The Unlovable Alina Butt

Volume XXIX / Issue 41 - June 23 / 2023
The Unlovable Alina Butt
The Unlovable Alina Butt
  • context: Array
  • icon:
  • icon_position: before
  • theme_hook_original: google_books_biblio

The Unlovable Alina Butt

Author: 
Ambreen Butt-Hussain
Victoria, BC: Orca, 2023
202 pp., trade pbk., pdf & epub, $12.95 (pbk.)
ISBN: 
9781459834910 (pbk.)
9781459834927 (pdf)
9781459834934 (epub)
Grades: 
Grade 4-7
Ages: 
Ages 9-12
Review by: 
Stephanie Johnson (Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy)
3
Excerpt: 

It was my third day at Greenhill Middle School, and up until that moment I had kept my secret safe. I had successfully been able to hide my true identity. …

We moved to England three years ago, and this is already my fourth time being the new kid. You would think I’d be a pro at the whole thing by now, but nope, not even close. I’m still as awkward as ever. One thing I have learned, though, is that revealing my name leads to a year of constant mockery. Which is why I’d decided I was not going to let that happen again. Sixth grade was going to be different. …

A feeling of dread filled my entire body. All the kids around me started racing to line up.

What was the rush? We all knew our spots.

My heart pounded as I quietly sneaked to the front of the line. I stood there nervously with my head down, trying to breathe as little as possible, pretending I was invisible.

Ah. I should have known better. For some people the front of the line was too prized a place to let go of without a fight.

‘That’s not your spot!’ Adam Atkins shouted, wedging himself ahead of me. ‘Go back to your own spot!’

Oh no. I knew what was coming.

I started to prepare myself, scrunching up my face and squinting my eyes as if someone was about to hit me, hard.

“Your last name is Butt. Go back to your spot” – Adam leaned in and whispered the last word, the one I had been dreading – “butthead.”

Alina Butt is yet again the new kid in class, and, while her last name is one of pride in Pakistan, in England it is one to be bullied over. Alina constantly feels different, whether it be the food in her lunch, her clothes, her hair, the language spoken in her home or her embarrassing family members. Eventually, Alina finds a group of friends that make school life bearable. Still, Alina struggles with the right thing to say and sharing her true self. When a chance to sign up for a school play comes along, Alina bravely puts her name forward and lands a part! Alina’s confidence grows, and she learns to stick up for herself, eventually discovering that her bully has his own issues and maybe isn’t such a bad person after all. Showtime arrives, and Alina dazzles the crowd with her performance, finally happy to stand in front of a crowd with pride for herself and her name.

There are so many relevant themes in this book that it is challenging to name them all, but, in a short amount of space, the author manages to touch on bullying, self-confidence, harassment and consent. The harassment comes in the form of Alina’s sister being constantly asked out by a boy at school, and the author does a fabulous job showing how uncomfortable this makes the sister feel and how she did not consent to this behaviour. Through this event and some of Alina’s struggles, the author maintains the importance of talking to adults when situations no longer feel safe. Another theme of interest was how Alina starts the book being embarrassed of her culture with references to her food, religion and upbringing, but, by the end, Alina recognizes the beauty of her culture and grows to appreciate it.

The Unlovable Alina Butt is a slightly longer chapter book, but the length is nicely broken up by short chapters and page breaks so there are lots of stopping points for reluctant readers. The vocabulary is straightforward though it does include some late 1990’s references that might stump some readers. A lot of readers will be able to empathize with Alina’s struggles to fit in, and the triumphant ending for all the characters leaves the hope that things will always get better.

Recommended
Reviewer: 

Stephanie Johnson is a graduate of the Master of Library and Information Studies Program from the University of Alberta and is the Director of Devon Public Library in Devon, Alberta.