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• You're Out of Luck, Alina Butt - 2025 Orca Book Publishers, Custer, WA
• The Unlovable Alina Butt - 2023 Orca Book Publishers, , Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

• Ambreen Butt-Hussain website - https://ambreenbutthussain.com/

  Ambreen Butt-Hussain is the author of the middle-grade Alina Butt series, which consists of the books, The Unlovable Alina Butt and You’re Out of Luck, Alina Butt. Ambreen was born in Pakistan but lived in England and Scotland before finally settling in Canada for many years. She has a bachelor of science from the University of Toronto and a master of education from Queen’s University. She continues to move around and has recently made Princeton, New Jersey her new home, with her husband and two sons. She teaches middle schoolers by day and writes for them by night! Ambreen is currently working on the third part of her series.

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  Ambreen Butt

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  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Ambreen Butt
  Born 1969
  Lahore, Pakistan
  Nationality Pakistani-American
  Education National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan (BFA, 1993) Massachusetts College of Art (MFA, 1997)[1]
  Known for Drawings, miniature paintings, prints, and collage
  Awards Maud Morgan Prize (2006) James and Audrey Foster Prize (1999)[2]
  Website http://www.ambreenbutt.com
  Ambreen Butt (born 1969) is a Boston-based Pakistani American artist best known for her drawings, paintings, prints, and collages, and has been recognized for her labor intensive, painted self-portraits that portray feminist and political ideas through traditional Persian art.[3] She now resides in Dallas, TX.

  Education
  Butt obtained her Bachelor’s of Fine Art in traditional Indian and Persian miniature painting from the National College of Arts in Lahore. She later moved to Boston in 1993 and in 1997 she received her Master’s of Fine Arts in Painting from Massachusetts College of Art[4] (now Massachusetts College of Art and Design).

  Art
  Butt's work is rooted in her bi-cultural identity and retains the intricate, decorative patterning that characterizes Indian and Persian miniature painting.[5] One such work, I Am My Lost Diamond (2011), created for her Realms of Intimacy exhibition at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center, combined more than 20,000 sculpted fingers and toes cast in resin to create an image of fireworks or flower blossoms when viewed at a distance.[6] The work was influenced by a friend's experience narrowly escaping from a suicide bombing in Butt's hometown of Lahore.[3] She has updated the medium's painstaking technique with new materials, such as PET film, thread and collage.

  Ambreen Butt's work, her miniature paintings, more specifically, are made to exemplify social issues. In particular, Butt's work addresses gender roles, cultural differences, the notion of freedom, and the meaning of human rights. This is achieved by blending imagery from newspapers and historical depictions on her canvases.[7] One such social issue, as mentioned, is the differences between the depiction of males and females. In an interview, Butt explains this observation; “I was particularly struck by the representation of women in miniature art. They were often depicted as small seductive creatures. [Conversely,] The male icons [...] had a more god-like representation."[8] “I was more concerned with the woman herself, rather than her body.”

  Butt has also employed printmaking techniques in her work. Her 2008 series Dirty Pretty combines the techniques of etching, silkscreen, and lithography, while earlier untitled series combine etching and aquatint.[9]

  More recently, Butt's work has been featured on the exterior of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum. The enlarged piece is a celebration of the heroism of Mukhtar Mai, a woman gang-raped at the order of her local council in an act of honor revenge.[10] The U.S. State Department also commissioned a large-scale piece that now hangs in the U.S. embassy in Islamabad.[11]

  Awards
  In 1999, Butt received the inaugural James and Audrey Foster Prize from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.[2] That same year, Butt was artist-in-residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where she was the first artist in the program to open her studio to the public and engage directly with visitors.[2] She was a 2002 Artist-in-Residence at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, NC. She has also been the recipient of the Brother Thomas Fellowship from the Boston Foundation, Maud Morgan Prize from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant. In 2009, she received an Artadia Award.[12]

  Selected exhibition history
  Solo exhibitions
  2003 - I Must Utter What Comes to My Lips, Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester Art Museum, March 1 - May 11[13]
  2005 - I Need A Hero, Kustera Tilton Gallery, New York, June 23 - July 29, 2005[14]
  2019 - Mark My Words, National Museum for Women in the Arts, December 7, 2018 - April 14, 2019[15]

• Orca Blog - https://blog.orcabook.com/qa-with-the-unlovable-alina-butt-author-ambreen-butt-hussain/

  Q&A with The Unlovable Alina Butt Author Ambreen Butt-Hussain
  Author Interviews | Interview May 8, 2023

  “In this charming, tightly plotted debut, Alina’s witty, vulnerable narratorial voice guides readers through her intensely authentic personal evolution.”
  —Kirkus Reviews
  Fitting in at a new school is hard enough, but when you’re an awkward, big-nosed, nerdy Pakistani girl with a funny last name, it can seem impossible.

  In The Unlovable Alina But, 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. 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!

  ***

  In this article, author Ambreen Butt-Hussain answers some questions about her debut novel The Unlovable Alina Butt.

  1. The Unlovable Alina Butt is your first book, what inspired you to write this story?

  Quite a few things actually! I always knew I wanted to share my own childhood experience and the journey of embracing being “different” through a story. This desire only became stronger once I started working as a teacher. I wanted my students to feel seen and find comfort in this book. I also wanted to be able to provide them with a positive form of representation. As a minority, when you constantly find yourself being portrayed in a negative light in various forms of media, it is easy to feel “unlovable.” So it was very important for me to broaden representation for South Asians, Muslims and immigrants, to help my readers see themselves as “lovable.” These reasons had been brewing in my mind for a while but what finally pushed me to begin writing was going through a very difficult personal time. I began to write as an outlet, and what it did for me was magic! It brought positivity and so much hope back into my life, ultimately resulting in this wonderful book.

  2. Tell us more about Alina, how would you describe her?

  When I think of Alina, I think of the word “middle.” Not just because she is the middle child, but because she lies “in the middle” for most things. She is shy, but when you get to know her she is this hilarious, fun person. She is smart, but also so strange and silly. She is very kind and caring, but sometimes needs the help of her family and friends to figure out the right thing to do. She can’t really be boxed into just one category or “type”—she is changing, growing and discovering herself. Alina is a very relatable and lovable character…even though she does not realize it.

  3. This story is set in the year 2001. Why did you want to set the story during that time as opposed to present day?

  I went back and forth about this decision quite a bit. Ultimately, I chose to set it in the year 2001, because I wanted the story to be a close reflection of my own experience. As well as this, I noticed that the students I was teaching at the time had such a strong interest in the 90s and 2000s—the fashion, the trends, the simplicity of those times, specifically life without social media. When I asked them, “Which year would you want to live in—past or present?”, surprisingly, most of them answered the 2000s. So I thought why not try to make their wish come true and transport them to that era through my book!

  4. Apart from being a writer, you are also an elementary school teacher. How did that inform your writing of the story?

  As a writer, I absorb and take inspiration from everything around me. Being a teacher and observing my students led me to see that many of their experiences and feelings are universal and timeless. This helped me form not only my story but also develop my characters. I loved using my students’ energy and interactions as inspiration when adding little details into the book! I think it helped me make my story and characters more relatable and real.

  5. In the book, Alina tries out for the school play of Cinderella. Did you ever participate in a school play like Alina? If you could play any role you wanted in Cinderella, which one would it be?

  I did! My school actually did a play for Cinderella when I was in grade 6, where I played, *drum roll*…a townsperson! I was a very shy and quiet kid, and just like Alina would have loved to play the role of Cinderella, but unfortunately did not have the confidence to put myself out there and audition. A few years later, my school did a play for Snow White, where I finally worked up the courage to audition and ended up playing the part of one of the dwarves (which was in fact a comical role). So I definitely moved up the ranks…both in terms of my roles and my self confidence.

  6. Just like our extremely loveable main character, Alina, you also have a lot of experience being the “awkward new kid”. How much of Alina’s story is similar to your experiences?

  Alina’s story is very close to my heart, because it is closely inspired by my own childhood experiences. A lot of the characters (especially the family members) as well as the small details in the story are very similar to my past, for example, the location and some of the problems which Alina and her family face. But there is definitely fictionalization and exaggeration to make the plot more interesting for the reader. Just like Alina, I found the transition, making new friends and dealing with bullies very difficult. But the main difference is, I didn’t feel as uneasy or embarrassed about my personality, looks or family as Alina does. Alina’s struggles are a more heightened version of my own feelings as a kid.

  7. What do you hope readers take away from the book?

  I hope Alina’s journey can help my readers feel that they are not alone. Many of us go through moments where we find it hard to love ourselves. I hope Alina’s story helps my readers realize that everything that makes them feel different is what makes them who they are and it is important to cherish that. Not just their strengths, but also things they think are their weaknesses—their flaws, their little quirks. I hope this story inspires my readers to treat themselves with more kindness.

  As well as this, I hope this story urges them to see others in their full light, and accept them for their flaws and differences as well. Alina learns to see the people in her life positively, allowing them to help her in her journey. I tried to make each character unique and hopefully have readers realize that even when they seem perfect, they are not. It is important to get to know people for their true selves and remember that each person has their own story and is fighting their own battles.

  8. What was the most rewarding and/or challenging thing about writing this book?

  One of the most rewarding things about writing this book was to be able to make my mom and dad proud! In a way, this story is like a thank you letter to them for all that they did for me growing up.

  As for the most challenging part, I think it was probably the rounds and rounds of edits. I always tell my students how crucial editing their work is, but I think I truly understood the importance of it once I read my book for the hundredth time and still found things to improve or change! I did not expect for the editing process to be as long as it was. But overall, thanks to all the help I got from my wonderful editor, it made for a much better story.

  9. Is there more in store for Alina? Are you currently working on a new story?

  Yes! I am currently working on the second part to Alina’s story. It is a continuation of her and the Butt family’s journey—with lots more hilarious situations, adventures, some new characters and relationships, and a huuuge problem Alina finds herself in yet again. I can’t wait to add the final touches and have it join the world of Alina!

  Ambreen Butt-Hussain author
  AMBREEN BUTT-HUSSAIN was born in Pakistan but lived in England and Scotland before finally settling in Canada. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto and a Master of Education from Queen’s University. She has years of experience as an elementary school teacher, some experience as a writer and a lifetime of experience being the awkward new kid trying to fit in. She lives in Milton, Ontario.

  Photo by Hadia T.H.—White Cactus Studios

• Friday Things - https://www.fridaythings.com/recent-posts/club-friday-q-ambreen-butt-hussain

  May 10, 2023

  Club Friday Q&A: Ambreen Butt-Hussain
  By Stacy Lee Kong

  Image: Martika Gregory

  Alina Butt isn’t teacher-turned-children’s book author Ambreen Butt-Hussain—but she’s pretty close. Tthe main character in Butt-Hussain’s first book, The Unlovable Alina Butt, Alina’s adventures (and misadventures) in the book are very inspired by Butt-Hussain’s own experiences of moving to a new country and struggling to fit in as an “awkward, big-nosed, nerdy Pakistani girl with a funny last name.” I got a chance to read an advance copy of the book earlier this year and while my immigrant experience was pretty different, there was a lot to relate to. In this week’s Club Friday Q&A, Butt-Hussain and I chat about explaining the semi in semi-autobiographical to your family, the process of getting published as a literary newbie and why she wanted to write a story about an immigrant kid who learns to love herself.

  Where you got the initial idea for The Unlovable Alina Butt?
  The initial idea came from my own childhood. It's strange to say, but I think I always knew that if I were to write a book, I would start it from that lineup incident in the very first chapter, where Alina is trying to lie about her last name but she gets caught. I had been through that so many times in my own life. My last name growing up was also Butt and I would try to hide it. I just always knew I wanted to talk about that, and about growing up feeling different, and the journey of trying so hard to find your place or trying to fit in. So yeah, childhood was the inspiration.

  But I think what actually got me to sit down and open up a doc and begin the process was going through a really hard time in my life. I started doing this as more of an outlet, and it ended up just being kind of magical for me because it brought so much positivity and hope back into my life. I would look forward to writing at the end of the day. This was a coping mechanism in a way.

  Aside from the lineup story, how many of your own life experiences are in Alina’s story?
  Alina’s story is very close to my heart because it is closely inspired by my own childhood. But that being said, it’s definitely not exactly the same. I would say it’s maybe 60% inspired by my childhood and 40% fictionalized. There are lots of similarities in the characters, like my family members, and in the small details. For example, I also grew up in Walsall, England, and I also lived on top of a fruit and vegetable shop that my dad owned. Even some of the problems that the family faces are similar. There’s an incident that Alina’s mom has where she faces racism at the scene of a car accident; my family went through things like that as well, and I used them as inspiration for the book.

  But of course, there's exaggeration to make it more interesting for the reader. I definitely had those same feelings as Alina around finding it hard to fit in, but I would say, the biggest difference is I think I wasn't as embarrassed about my personality or my family. Her feelings are a more heightened version of whatever I was feeling as a kid.

  Was it awkward for your family to read the book, especially the parts where you amped up those situations for the narrative? Were they like, ‘Is that how you actually felt?!’
  100% yes. I'm glad you asked me this question because I've had to answer this for any of my family members who have read the book! They’re always like, ‘What! We didn't know you felt this, or that you felt left out of things.’ I have to explain that I’m exaggerating certain things. I definitely felt it to some degree, but you have to magnify things a little bit to give it that oomph factor. So yes, I do have to clarify things for my family whenever they read the book, like, ‘This is real, this is not.’

  Can you tell me a little bit about the process of how the book came about? Did you already have a publisher when you started writing?
  When I started writing, I had never written professionally. I’ve written in a journal since I was eight years old, but I never tried to write a book. I just started writing for fun. My first draft was just word vomit. Like, it was just my feelings, my thoughts; everything was flowing out of me. I had so much fun doing that.

  It was only after I finished my first draft that I started thinking about it really seriously. I had my husband read the first chapter, and he was like, ‘Oh, this is actually pretty good.’ So then I started looking into how to get it published. And all of that was quite a long process. Just finding an agent took me about a year. It took him a short period of time to find a publisher, which was amazing, but then after that, the editing process was also quite long. I would say overall, from me finishing writing my first draft to getting it published, it took two years.

  I thought it was really interesting that the book is set in the early 2000s. Why did you decide to do that?
  I went back and forth about this decision quite a bit. I was like, do I set it in the present day because it'll be more relatable for kids? Or do I set it in the past because it speaks more closely to me? I ended up going with the year 2001 because I wanted the story to be a close reflection of my own experience. And also, I'm a teacher and the students that I was teaching at the time—I think it was a grade seven class—had such a strong interest in the 1990s and 2000s. They were so interested in the fashion of that time, the trends, and even just the simplicity of life without social media. I realized that because we had a community circle, which is where they sit in a circle, I ask them a question and they all give their thoughts and feelings about it. So, I asked them what year they would want to live in if they could choose the past or the future, and surprisingly, a lot of them answered the 2000s… which made me feel really old! But I also thought it was really cool that they were so interested in that time period. I was like, why not find a way to kind of transport them there through the book and have them learn more about it? So that's how I made my final decision about that.

  That’s so interesting, because one of the things I wanted to ask you about was how your teaching experience might have shaped the way you approached the story. Other than thinking about making it relatable for today's kids, was there anything else about your teaching experience that played into your creative process?
  I don't think I ever talked to my kids about the writing. I think I told them when it was done, but I was very private about it when I was writing. But I definitely used my experiences as inspiration. Like, I looked at students’ mannerisms or the way they interacted with each other or the problems that they faced in everyday life to make my story and my characters more relatable.

  I moved to Canada from Trinidad when I was four, so our immigrant experiences are very different. But there was a lot in the book that I found so relatable, from how close the siblings are, to the frustration of trying to figure out where you fit in to learning to see your parents as humans, which I think sometimes happens earlier for immigrant kids than their peers because we’re often helping them navigate a new culture. There wasn't a language barrier for me, but I do remember realizing at one point that I understood things about Canadian culture in a way that my parents just didn’t. Why was it important for you to explore these themes?
  Firstly, I’m glad that you were able to relate to some of the experiences in the book. And like you said, people may not be able to relate to every single thing, because everyone's experience is so unique. Even their immigration experiences are so unique, but I think everyone, even people who are not immigrants, would be able to relate to one of the themes that you mentioned.

  When you move around so much, I feel like you tend to become more attached to your family. Or at least, that was true in my case. Through all the change, your siblings, your parents, whoever you moved to the new place with, are your only constant. Of course, we go through problems as any family does, but I think that you do create a special bond because you've gone through something so significant and challenging together, and for me, it was really important to highlight that. A lot of people realize that when they're a bit older, but I wanted children to be able to read about it, and hopefully begin to cherish that and begin to see that they do have quite a special thing there, and one they will cherish as they go through life. And I wanted kids to see their parents as real people, because that's also something I think we sometimes miss out on as we're growing up.

  When I think back to my parents immigrating, I realize that they were the same age as I am right now. And I still feel like a kid sometimes, so I can't believe that they did all that at that age. I was thinking about how they must have been having their own struggles and problems, and I wanted to shed light on that as well. Hopefully, kids will see their parents as real people with their own lives. And definitely balancing the two cultures. That was important for me to highlight as a theme, because growing up, I never felt that this was a common problem that others had; I felt like I was the only one who was facing this issue, so I really wanted to provide an honest and very authentic portrayal of a Muslim and Pakistani family and the struggles that the kids sometimes face. So whether that's having to tell someone that you only eat halal food or having to wear tights under your skirt, little things like that, I wanted to put them out there so kids see that other people also go through this stuff, and that's okay. You can still learn to love yourself and your identity.

  What do you hope kids will get out of this book?
  I think the main message I would want my readers to get is that they're not alone. I think a lot of us go through moments in life where we find it really hard to love ourselves, and I hope that Alina's story helps my readers realize that whatever makes them different is really special. We need to learn to cherish not just our strengths, but also things that we think are our weaknesses, flaws or our little quirks. I think in this book, Alina is really hard on herself. She engages in a lot of negative self-talk before she learns to love herself, as I think we all do. We are really hard on ourselves. So, I hope it helps inspire people to treat themselves with more kindness.

  What is next for you on the writing front?
  I'm currently working on the second part of Alina’s story. It's a continuation of the Butt family's journey with more funny situations and adventures. There's some new characters and relationships, and of course Alina finds herself in a big problem. I can't wait to add final touches to that and see what people think of it.

  Is there anything that you want us to talk about that I didn't ask about?
  There's just one thing I wanted to say: for whoever reads this, just a little message that representation matters and your story matters. I think when you constantly find yourself being portrayed in a negative light in various forms of media, whether it's TV or the news, it's easy to feel unlovable. So, it was very important for me to broaden representation for South Asians and Muslims and immigrants, and to help my readers see themselves as lovable. Because if people do feel unlovable, many times, it's because others don't fully know them yet. So I hope that this book inspires people to tell their stories, and not be afraid to put themselves out there. I never thought I would have my book out in the world or that I'd get the chance to speak about my story—I just wrote this for fun. So I also hope that inspires people to dream big and help them realize that their words matter and they should put them out there.

  The Unlovable Alina Butt is out on May 16, 2023. Pre-order a copy on Amazon or through Orca Books.

Butt-Hussain, Ambreen YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK, ALINA BUTT Orca (Children's None) $14.95 5, 13 ISBN: 9781459841628

Set in the early 2000s, this novel sees a young Pakistani British immigrant learning the art of gratitude.

For once, Alina Butt isn't nervous about starting school. This year, she's part of a tight group of friends whom she's confident will support her through seventh grade--that is, until they fail to save her a seat, instead opting to sit next to a red-haired girl named Sophie. Turns out, Alina's friends spent the summer hanging out with Sophie while Alina's strict parents made her stay home. When passport issues prevent her from going on a class trip to Paris, her parents plan a family vacation to Pakistan as a consolation prize. Still, Alina remains convinced that she's "the unluckiest girl in the world"--a feeling compounded by the realization that the family will have to leave England in one year due to visa problems. But while in Pakistan, she begins to appreciate what she has. Alina's insightful, humorous, and candid voice lends this steadily paced book a conversational quality. Alina's reframing of the idea of luck feels authentic and nuanced and is aided substantially by Sophie's insights about her father's disability. Alina's moments of gratitude feel heavy-handed, however, and the first third of the book, focusing on preparation for the Paris trip, is somewhat disconnected from the rest. Still, this is a fast-paced, compelling read. Sophie presents white; the previous book established that Alina's friend group is diverse.

A funny and frank tale of self-discovery.(Fiction. 8-13)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Butt-Hussain, Ambreen: YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK, ALINA BUTT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785161/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=64c7950d. Accessed 13 Aug. 2025.

Butt-Hussain, Ambreen THE UNLOVABLE ALINA BUTT Orca (Children's None) $12.95 5, 16 ISBN: 9781459834910

An awkward Pakistani Muslim sixth grader learns to love every part of herself.

For her first few weeks at Greenhill Middle School, all Alina Butt wants to do is to move home to Pakistan. Her family has moved cities several times since they immigrated to England in 1998, three years ago, and Alina still longs for her beloved family and misses being in a place where she fits in--and where her surname isn't material her classmate Adam Atkins can use to torment her. Things start looking up when she befriends Emma, Kayla, and Vaani, who instantly understand her quirky humor and who bond over a shared love of the Spice Girls. With their help, Alina tries out for the lead in the school play, a feminist adaptation of Cinderella. But when Emma and Adam are cast as the leads and Alina is cast as a mouse, her jealousy threatens to undo all the progress she's made. It's only after a series of unlikely encounters with bullies--Alina's sister's bully and her own--that Alina realizes that she's growing into someone she just might like. In this charming, tightly plotted debut, Alina's witty, vulnerable narratorial voice guides readers through her intensely authentic personal evolution. The plot is further served by a cast of supporting characters, each of whom is full of surprises. Adam and Emma read White, Vaani is of Indian heritage, and Kayla is described as having curly black hair.

An insightful coming-of-age novel. (Fiction. 9-13)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Butt-Hussain, Ambreen: THE UNLOVABLE ALINA BUTT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A740905347/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bf57c065. Accessed 13 Aug. 2025.