Huda was Here by H. Hayek

Title: Huda was Here

Author: H. Hayek

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 4^th April 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Price: $15.99

Synopsis: Huda hatches a bold plan to help her dad get a job – which lands her and her brother in all kinds of trouble. A delightful and hilarious story from a CBCA award-winning author, about a lion-hearted girl who just wants the best for her family.

Huda yawns loudly and stretches out her arms. Almost like she’s bored in science class and waiting for the bell to go for lunch. Except we’re not at school, we’re in police custody. Because of her stupid idea.

When her dad loses his job as a security officer and has to work interstate, Huda convinces her brother Akeal to sneak out at night to make mischief, hoping to force their dad’s bosses to hire him back.

As their misdeeds escalate, will the daring duo be able to outsmart the authorities? How much are they willing to risk for family unity – and what else might they uncover along the way?

A thoroughly entertaining story full of hijinks, courage, and hilarity.

~*~

Huda and her big brother Akeal are back and up to mischief again. This time, their father has lost his job as a security officer and must take a job on the other side of the country and their family spends months separated. Huda is determined to bring her father home – so she gets her brother Akeal in on the act – creating mischief and committing small crimes to show that they need her father there. But soon, they are close to getting caught, and in the process, find out more about what has happened – that there is more to what is going on with the powerful people in town than meets the eye. But will Huda and Akeal escape and get away with breaking the law?

The second in the Huda series by H Hayek is lots of fun, just like its predecessor. Huda’s lovely Lebanese family is back – and this time, they’re grappling with job loss and family separation, things that are universal for so many people, and in this book, we get to see how these things affect the children in the family – especially the younger children, like Akeal and Huda, and how they cope with it, especially when their mum gets a job helping out in Huda’s class. At first, school is an escape, somewhere they can create their plans, yet once Mum starts there, they have to be sneaky – and they are very sneaky.

I love how sneaky they are – it’s how I can imagine kids being, especially siblings, as they have fun. I loved Huda’s seriousness – she has no qualms about doing naughty things and escalating them to the point where they could get caught. And I loved that she knew exactly what she was doing and knew exactly what she needed to know to make things work to achieve her goals – I think her family needs to give her more credit at times, because she’s quite capable of anything, and when she sets her mind to something, that’s when she truly shines. These characters are so full of life – and as a reader, I think that is what makes them relatable for all readers. We can relate to having family and siblings, to school and conflicts, and I very much liked learning more about Huda and Akeal’s family background – that makes the book really special to me because it allows readers to see themselves represented, to see others represented and to learn about all kinds of people who live in our diverse world.

I also think the way Australian culture and Huda and Akeal’s Lebanese-Muslim culture intersects works well – we get to understand that both cultures are a part of them, and they are and can be part of both cultures – it’s powerful and amazing to see these stories so that all readers can be a part of our literary culture and landscape. I’m finding that children’s books especially are doing this well – and maybe that’s why I am so drawn to them. Because I feel like they often have a wider array of stories to explore, and I feel comforted by the fact that there is so much choice. We can read our old favourites but also discover new stories and new voices – and I think there is and should always be space for all of these stories in the world, because there will always be an audience and readers for all books.