Journey of the Midnight Sun
by Shazia Afzal
illustrated by Aliya Ghare
Orca Book Publishers, 2022
ISBN 9781-4598-2760-8 (hc)
$19.95, 28 pp, ages 7 – 11
orcabook.com
“Our mosque is too small for us,” said the people of Inuvik. But it was very expensive to build a bigger one so far north.
Detailed illustrations and concise text with non-fiction features, such as labels and captions, take the reader on a journey of 4000 kilometres, a couple of months, and countless hearts to provide a mosque large enough for a growing Muslim community in the north. The illustrations vary from full two-page spreads to comic-style panels, engaging readers by
using non-textual elements to help them “read” the story. From beginning to end, south to north, and summer to winter, this story chronicles how teamwork, planning, and kindness can help fulfill a dream. Blending nature and cityscape, the beauty of Canada, and the power of technology, the illustrations show trees, mountains, rocks, water, birds, animals, and snow, as well as trucks, highways, bridges, heavy equipment, a barge, a plane, and scaffolding. Like Canada and its communities, this book blends everything that makes this country wonderfully diverse and finishes with a happy
ending.
Classroom Connections: A wonderful text for teaching inferring, comparing differences in communities, discussing different ways to help others, and celebrating inter-faith dialogue. Reading Comprehension Strategies: Making Predictions, Asking Questions, Making Connections, Inferring.
Review by Amanda Forbes.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2022 issue.
