Aarzu All Around
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Simon & Schuster
Publishing:21st Aug '25
£12.99
This title is due to be published on 21st August, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

“Heartfelt and triumphant.” —Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor–winning Author of Red, White, and Whole
A cricket-loving Pakistani girl stifled by patriarchal expectations disguises herself as a boy to get a job to pay her sister’s medical bills in this “lyrical action-packed debut full of determination and grit” (ReemFaruqi, award-winning author ofGolden Girl).
Living with her aunt and patriarchal uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, recently orphaned twelve-year-old Aarzu detests the way she and her younger sister get treated like extras and excluded from all the fun stuff. Aarzu dreams of playing cricket, just like her male cousins and the neighborhood boys in the streets, but her uncle will hear nothing of it. According to him, girls ought to master the art of making round rotis, not play sports.
When her sister requires urgent medical treatment but finances are tight, Aarzu decides to earn money herself. She hears of a part-time job at a bungalow near her school—but it’s only open to boys. Aarzu has no choice but to disguise herself as a turban-wearing boy to get the gig.
Now, Aarzu must find a way to balance school, work, chores, and secret cricket practices—all without burning out or getting caught by her uncle—or else her dreams of making the girls cricket team and her quest to save her sister will crumble around her.
Heartfelt and triumphant. Like a sharply bowled cricket ball, Aarzu All Around spins the story of an orphaned Pakistani girl’s efforts to overcome societal expectations and save her sister. -- Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor-Winning Author of Red, White and Whole
As skillful as an all-rounder, Abbas delivers a lyrical action-packed debut full of determination and grit. Underneath beautiful sensory details lies an empowering message: Never give up or take no for an answer. As a cricket fan, I’ve been searching for a feel-good story like Aarzu’s all my life! -- Reem Faruqi, Award-winning author of Unsettled, Golden Girl, Call Me Adnan, and upcoming Zarina Divided *
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ISBN: 9781665970419
Dimensions: 210mm x 140mm x 17mm
Weight: unknown
384 pages