diff --git a/solutions/is_palindrome.py b/solutions/is_palindrome.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..69ade6887
--- /dev/null
+++ b/solutions/is_palindrome.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
+"""
+A module for checking if a string is a palindrome.
+
+Module contents:
+    - is_palindrome: checks whether a given string is a palindrome,
+    ignoring spaces, punctuation, and case differences.
+
+Created on 2024-12-30
+@author: Huda Alamassi
+"""
+
+import unicodedata
+
+
+def is_palindrome(text_to_check: str) -> bool:
+    """
+
+    The function takes in a string and returns True if the string is a palindrome
+    (reads the same backward as forward ignoring spaces, punctuation,
+    and case differences) and False otherwise.
+
+
+    Arguments:
+    text_to_check (str): The input string to be checked.
+
+    Returns:
+    bool:
+        - True if the string is a palindrome after removing spaces, punctuation,
+        and case differences.
+        - False if the string is not a palindrome or contains only spaces/punctuation.
+
+    Raises:
+    AssertionError: If the input is not a string.
+
+    Examples:
+        >>> is_palindrome("radar")
+        True
+
+        >>> is_palindrome("hello")
+        False
+
+        >>> is_palindrome("A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!")
+        True
+
+        >>> is_palindrome("No 'x' in Nixon")
+        True
+
+    """
+    # validate input type
+    assert isinstance(text_to_check, str), "text_to_check must be a string"
+
+    # ensure case-insensitivity
+    text_to_check = text_to_check.lower()
+
+    # whitespace should not impact the palindrome check
+    text_to_check = "".join(text_to_check.split())
+
+    # punctuation should not impact the palindrome check
+    cleaned_text = ""
+    for text_char in text_to_check:
+        if not unicodedata.category(text_char).startswith("P"):
+            cleaned_text += text_char
+
+    # exclude empty or non-informative strings
+    if cleaned_text == "":
+        return False
+
+    reversed_text = cleaned_text[::-1]
+
+    return reversed_text == cleaned_text
diff --git a/solutions/tests/test_is_palindrome.py b/solutions/tests/test_is_palindrome.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3fe931361
--- /dev/null
+++ b/solutions/tests/test_is_palindrome.py
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
+"""
+Test module for is_palindrome function.
+Contains tests for checking palindrome functionality with spaces, punctuation, and other edge cases.
+
+Test categories:
+    - Functionality tests: checking if the function correctly identifies palindromes
+    and non-palindromes
+    - Palindrome tests: typical palindromes with various punctuations and spaces
+    - Non-palindrome tests: strings that are not palindromes, even with punctuation and spaces
+    - Edge cases: empty strings, strings with only spaces, single, double characters
+    and and case insensitivity
+    - Defensive tests: incorrect input types such as booleans and non-string values
+
+
+Created on 2024-12-30
+Author: Huda Alamassi
+"""
+
+import unittest
+
+from solutions.is_palindrome import is_palindrome
+
+
+class TestIsPalindrome(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Test the is_palindrome function."""
+
+    def test_palindrome_string(self):
+        """it should return True if you pass a palindrome string."""
+        actual = is_palindrome("radar")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, True)
+
+    def test_non_palindrome_string(self):
+        """it should return False if you pass a non-palindrome string."""
+        actual = is_palindrome("hello")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, False)
+
+    def test_ignore_spaces_and_punctuation(self):
+        """It should return True for a palindrome string that includes spaces and punctuation."""
+        actual = is_palindrome("A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, True)
+
+    def test_ignore_spaces_and_punctuation_2(self):
+        """It should return True for another palindrome string with spaces and punctuation."""
+        actual = is_palindrome(
+            "Are we not pure? “No, sir!” Panama’s moody Noriega brags. "
+            "“It is garbage!” Irony dooms a man—a prisoner up to new era."
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(actual, True)
+
+    def test_empty_string(self):
+        """it should return False if you pass an empty string"""
+        actual = is_palindrome("")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, False)
+
+    def test_space_string(self):
+        """it should return False if you pass a string containing space"""
+        actual = is_palindrome(" ")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, False)
+
+    def test_single_character(self):
+        """it should return True if you pass a single character"""
+        actual = is_palindrome("a")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, True)
+
+    def test_two_identical_characters(self):
+        """it should return True if you pass two-character string with identical characters"""
+        actual = is_palindrome("aa")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, True)
+
+    def test_string_with_identical_punctuation(self):
+        """it should return False if you pass two identical punctuation characters"""
+        actual = is_palindrome("!!")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, False)
+
+    def test_string_with_different_punctuation(self):
+        """it should return False if you pass strings with different punctuation marks."""
+        actual = is_palindrome("!?")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, False)
+
+    def test_case_insensitivity(self):
+        """It should return True for a palindrome string regardless of letter case."""
+        actual = is_palindrome("Level")
+        self.assertEqual(actual, True)
+
+    # test defensive assertions
+    def test_defensive_assertion_for_integer_input(self):
+        """It should raise an AssertionError if the input is not a string."""
+        with self.assertRaises(AssertionError):
+            is_palindrome(123321)