… A FULFILLING, ATMOSPHERIC STORY IN WHICH LEWERS DRAWS ON ARABIAN MYTH AND EGYPTIAN CULTURE TO WEAVE A FAST-PACED MAGICAL TALE OF FAMILY, DESTINY, AND BELONGING.

In 985 CE Baghdad, Ali Baba’s tween servant Morgana is forced to flee after a sorcerer attacks, killing both Ali Baba and the visiting Prince Ala el-Din. As per Ali Baba’s dying wish, Morgana takes several enchanted artifacts with her, including a lamp containing a jinni, to keep them out of the wrong hands. A thousand years later, 12-year-old Sahara Rashad, who prizes logic and science over luck and magic, reluctantly accompanies her father to Egypt to attend her uncle’s wedding. While she quickly bonds with her cousin Naima, she takes an instant disliking to her uncle’s fiancée, whom Naima has nicknamed El Ghoula for her abrasive personality. Mysteries surrounding break-ins at the family shop, the necklace Sahara inherited from her late mother, and a hidden family legacy lead to a desperate attempt to prevent an ancient evil from manifesting in the present. Though the two intertwining narratives never directly connect in this joyful debut, a series launch, they nevertheless provide two halves to a fulfilling, atmospheric story in which Lewers draws on Arabian myth and Egyptian culture to weave a fast-paced magical tale of family, destiny, and belonging. Ages 8–12. Agent: Kelly Dyksterhouse, Tobias Literary. (Feb.)

Nedda Lewers. Putnam, $18.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-593-61930-8