Review of ‘Muslim Girl-Growing Up – A Guide To Puberty’
Summary: “How can I prepare her for this new phase? I wanted to find a resource that can explain the details of this special stage while also integrating the important aspects of it from the Islamic religion. Being from the West, most books I found only explained the physiological changes. But I found that Muslim girls, especially ones from Western countries, need to know more about the religious implications of this stage. So I decided to write this guide to help young girls understand the basic things a Muslim girl should know about puberty, including the religious aspects that come along with it. However, this guide is just a starter to the journey ahead. I encourage parents to talk with your teens and pre-teens about this important stage of life to have a full and thorough understanding.” – Natalia Nabil
*
About the Author: Natalia Nabil is a mother of two girls. She was born and raised in Egypt where she received her Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communications from Ain Shams University. Shortly after she began working in public relations and marketing. After marriage, she moved to the United States and is bringing up her daughters in, what she calls, unfamiliar territory. That is why she wanted to write this book, not only as a resource for her growing girls but for the many Muslim girls growing up who could use a guidebook on all things puberty-related.
About the Illustrator: Melani Putri is an illustrator based in Jakarta, Indonesia. After finishing her visual art education at Bandung Institute of Technology, she has been focusing on children’s book illustration and has won the National Folktale Illustration award in 2016. Her illustration works include children’s books, greeting cards, posters and stationery. Please visit her website at www.memels.com.
Thoughts: Muslim Girl, Growing Up is a good start point to use in helping a Muslim girl transition into adolescence. It covers topics of puberty, stages of puberty, menstruation, what a girl needs to know before, during and after puberty, hygiene, and privacy. Like I said, it’s very solid and succinct. Masha’Allah.
Now, just be aware that based on your madhab (Islamic doctrine or school of thought), you might not completely agree with everything from the scholars’ point of views (e.g. the steps of ghusl part) or even the author at times (e.g. braids and ghusl). Nonetheless, the book has a solid base on how to instruct Muslim girls from start to end about menstruation. Check out the sneak peek page below.
I received a free copy for my honest opinion. You can buy Muslim Girl, Growing Up: A Guide to Puberty on Amazon or at the publisher’s website here.
Thank you for reading,
~A Ducktrinor Mom~
Jasmine Falling is a contemporary women’s fiction novel by Shereen Malherbe, a British Palestinian writer based in both the UK and the United Arab Emirates. Malherbe is also a writer for Muslimah Media Watch, a forum for critiquing the images of Muslim women in the media and pop culture.
Riding the Samoosa Express is a metaphor to refer to the process of courtship, love, marriage and beyond. It’s a well written tale sampling the diversity and the different faces the Indian Muslim women contributors experienced. 
Papatia Feauxzar: Assalamu aleikum Shereen. Welcome to 
Sahar Abdulaziz is a resident of Pennsylvania. From her website, Sahar Abdulaziz graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology before going on to earn her master’s degree in health and wellness promotion and administration. Also holding a certification in community health, she has answered hotline phones and worked as a domestic violence counselor/advocate. Abdulaziz, as a staunch advocate for mutual respect and acceptance, currently acts as a speaker and writer dedicated to helping those with hidden and painful disorders cope more successfully.
Thank you 
A Ducktrinor Mom 