Grounded

Following a weekend at the Muslims of North American (MONA) conference, four tweens find themselves stuck at the Zora Neale Hurston Airport after their flights are grounded due to a bad storm. Told from each person’s perspective that brings out the unique narrative of each author, these four seemingly random kids work together to find a missing cat and help each other in more ways than one.

Feek is an aspiring poet and wants to perform like his famous dad. He always wants to appear calm and cool in any given situation but feels the stress of the responsibility of always having to watch his younger sister.

For Hanna, animal rights are very important to her, and, on one of the forums that she follows, she hears about a cat that went missing in the Zora Neale Hurston airport. She is determined to find him but seems to also be using the situation to avoid talking to her dad about the possibility of his remarrying.

Sami has always been known as the kid who worries too much and is afraid of everything. His childhood nickname, Scaredy-cat Sami, still bothers him, but he hopes the karate competition he is supposed to be in will show his parents what he can do and that he can live up to his older brother’s reputation.

Nora is focused on her role as a “sweetie” on social media. She wasn’t interested in the conference but came with her mom who is an important congresswoman. It was supposed to be a nice birthday weekend spending time with her mom, but, as usual, her mother got too busy with her job. Nora knows her mom is always busy and tries not to let it bother her. On top of wanting more time with her mom, she realizes, while spending time at the conference, how disconnected she from the Muslim community.

While waiting for their flight, Feek is trying to write poetry but is tasked with watching his little sister Ruqi while their mother tries to settle their baby brother. Ruqi ends up wandering off, and Feek begins to worry as he goes looking for her. Hanna, while searching for the missing cat, Snickerdoodle, comes across Feek and helps him to find Ruqi. Sami meets Feek at the bathrooms, and, although Sami is hesitant because he does not want to risk missing his flight, he offers his help as well.

Nora, feeling frustrated for missing an opportunity to visit her favourite chocolate shop and annoyed at her mother for not taking her seriously, decides to get some air and a cinnamon bun at the airport food court. Nora spots Ruqi at the food court and, realizing she is not with her parents, decides to help Ruqi find her family. Nora and Ruqi eventually meet up with Feek, Hanna, and Sami. Now that Ruqi is safe, Hanna tries to convince the others to help her find Snickerdoodle. Feek is the only one willing to help, but his mom makes him stay back with her and Ruqi.

However, a huge storm rolls in and all the flights are grounded until further notice. Hanna is able to get the others to help to look for the cat, and they being searching in other parts of the airport. Their search leads them to a secure hallway of the international part of the airport, and the four of them sneak through a door in a restricted area. They overhear security talk about potentially other cases of lost animals. They are caught by security but manage to get away. They end up at the Sky Lounge where Nora pretends to have lost an earring so she can search for the cat, and Feek purposely recites bad poetry to create a distraction. Their plan almost works until Sami accidently breaks a vase and security is called.

They find their parents have been worried and have been looking for them, but once the parents realize all the kids are safe, the kids are not just in trouble with security for trespassing but also with their parents. Nora’s mom is worried the press will get wind of the situation and spin it as “Muslim kids planning something.” Sami is upset he got in trouble in the first place as he felt forced by his parents to tag along with Hanna. Hanna is grounded by her father but still won’t talk with him. And Feek is ashamed he caused his mom to worry so much, and he feels he has failed to live up to the responsibility of an adult.

Everyone is back at their gates to try to get some sleep. Hanna quietly finds them all in order to apologize as she feels it is her fault for trying to find Snickerdoodle in the first place. The four friends have a true discussion for the first time and come to realize how much more they have in common than they realized. Hanna admits she lost her mom as a baby and doesn’t want her dad to replace her mother. Nora wants more of her mom and was hoping that the weekend would be time for them to do something together. Feek feels the same about his dad and feels that it is unfair that he has to play “Dad’ to Ruqi. Both Feek and Nora want their parents to belong to them rather than other people. Sami always feels the need to prove himself when, in fact, it is more of a performance and he feels the need to compete in the shadow of his brother.

Nora also hints throughout Grounded that she doesn’t know who she is and who her “people” are. She doesn’t feel she belongs with her Muslim friends because her family does not practice in the traditional way, but she also feels the need to act around her non-Muslim friends. Sami and Hanna are quick to remind Nora that all Muslim families practice their faith in different ways and that Nora is “their person” now.

Grounded is a beautiful and fun story of friendship, adventure, and self-acceptance. As it is written by four, talented authors, each character is given their own personality that is distinct and relatable. This style of story brings out the diverse voices of the authors. Like most kids who are almost teenagers, Feek, as an older brother, wants to be treated more like an adult. Nora and Feek both have busy, well-known parents. All the pair want is to be closer to their parents and spend time with them as they truly are strong figures in their lives. Hanna has a very close relationship her father but that connection feels under threat when she discovers he is potentially looking to remarry. Hanna realizes the importance of communication while she was trying to ignore the tough conversation all weekend. Finally, Sami struggles to see his true value as he is overcome by his anxiety and feels that competing in the karate competition will help him prove to his parents the he is not anxious. Although written from different perspectives, Grounded seamlessly flows through the mystery of the missing cat and what the kids do to find it, all the while working through their own family challenges. The story is fast paced and will keep readers intrigued with the mystery of the missing cat, as will the excellent character development.

The story’s being set in an airport provides another layer of fun and unique encounters, but the addition of a couple of little maps within the book that show the layout of the airport will provide readers with some insight as to where their adventure took place. Overall, Grounded will be enjoyed by fellow middle-graders alike as it explores relatable life challenges, promotes self-acceptance, and is grounded in diversity that all readers will appreciate.