More About Reem Faruqi (She/Her):
Languages: English, Urdu, French
When Reem Faruqi taught second grade, her favorite time was “Read Aloud” time. Now, her favorite time at home is reading with her daughters. Reem Faruqi is the award-winning author of “Lailah’s Lunchbox,” a picture book based on her own experiences as a young Muslim girl immigrating to the United States. Of Pakistani origin, Reem moved to Peachtree City, Georgia, from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, when she was 13 years old.
She’s also the author of her three middle grade novels in verse, “Unsettled”(HarperCollins 2021), “Golden Girl” (HarperCollins 2022), “Call Me Adnan”(HarperCollins 2023), chapter book “Anisa’s International Day”(HarperCollins 2022), and picture books “Amira’s Picture Day”(Holiday House 2021), “I Can Help”(Eerdmans 2021), “Milloo’s Mind”(HarperCollins 2023), “Swimming Toward a Dream” (Page Street Kids 2023), many of which received starred reviews. She has two upcoming picture books releasing in 2024, “The House Without Lights” and “Do You Even Know Me?” Reem seasonally works as a photographer and currently works as a Scheduler for the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta. She has a masters in elementary education and loves to doodle, write, and take photos. Currently, she lives with her husband and daughters in Atlanta.
You can find Reem online at:
My Writing Journey from Author Reem Faruqi of Lailah's Lunchbox
Reems strengths are…
Reem's strengths are making a story lyrical, assisting with character arc, and trimming a manuscript. She also loves crafting a pitch that will hook you in.
Reem is looking for…
Reem is looking for a mentee who is serious about a career in traditional children's publishing and is actively working on becoming the best writer they can be.
She is especially looking for someone wanting to work on manuscripts full of heart and hope. Reem gravitates to books that make her feel and is not afraid of picture books with heavier topics as long as they are ultimately hopeful.
Reem is a poet at heart and swoons for lyrical stories. Regarding non-fiction, Reem likes a well-crafted picture book biography with an interesting perspective or angle.
She loves stories based on real-life experiences with an insightful author’s note. She loves stories about celebrating one's culture and faith, and big families, especially grandparents!
Reem is looking for someone who is willing to work hard, have fun, and improve their craft over the course of the mentorship. She hopes to connect with someone who is eager to revise their dream manuscript(s) as well as prepare for next steps on the business side of publishing.
Regarding work habits, she would love for a mentee who is flexible with Reem’s work (and 9 month old baby!) schedule, someone who is open to communicating electronically, and someone who is EXCITED to edit as needed and get out there!
A Note from Reem:
“With the publishing industry, YOU are your best advocate. I will do my best to help make YOU shine during our mentorship and beyond. I have been in this industry for almost ten years and have faced rejections and I know what it feels like to dream of publishing a children’s book, and to feel oh-so-close. I want to help you reach that goal of making it in this industry and beyond. I want to help you fall in love with your work, to feel confident when you send out your stories when querying, and to not lose sight of your dream of becoming an established author with a shelf full of beautiful books! I can also help offer tips on crafting pitches and navigating your career when you get published, if that is the path you choose to take! Please also note: I have a young baby so am best at communicating electronically via email or an occasional WhatsApp voice memo. I would NOT be great at hopping on Zoom calls or the phone often, so please keep that in mind while applying in case this doesn't work for you or if you need more face-to-face with a mentor. Thank you for considering me!”
Milloo’s Mind, Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi, (HarperCollins, 2023)
Yusra Mardini’s Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer, illustrated by Asma Enayeh (Page Street Kids, 2023)
Amira’s Picture Day Illustrated by FAHMIDA AZIM, (Holiday House, 2021)
I Can Help, Illustrated by Mikela Provost, (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2021)
Lailah’s Lunchbox, Illustrated by Lea Lyon, (Tilbury House 2015)
Reem’s Upcoming Picture Books
Do You Even Know Me?, Illustrated by Ani Bushry, (Harper Collins, May 2024)
The House Without Lights, Illustrated by Nadia Alam (Macmillan Kids, September 2024)
If Reem created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of…
*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a wish list only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find a manuscript they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.
Eleven Words for Love: A Journey Through Arabic Expressions of Love, written by Randa Abdel-fattah, illustrated by Maxine Beneba Clarke
Grandpa's Stories, written by Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Allison Colpoys
Love, written by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Loren Long
One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University, written by M. O. Yuksel, illustrated by Mariam Quraishi
Fly, written by Brittany J. Thurman, illustrated by Anna Cunha
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, written by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho
Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes
Nigel and the Moon, written by Antwan Eady, illustrated by Gracey Zhang
Like the Moon Loves the Sky, written by Hena Khan, illustrated by Saffa Khan
Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon, written by Simran Jeet Singh, illustrated by Baljinder Kaur
Salat in Secret, written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Hatem Aly
I Talk Like a River, written by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
The Moon from Dehradun: A Story of Partition, written by Shirin Shamsi, illustrated by Tarun Lak
The Invisible Boy, written by Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Patrice Barton
Finding Papa, written by Angela Pham Krans, illustrated by Thi Bui
The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story, written by Aya Khalil, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family, written by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco
Where Three Oceans Meet, written by Rajani LaRocca, illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq, by Jeanette Winter
Moon's Ramadan, by Natasha Khan Kazi
A Dupatta Is . . ., written by Marzieh Abbas, illustrated by Anu Chouhan
Halal Hot Dogs, written by Susannah Aziz, illustrated by Parwinder Singh
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, by Tomie dePaola
Wonder Walkers, by Micha Archer
Wishes, written by Muon Thi Van, illustrated by Victo Ngai (Illustrator)
Ten Ways to Hear Snow, written by Cathy Camper, illustrated by Kenard Pak
Full Circle Moments like those found in the TV Show, This is Us
Reem is a good fit for…
Stories with heart
Stories with heavy topics, but are hopeful
Stories that make me FEEL
Stories with grandparents
Anything lyrical!
Books that are based on real experiences
Global stories -fish-out-of-water feelings
Stories based in school settings (I was an elementary school teacher)
Immigrant stories
Faith
Concept stories
A good communicator even if it's just a short line (i.e. I got your message, will circle back soon)
Authors who hate waiting -- she is impatient too and wants to tell you, if you're an author who writes quickly and a variety of different stories, she is open to that! She just wants you to know that she sees you, especially in this super slow industry :)
Reem is not a good fit for…
fantasy
dragons
Dinosaurs
Princesses
Unicorns
Monsters
Aliens
Overly commercial topics (i.e. monster trucks)
Non-fiction book with a bunch of facts and no story
Wildly imaginative books (she prefers books based in the real world)
While she is open to rhyme, she hasn’t published a book in rhyme before (though she’s tried!) so she’s not sure if she’s the best editor for it.
*Please only send heavy topics IF they are hopeful and do NOT send animal characters unless done well like Kevin Henkes!
Who can apply to Reem? Unagented authors only. Reem would love to work with a BIPOC or Muslim author who shares her faith, but she is open to all!
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