Hafsa's Way Review: Don't Give Up Your Dreams!

 

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

"He can’t just kill my dreams with a one-syllable word. I will not take no for an answer. I will convince him." 

In Hafsa’s Way, we meet Hafsa, a girl with big dreams of becoming a doctor someday. So when she gets accepted into the prestigious Bukhari Summer Science Camp, she’s so excited. This is exactly the kind of opportunity she’s been hoping for, surrounded by other kids who share her passion for science.

But not everyone is as excited as she is. Her parents hesitate for reasons: the camp is costly, and they’re not comfortable sending her all the way to the big city of Lahore without supervision. Thankfully, a solution comes through, her brother-in-law offers to cover the fees, and she can stay with him and her sister instead of in the camp dorms. After some persuasion, her parents finally agreed.

Right from the start, things don’t go quite as planned. She quickly realizes she accidentally signed up for the wrong program. On top of that, she can’t shake her worries about her sister, who seems to have put her own career dreams on hold just to keep her in-laws happy. Now Hafsa is navigating unexpected challenges at camp while also thinking hard about how to convince her sister to pursue her dreams.

I picked up this book because I loved Aisha Saeed’s Amal Unbound. That book tackled heavy topics in an age-appropriate way and left me with such a powerful message. In Hafsa’s Way feels a little different, it’s not quite as deep as Amal Unbound. Instead, the conflicts here feel more like everyday struggles that many children will recognize and relate to easily, which is good, even though I did miss that thought-provoking depth in her earlier work.

Aisha Saeed does a wonderful job with pacing here, the plot flows smoothly and keeps you turning pages. That said, I would love to see a bit more of Hafsa really fighting for what she wants and working through her problems more instead of just being coincidentally "lucky" in the situations. A little more depth in those moments would have made this story even more memorable.

Overall, Hafsa’s Way is a warm, relatable read about family, dreams, and finding your own path. It’s a great pick for anyone who enjoys cozy stories with meaningful messages, as well as parents and teachers who want to inspire children to pursue their dreams.