A Very Large Expanse of Sea, Hardcover

Contributor(s):

• Author: Tahereh Mafi

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about fear, first love, and the devastating impact of prejudice.

It's 2002, a year after 9/11. It's an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who's tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She's tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments--even the physical violence--she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she's built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.

But then she meets Ocean James. He's the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her--they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds--and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she's not sure she'll ever be able to let it down.

• Publishers Weekly - 08/20/2018
• School Library Journal / Best Of The Best/Highly Recommended - pg. 122 - 09/01/2018
• School Library Journal / Exceptional Presentation - pg. 122 - 09/01/2018
• School Library Journal / Book Of Special Distinction - pg. 122 - 09/01/2018
• School Library Journal / Top 15 Book Of The Year - pg. 122 - 09/01/2018
• School Library Journal / Highly Recommended - pg. 122 - 09/01/2018
• Booklist / Best Of The Best/Highly Recommended - pg. 68 - 09/15/2018
• Booklist / Exceptional Presentation - pg. 68 - 09/15/2018
• Booklist / Book Of Special Distinction - pg. 68 - 09/15/2018
• Booklist / Top 15 Book Of The Year - pg. 68 - 09/15/2018
• Booklist / Highly Recommended - pg. 68 - 09/15/2018
• Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks - 10/01/2018
• BookPage - 10/01/2018