This 352 page middle grade fantasy grounded in Egypt and America didn’t initially impress me.  In fact the first few chapters felt a little forced, the voice a little off, and the threads of Islam were making me a little bit nervous, but I was advised to keep reading by a trusted friend (@muslimmommyblog), and so I did.  And I really don’t know when it happened, perhaps when Sahara finally got to Egypt, but truly the slow quiet book won me over.  It has a lot of heart and I found myself throughout the day thinking about the story, trying to sneak a few minutes here and there to read just a little bit more, and staying up past my bedtime to finish.  That isn’t to say the book is perfect, but it is a solid read despite some plot holes, and a 12-year-old protagonist who seems to not really practice Islam even though her dad and family do. If you do not feel that Islam allows for fantasy books with magic, then steer clear of this.  If you are fine with it or on the fence, know that the book quite often articulates that Allah swt is always the creator in charge of everything, but there are magical elements, fortunes told, and evil deception.  I’ve never seen anyone read tea leaves or coffee grounds, let alone believe in them, if it is something that culturally you have seen and find reflect sihr, know that it is present in the story, but it absolutely clarifies, that Allah swt is the one who controls the future.  I don’t think any reader of any age would think this story is or could be real.  I would be comfortable with middle graders reading this book.  It is long, and a bit dense for early middle graders, but it is clean, and really centers family, being a good friend, and working together to save the day.

SYNOPSIS:

Sahara Rashid is tired of being teased as being the only kid who hasn’t gone to Merlin’s Crossing, when 6th grade comes to an end, she is hoping the surprise her dad has for her is a trip to the amusement park.  Instead they are going to Egypt, her first trip there ever.  Her maternal uncle is unexpectedly getting married and her dad and her haven’t been back since her mother died giving birth to Sahara.  Shocked by the news and desperately disappointed, Sahara goes to bed and dreams of her mother. When she awakes, her aunt, her father’s sister and mom’s friend, has a necklace for her and a message that matches her dream.  Interspersed with Sahara’s story is Morgana’s.  A girl long ago who is a servant to a mawlay, Ali Baba, who has been tasked to guard treasures: lamps, apples, flying carpets, and the like.

When Sahara gets to Egypt her adventures begin, she meets her cousins, Fanta and Naima, and Sittu, her grandma, who she has always feared blames her for her mother’s death, but finds instead a loving matriarch who welcomes her wholeheartedly.  She also meets the bride-to-be a woman named Magda, a woman the cousins call, El Ghoula, the witch.  When someone tries to break into the family’s grocery store, Sahara’s necklace goes missing, and El Ghoula starts to act suspicious, Sahara and Naima formulate a plan that backfires tremendously and will test their trust, determination, and ability to save the day.

WHY I LIKE IT:
I love that Islam is woven in, but I truly do not understand how Sahara’s dad prays five times a day, her aunt in the USA who lives with them prays, but not regularly, but Sahara doesn’t pray.  Her mom wore hijab, but she doesn’t know much about hijab, yet is incredible self-conscious that she doesn’t wear it, while simultaneously being comfortable in shorts.  She also questions her dad why she needs to cover her head in front of the imam, and she brings it up a lot with her cousin Naima, who does cover.  It feels like it comes from a place of love and respect, and probably real conversations, but it seems stilted and vague which I feel like some sensitivity reading perhaps would have helped with.

The beginning of the book really sounds outdated, but I’m not sure why.  It reads like an older person trying to write a young protagonist contemporary voice and it doesn’t work, it is even cringey at times.  Once the action picks up, the voice and tone and pacing is fine, but truly the first few chapters of Sahara are cumbersome.  I do not understand why Sahara is constantly homesick.  She is on vacation and is not going to be in Egypt for two weeks, and the regular insertion that she is missing home and counting down days, is very odd.  If she was suddenly living there, or staying months, perhaps it would make sense, but truly it initially really makes liking Sahara yet another obstacle in the early chapters, that has to be overcome.  By the end, she is very likeable, but those early chapters don’t connect her to the reader which is unfortunate.

The story and action are fun, the relationship building with the family is very tender and sweet.  Her helping her cousin in a street dance battle and feeling the love from her grandma are cathartic and memorable.  Plot wise there are some holes, like how did all the sleeping victims get home, where is the dad’s family, why didn’t the mom know the family secret, why did the family let Sahara’s mom leave, how did Sahara’s mom and her paternal aunt know each other, and why doesn’t Sahara pray and why hasn’t she ever heard the fajr athan before?

FLAGS:
Magic, lying, music, dancing, evil, plotting, scheming, killing, murder, dying, theft, poisoning, attempted kidnapping, slander.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

This would be a fun book to read aloud in a classroom setting during lunch when it is too cold to go outside.  I think it would be fun for an upper elementary book club as well.  I think kids will reach for it, and with a recommendation will get through the first few chapters to be swept away on a magic carpet,  enjoying the story.