The Young Adult (YA) genre is growing in popularity as well as print sales, according to recent data. It is also a genre where, although there is certainly room to grow, the representation of diverse voices is very prominent and something that draws in young readers.
In an era where the adults are trying to ban books at schools and libraries, let’s hear it for the authors who are proving that stories can ignite imaginations, and uplifting voices and experiences that young readers are increasingly drawn to.
One such author is Khadijah VanBrakle, whose new YA Novel ‘My Perfect Family’ (August 26, Holiday House) examines the intersection between gender and religion through the lens of a young Black Muslim girl. Sixteen-year-old Leena has always wished for a big family, but when she discovers she has a Muslim grandfather and aunt she never knew, she learns that family comes with tangled histories she may not be able to heal.
“Lonely Leena” is close with her young single mother. Still, she’s always secretly dreamed of more (and, when she was a kid, asked Santa for it). A huge family to cheer her on at graduation. A gaggle of smiling faces at the holidays. But one call from the hospital, and her mother’s hidden past comes to light: Her grandfather is in the ER, and her aunt is with him in recovery. Sorry—her WHO?
But with family comes family secrets—Leena’s mom’s, and as Leena grows close with her new family behind her mother’s back, her own. Leena’s mom warns that Leena’s grandfather Tariq’s financial generosity doesn’t come without strings attached… like Leena converting to Islam, fighting for a spot at a top university, and adhering to the restrictive rules that she ran from all those years ago. Leena isn’t sure who to trust, yet she’s certain that she adores Tariq and her mom—and that she’s the only one who could heal old hurts. After so many years, is it even possible? And if she can’t, will she have to choose between them?
As a mother of 5, Khadijah understands how vital it is for children and teens from those intersections to see themselves on the printed page. She particularly likes to write stories about characters, like her three daughters, who are both Black American and Muslim. On the eve of her book release, we had the opportunity to ask Khadijah about ‘My Perfect Family’, and the ideas and questions she hopes young readers will think about after reading her book.
Where did the idea for My Perfect Family come from, and when did you begin working on it?
The idea for My Perfect Family was inspired by my love of the fraught mother/daughter relationships in Gilmore Girls but within a fractured Black American Muslim family. I started working on this book in late 2022 and actually turned a preliminary draft into my editor a few months before my June 2023 debut, Fatima Tate Takes the Cake, came out.
The book has been lauded for giving Black Muslim women a voice. Why was this important to you as you begin to shape the story and characters?
The small number of traditionally-published books in the contemporary YA fiction genre featuring a Black American Muslim teen protagonist is something I always remember when it’s time to shape my coming-of-age stories. Spending a lot of time to craft realistic and fully fleshed-out main characters helps to ensure my books showcase those whose voices have been ignored for way too long.
In an era where authors are being targeted and books are being banned, what role do you hope My Perfect Family will have in this landscape, especially for young readers?
Especially because we’re in this difficult era for books, I hope those who need and may benefit from the emotional journeys within My Perfect Family find it. In addition, it’s another one of my goals that my books serve as an inspiration for those who want to tell their own stories. Writing realistic stories that confront complicated life experiences and challenge stereotypes is a public display of my resistance to those who’ve sought to silence voices like mine.
Can you tell us a little bit about how your own daughters have inspired or motivated you to write diverse characters and lived experiences?
When my youngest daughter was a freshman in high school in 2017, she almost got in a fight with another student because they insinuated that no one could be both Black American and Muslim. It was after digging deeper at one of our local libraries to prove that assumption wrong, we found there wasn’t a single traditionally-published contemporary, YA novel that featured this dual marginalization.
Even in 2025, I’ve only been able to find four titles within those parameters, with two of those books written by myself.
All three of my daughters and their close friends have inspired me with their strength and perseverance in facing today’s ever-changing societal norms. I hope their example translates in all of my fiction.
What are some of the questions or ideas you hope reader will leave with, after reading your book?
After reading My Perfect Family, I hope any reader, especially teens, comes away with is what makes up a family doesn’t have a rigid definition. Leena and her BFF Deidre are not related but are closer than some sisters. In some instances, family centers around genuine, unselfish concern and care which doesn’t come from blood relatives.
Another essential theme is the importance of forgiveness. It’s not always easy. The sixteen-year-old main character, Leena, has to grapple with feelings of betrayal when long-hidden family secrets are revealed.
The intersection between gender and religion is a big theme throughout the book. What are some of the messages you hoped to share by examining these important themes/topics?
I wanted to show how weighty topics are universal. Readers can delve into how these specific issues are addressed in this story and maybe gain a sense of commonality with diverse characters within what might be an unfamiliar lived experience.
Leena’s journey navigating a tangled web of family secrets and dynamics is certainly not easy. What advice of guidance do you have for the young reader who is currently going on their own journey, and perhaps might turn to My Perfect Family for answers?
It’s important to remember that sometimes getting something you’ve always wanted can threaten what you already have. Leena always dreamed of an extended family but didn’t expect or welcome the drama that came along with the new additions to her life.
I hope those who read My Perfect Family in search of answers, recognize when they may need support to face a difficult situation. There’s no shame in seeking help.
You can buy a copy of ‘My Perfect Family’ HERE, see more of Khadijah’s work on her website, and follow her on Instagram.
