Sixteen-year-old Leena has always wished for a big family… but when she discovers she has a Muslim grandfather and aunt she never knew, she learns that family comes with tangled histories she may not be able to heal.
Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Khadijah VanBrakle’s My Perfect Family, which releases on August 26th 2025.
“Lonely Leena” is close with her young single mother. Still, she’s always secretly dreamed of more (and, when she was a kid, asked Santa for it). A huge family to cheer her on at graduation. A gaggle of smiling faces at the holidays. But one call from the hospital, and her mother’s hidden past comes to light: Her grandfather is in the ER, and her aunt is with him in recovery. Sorry—her WHO?
But with family comes family secrets—Leena’s mom’s, and as Leena grows close with her new family behind her mother’s back, her own. Leena’s mom warns that Leena’s grandfather Tariq’s financial generosity doesn’t come without strings attached… like Leena converting to Islam, fighting for a spot at a top university, and adhering to the restrictive rules that she ran from all those years ago. Leena isn’t sure who to trust, yet she’s certain that she adores Tariq and her mom—and that she’s the only one who could heal old hurts. After so many years, is it even possible? And if she can’t, will she have to choose between them?
A big family was the dream, but all this drama isn’t.
Warm, witty, and sometimes serious, My Perfect Family is a poignant intergenerational narrative that gives voice to Black Muslim women. A thoughtful examination of the intersection between gender and religion, Khadijah VanBrakle’s sophomore novel is a heartfelt tale of forging one’s own path… while loving those who stay by your side.
Excerpt from My Perfect Family by Khadijah VanBrakle. Copyright © 2025 by Lee VanBrakle. Reproduced with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
I pace around the living room, picking up stray pieces of lint while I wait. After grabbing a mini water bottle off the counter, my mom joins me.
“Ready, Leena?” She’s wearing a knee-length denim dress, and her dark auburn hair is slicked back into a tight bun.
Dazed, I follow her out the door and into the ten-year-old Subaru parked in our driveway. My heart’s thumping in my chest. I click the seat belt around me and sneak a glance at my mom.
She still won’t meet my eyes.
“I got a phone call from Samira, my father’s sister. He had a heart attack and was rushed to Presbyterian in Rio Rancho.”
Blinking back confusion, I stare at the woman who gave birth to me.
WHO?
She’s checking all her blind spots, even glancing up at the rearview mirror—except she never looks at me. We back out of the driveway and speed down Comanche Road. I hear only a dull ringing in my ears.
“W-why?” Numbness spreads across my body but I get one word out.
We merge onto I-25 before my mom answers me.
“I don’t understand your question, Leena.” Her fingers have the steering wheel in a vise grip.
My forehead throbs. A developing migraine. I push past the pain.
“I have a grandfather and great-aunt? In this town? That I’ve never met? You told me—you said my dad died when you were pregnant with me. Was that a lie?” Anger shakes my hands. “You told me you didn’t have family. You came up with our motto No secrets, no lies, but you’ve been keeping this from me?”
We pass each mile marker in total silence.
It isn’t until we merge onto the Paseo exit that she answers.
“I’m…I’m sorry. My childhood wasn’t a happy one. I ran away from home at sixteen. It’s been more than a decade since we’ve seen each other.”
Water clouds my vision. All I can hear is the rush of cars racing by us in the left lane.
“WHY? Why did you keep them a secret?” Nothing she says will make a difference, but I’m owed an explanation. “Whatever happened, I still had a right to know. How did your aunt find you?”
Mom’s voice is stiff. “Samira saw one of my daycare flyers at the food co-op in Nob Hill. They don’t really live in town, Leena. They live in Santa Fe. To be honest, I never thought I’d ever see them again.”
We make a quick right into the hospital parking lot, and she pulls into the first empty space.
“Leena, you’re right, okay. I should’ve told you a long time ago. But right now, we need to get inside. My father is very, very ill.”
My childhood dream of a big family fades like the setting sun. I had one, but I didn’t know about it, and now it’s losing a piece.
“Your dad passed away a few months before you were born. That is the truth. I decided to bring you up alone. Now…can we postpone the verbal flogging for later?”
With my stomach churning, and my heart bruised, I follow my mom through the emergency room doors. The strong smell of cleaner wrinkles my nose. I plop down into the closest chair and stare at a silver gum wrapper on the floor. She leaves the registration window and takes the chair to my right.
Silence is the only thing we share.
