About The Book

Moving to a new country is hard enough, especially when you have to do it alone during a national travel ban. When the pressures of a new school, a new language, and new bullies leaves Poupeh selectively mute, she struggles to find her voice which leaves her family pleading "Say something, Poupeh Babaee!"

Poupeh Babaee is an Iranian girl sent to live with her relatives in the United States. Although Poupeh understands and speaks English, the stress of entering a new school in a foreign land renders her mute, and she is diagnosed with selective mutism. Worse yet, a travel ban--which labels Iran a "dangerous country"--has barred her parents from entering the US!

In order to help her parents immigrate, Poupeh must find a way to speak up for them during an interview with an embassy officer or risk being separated. This powerful, heart-warming graphic novel debut shows the bravery and courage of a young girl who will do anything to reunite her family.

About The Author

About The Illustrator

Product Details

  • Publisher: Yellow Jacket (August 26, 2025)
  • Length: 176 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781499815269
  • Grades: 3 - 7
  • Ages: 8 - 12

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Raves and Reviews

This touching graphic novel explores family dynamics and how our minds reach for control when it feels like we have none . . . [It] provides insight, encourages empathy, and reminds all immigrant children that they belong here too.

– Booklist

An emotionally compelling, insistently educative view of a challenging immigration experience.

– School Library Journal

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