frequently presented as black and white.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Beautiful!

Piece by Piece is well crafted, visually and verbally. A book that must be celebrated, shared, savored, and taught, and so important to read.

With the caveat that the digital version I downloaded was not of very good quality, I felt that this story was unevenly paced and I personally didn't like the art very much (though the final full color version may be better). I will still probably suggest that my library buy it because it tackles several issues that I haven't seen done much for this age group, but I was underwhelmed.

This story of Nisrin is a great introduction to understanding a culture and another person's experience that you may not be aware of. This is great for those in middle school to get a deeper read in a story format, and I would recommend. Thanks to the author for writing the story and helping us learn more.