An interesting collection of short stories all featuring different aspects of teen life in the Middle East. The author has lived in or visited all the countries she writes about, although she herself is American. One of the themes running through the stories is the power of art and beauty and another is that there are always multiple ways of looking at things. At the end of the book are notes on each story: about it's origins, her experiences in the country, or the political background.

Santa Claus in Baghdad (Iraq, 2000): A girl searches for the perfect gift for her teacher and ends up unknowingly buying the book her father had sold to get money for a toy for her brother.

"...she gazed at the street full of knowledge that nobody could afford any longer...here were the libraries of Baghdad…"

Faces (Syria): Suhayel's father is remarrying, and Suhayel will have to live with them since he's now thirteen and too old to stay with his mother. As a surprise, he makes dinner for his mother.

"All those faces probably hide the truth, things they don't want other people to know. I'll bet every face does. Mine too."

The Hand of Fatima (Lebanon): A fourteen-year-old maid from Syria must choose between remaining in Beirut with the possibility of further education and returning to her village to marry the man her father has chosen.

The Olive Grove (Palestine): After his brother and best friend are killed by Israeli snipers, Mujahhid is sent from Bethlehem to a village to live with his aunt. There he must choose between jihad and a different kind of resistance.

In Line (Egypt): A girl from Cairo tries to make friends with a local village family against her mother's wishes.

Scenes in a Roman Theater (Tunisia): A boy selling hats at a tourist site and a renowned artist discover they have something in common.

Honor (Jordan): A girl is at risk of being killed to atone for the slight to her father's honor when she talks with a man outside the home.

The Plan (Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon): Rami takes art lessons with fifty other boys for an hour every Thursday. Enamored with his pretty teacher, he decides to fix her up with his older brother, an engineering student reduced to peddling hardware. ( )

Substance: Lives of young people in different Muslim and Middle East countries. Attempts to give insight into different cultures, but the youth protagonists seem awfully Westernized. ( )