Ambreen Butt-Hussain was born in Pakistan then lived in Scotland and England before coming to Canada where she lived for many years. She earned a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and an M.Ed. from Queen’s University. Butt-Hussain taught elementary school children and lived in Milton, Ontario until recently when she moved to Princeton, N.J.
Fiction (Juvenile)
The Unlovable Alina Butt
Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2023.
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Eleven-year-old Alina Butt has changed schools four times already since her family moved to England from Pakistan. Even after all that practice, she doesn’t seem to be getting any better at being the new kid. Mocked for her last name and her “weird” lunches, Alina has had enough! Taking a leap of faith to try and stand out for the “right” reasons, Alina auditions for the school play. Her hopes of landing the lead role in Cinderella are dashed when her new friend gets the part of Cinderella instead…and her bully is cast as Prince Charming!
Alina must rely on her stubborn will and wacky sense of humor to survive the endlessly embarrassing and ridiculous situations she finds herself in and discover her own unique way to shine!
Fiction (Juvenile)
You’re Out of Luck, Alina Butt
Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2025.
forthcoming May 2025
Publisher’s Synopsis (From its website)
Twelve-year-old Alina is actually looking forward to going back to school.
For once, she has some friends to sit beside on the first day. But when Alina walks into her classroom, someone is sitting in her spot and there are no seats left next to her friends. Grade seven is off to a rocky start! Then the teacher announces that the class will be going on a trip to Paris later in the fall. It’s an expensive trip, but she’s sure that with the right plan, she can convince her strict parents to let her go. What could go wrong?
For starters, her passport is expired so she can’t go on the trip to Paris. When her new passport does arrive, her parents announce a trip back to Pakistan. At first Alina is miserable, but soon she begins to see that when it comes to the things that matter the most, she might not be so unlucky after all.
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Publisher Orca Book Publishers