Twelve-year-old Amal has big dreams. She devours learning and wants to know everything: from the top speed of airplanes to where ladybugs go in the rain. Amal’s curiosity will serve her well in her dream career–teaching. Amal is proud of her position as top student (and teacher’s pet) at the crowded girls’ school. Amal loves reading so much, she defies convention, and rules, to get books; first smuggled to her by Omar, and then borrowed secretly from Jawad’s private library.

This rebellious streak reveals Amal’s impatience with situations she thinks are unfair, like being told not to be close friends with Omar and having to put her education on hold because she is the eldest daughter. Amal believes that just because something is a fixed practice or tradition does not mean it has to be accepted. Although Amal sometimes agrees with the adage she hears from her father and others that “life isn’t fair,” she also stands up to inequity. When faced with injustice, Amal is stubborn, quick-tempered, and often speaks before she thinks. These traits land her in trouble when she talks back to the wealthy and powerful Jawad. Although Amal has a low social status both because she is female and because she comes from a lower class than Jawad, Amal has a strong sense of self.