Code Name: Butterfly

With irony and poignant teenage idealism, Butterfly draws us into her world of adult hypocrisy, sibling rivalries, girlfriends' power plays, unrequited love...not to mention the political tension of life under occupation. As she observes her fragile environment with all its conflicts, Butterfly is compelled to question everything around her. Is her father a collaborator for the occupiers? Will Nizar ever give her the sign she's waiting for? How will her friendship with the activist Mays and the airhead Haya survive the unpredictable storms ahead? And why is 'honour' such a dangerous word, anyway?
Short list for The Palestine Book Awards 2017
Runner up for the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature 2013
iBbY List 2012
"Enlightening, funny and affecting, Code Name: Butterfly is a brief story that packs quite a punch." Riveting Reads, A World of Books In Translation, School Library Association
‘We look out through the eyes of a 14 or 15-year-old girl who doesn’t know what to think about her eyebrows, much less the two-state solution. We, like her, must start over with new vocabulary. Indeed, if Butterfly has a superpower, it’s her mastery of the power of questions. ... the book’s questions strip not just Butterfly of certainty but also the reader, making it a valuable read for a teen or adult.’ Marcia Lynx Qualey, The National