by Salma Hussain (Author)
TWO STARRED REVIEWS! - With sixteen weeks to go to his life-altering brain surgery, teenaged film buff Wali Khan decides it's time to turn the lens on community, family and friends in this tender yet humorous coming-of-age novel for ages 12 and up.
For fans of John Green, Adam Silvera, Ned Vizzini and Adib Khorram. Fifteen-year-old Wali Khan, affectionately called "Vali the Vomiter" by his older twin sisters, has always chalked up his throwing up to a delicate stomach. And the headaches in ninth grade? Worrying about grades. But waking up in the hospital in the second week of tenth grade, he is shocked to hear the cause: acoustic neuroma, a golf-ball-sized tumor pressing on his ear canal. The good news: it's most likely benign. The bad news: surgery in four months, with probable hearing loss as a result. Starting a new year in high school with a looming life-altering surgery date forces Wali, a passionate film buff, to look inward, at his family, friends and even himself. Why is this happening to him? His Muslim father and Christian mother are supportive, yet sometimes a bit clueless when it comes to their children. His twin sisters are a mix of loving and teasing, and he bounces between spying on them and keeping their secrets. As for the new girl, Ruby Lai-Mirza, he's just not sure he has time for a new friend. Wali may fear the end, but he's still got a lot of living to do. It's not over yet.Author Biography
SALMA HUSSAIN grew up in the UAE and immigrated to Canada when she was thirteen years old. She has a BA Honours in English, with a concentration in creative writing from the University of Calgary, a law degree from the University of Calgary, and a master of laws from McGill University. Her poetry and prose have been widely published in various literary magazines. Her chapbook of poetry, What If Maybe and other poems, was published by Baseline Press. She co-hosts a global podcast with Upasna Kakroo on South Asian children's literature called Zubaani. Her first novel, The Secret Diary of Mona Hasan, was a Quill & Quire Book of the Year in 2022. Salma writes witty, warm, voice-driven fiction about the surprising ways we grow when life veers off-script. She lives with her family in Toronto.
Number of Pages: 360
Dimensions: 1.3 x 8.3 x 5.4 IN
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
