The Green Bicycle

The adaptation of the 2012 movie Wadjda about a girl who wants nothing more than to buy a bicycle—which was, btw the first feature film by a woman director in Saudi Arabia, Haifaa Al Mansour. In the wake of the movie's worldwide success, Al Mansour adapted the story into a book for middle readers (but also perfectly excellent for anyone older who wants to read a story about aspiration and freedom!

Here's the official book description: "Spunky eleven-year-old Wadjda lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with her parents. She desperately wants a bicycle so that she can race her friend Abdullah, even though it is considered improper for girls to ride bikes. Wadjda earns money for her dream bike by selling homemade bracelets and mixtapes of banned music to her classmates. But after she's caught, she’s forced to turn over a new leaf (sort of), or risk expulsion from school. Still, Wadjda keeps scheming, and with the bicycle so closely in her sights, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants."