AMIRA & HAMZA

What will it take for two plucky kids from Chicago to save the universe from certain disaster? Courage with a heaping side of love.

Twelve-year-old Amira is a scientist, rational and focused. Hamza, her younger brother, is a risk taker, thriving in his active imagination. The night of a rare astronomical event brings out more than the moon and the stars when they accidentally activate an ancient device recovered from the Caspian Sea, al-Biruni’s Box of the Moon, cracking off a piece of the moon, putting everyone else on Earth to sleep, and bringing an army of genderfluid jinn to meet them, the chosen ones. Led by Abdul Rahman, the vizier to the emperor of Qaf, and accompanied by Maqbool, Abdul Rahman’s aide-de-camp, the jinn escort Amira (who does not feel eager or ready to assume these duties) and Hamza (who can barely contain his delight) on their quest to protect Qaf by defeating wicked dev Ifrit and saving the universe. In her middle-grade debut, Ahmed rationalizes the irrational with a creative blend of science and magic, building a bridge from a familiar world to a new one. A blend of Indian culture, Islamic folklore, history, and pointed social commentary are all wrapped up in a fantasy world that is as compelling as it is informative.

Even readers who don’t believe in magic will find themselves wishing on a star.