Title: Rebels by Accident
Author: Patricia Dunn
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Does My Head Look Big in This by Randa Abdel-Fattah
#16thingsithoughtweretrue by Janet Gurtler
Rating:
 |
| Eye-opening |
Summary: Miriam has always been a rule-follower. The one time she decides to rebel by sneaking out to go to a party, she and her best friend Deanna are arrested. Her parents have had enough. They send her to Egypt to spend the rest of the school year with her grandmother. Miriam expects to spend the year locked in her room, studying. Egypt has a lot more to offer than she expected, especially when a girl named Asmaa incites a rebellion.
My Opinion: There is a lot to like about this book. Miriam and Deanna are realistic, likeable characters. They make bad choices and are frequently guided by fear. the atmosphere is excellent. We see Egypt as this odd combination of the traditional and modern (much like my favorite character, Sittu). It does feel like a lot happens in this book in a very short time. We're talking about a matter of days. This is only a minor complaint, though. Just consider all that this book accomplishes: a more realistic picture of Egypt in the modern era, Miriam coming to an understanding of what it means to be Egyptian and Muslim, etc. If you're like reading about journeys of self-discovery and global education, this might just be the book for you.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.
Like the sounds of this book? Want to read a little bit more? Sourcebooks and Patricia Dunn have provided this teaser.
Rebels By Accident Excerpt
Sixteen
(well, almost sixteen), and I’m behind bars. Okay, maybe I’m being a
bit dramatic. It’s not as if I’m locked up with serial killers or
slashers, but I’m in a cell. Deanna’s with me, along with about thirty
other underage girls who were also at the party and didn’t run away in
time or convince the police to let them go.
As
we piled into squad cars, I watched these girls (and even a few guys)
put on all the moves—-crying, flirting, screaming, fainting, even
begging—-to get out of the arrest, but none of it worked.
I
have to say Deanna gave it her best. Not being able to crack a smile
really worked to her advantage when the officer in charge said to her
that he was glad someone was taking the situation seriously. She wasn’t
kidding when she said she was a great litigator like her mom. When the
cop found me hiding in the bathtub with the shower curtain drawn (could I
have picked a more obvious place?) and dragged me downstairs with the
rest of the crowd, there was Deanna, telling the police we shouldn’t be
responsible for the actions of some stupid guys who brought beer to the
party. She almost had one cop convinced to let us go when Karen, the
bane of my existence, stepped forward and threw up on his shoes.
All
through elementary school and middle school, Karen and her drone Beth
talked trash about me and my family. Their favorite insults were that my
dad was in Al--Qaeda and my mom was only one of his many wives.
At least she’s not in our cell. They put her, and all the other vomiting kids, in a separate cell—-with buckets.
Still,
it stinks in here. I stick my nose between the bars, trying to breathe
air that doesn’t smell like puke, beer, or raw fish. Who has an open
sushi bar at a high school party? Then again, what would I know about
parties? This is the only party I’ve been to since first grade.
“Come on, Mar. It’s not that bad.” Deanna pushes against my shoulder. I don’t budge. I don’t say anything.
“Funny
how we started the night trying to break into the party, and now we
just want to get out.” Deanna stands closer to me, but I can’t even look
at her. If I do, I’ll start to cry. And I’m already the biggest freak
at school.
“Look, I know you’re flipping out here, but everything will be okay.”
“Are you kidding me?” I turn to her and lower my voice. “I’m in jail. Do you know how happy this is going to make my parents?”
“Happy?”
“Now they can feel totally justified when they never let me leave our apartment again.”
“Relax.”
Relax?
We’ve just been arrested! We are in a holding cell with girls who have
picked on me—-or, worse yet, ignored me—-since kindergarten. On top of
that, my parents are going to kill me! Why did I let Deanna talk me into
going to this party?
Okay, the truth: she
didn’t have to talk me into anything. I wanted to go. I would’ve done
anything, even lie to my parents, to crash a party. I knew I wasn’t
invited and that I’d probably be kicked out as soon as someone saw me.
But forcibly removed—-by the police? That I didn’t expect.
Still,
I shouldn’t blame Deanna for helping me get what I wanted. But I do. It
was an amazing night of music and dancing. Yes, I danced with three
guys! And nobody made jokes about my dad being a towel--head or my uncle
being Bin Laden…Tonight I was dancing and laughing. I wasn’t a freak or
a weirdo; I was just another girl having fun.
“Actually,” I say, turning to Deanna, “thanks.”
“You’re thanking me?” she asks.
“Hey, I know I’m in big trouble but tonight was an adventure—-probably the last one I’ll have until I’m thirty.”
“Don’t mention it,” she says. Most people would say she has no expression on her face, but I can tell she’s smiling
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