". . . Zainab's sister goes even further, keeping an alphabetized list of Zainab's faults in Dahling, if You Luv Me, Would You Please, Please Smile, a debut novel by the author of two previous picture books, Rukhsana Khan . . . But Zainab's grueling 'self-improvement' sessions with her pious, domineering sister are nothing compared to her problems at school. The only Muslim and one of two 'Indians' in her class, Zainab is dying to fit in. But she doesn't wear the right clothes; she can't look right; and when she's asked to direct the class play, the in crowd won't take her seriously. Not until disaster strikes does Zainab find the wisdom and courage to stand up for her friend, herself, and her own cultural tradition . . . elements in this novel show wonderful warmth, humour and complexity. Layla's self-righteous criticisms of Zainab are so extravagant they're funny, and Zainab's growing capacity to argue back, text for religious text, is comic and invigorating. Zainab's feeling of marginalization and the difficulties of her friendship with a Hindu girl are believable and enlightening -- particularly so, perhaps, for readers who don't know what it's like to be a visible outsider."