Melissa is in conversation with author Reem Faruqi. Reem is an award winning author who enjoys writing lyrical stories that reflect her own experiences. When Reem Faruqi taught second grade, her favorite time was “Read Aloud” time. Now, her favorite time at home is reading with her daughters. Reem Faruqi is the award-winning author of “Lailah’s Lunchbox,” a picture book based on her own experiences as a young Muslim girl immigrating to the United States. Of Pakistani origin, Reem moved to Peachtree City, Georgia, from Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, when she was 13 years old. She’s also the author of three middle grade novels in verse, “Unsettled”, “Golden Girl” , “Call Me Adnan”, chapter book “Anisa’s International Day”, and picture books “Amira’s Picture Day”, “I Can Help,” “Milloo’s Mind,” “Swimming Toward a Dream,” many of which received starred reviews.  Reem seasonally works as a photographer at ReemFaruqi Photography and currently works as a Scheduler for the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta. She loves to doodle, write, and take photos at http://www.ReemFaruqi.com. Currently, she lives with her husband and three daughters in Atlanta.