
If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she's sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go something like this: +2 points for getting excellent grades –3 points for failing to live up to expectations set by genius older sister +4 points for dutifully obeying parents and never, ever going to parties, no matter how antisocial that makes her seem to everyone at Deer Hook High –1 point for harboring secret jealousy of her best friends, who are allowed to date like normal teenagers +2 points for never drinking an alcoholic beverage –10 points for obsessing about Asher Richelli, who talks to Nina like she's not a freak at all, even though he knows that she has a disturbing line of hair running down her back In this wryly funny debut novel, the smart, sassy, and utterly lovable Nina Khan tackles friends, family, and love, and learns that it's possible to embrace two very different cultures – even if things can get a little bit, well, hairy .
Author

My fourth YA novel, The Marvelous Mirza Girls, is out now! It's a book that's very close to my heart. “Gilmore Girls meets vibrant New Delhi in this thoughtful and hilarious new novel about a teen facing family expectations, relationship complications, and hidden secrets in a new country.” https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... My third YA novel, Mariam Sharma Hits the Road, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3..., about three best friends on a road trip through the American South, is out June 2018 from Harper Collins. It's the first YA road trip book featuring South Asian Americans! My second young adult novel, That Thing We Call a Heart https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..., is out in May 2017 from HarperTeen. It features complex, Muslim-American characters who defy conventional stereotypes and is set against a backdrop of Radiohead’s music and the evocative metaphors of Urdu poetry. My first novel was Skunk Girl. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3.... I edited the anthology Alchemy: The Tranquebar Book of Erotic Short Stories 2 (Tranquebar Press, 2012). https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1.... You can find out more here: www.shebakarim.com.