A THOUSAND NIGHTS
In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring sixteen Muslim women writers—links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.
Publisher: Candlewick
Cover illustrator: Jessica Cruikshank
On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories—stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith.
With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.
Stories contributed by:
Hanna Alkaf, Sara Sharaf Beg, Loretta Chefchaouni, Heba Helmy, Zeyneb Holdridge, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Diana Ma, Ardo Omer, Haneen Oriqat, Sarah Mughal Rana, Farah Naz Rishi, Laila Sabreen, Zeba Shahnaz, Ream Shukairy, Zaynah Qutubuddin
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NOW AVAILABLE |
Publisher: Candlewick
Cover illustrator: Jessica Cruikshank
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Praise for
A Thousand Nights
A dazzling, powerful short story collection that weaves the voices of 17 Muslim women authors and editors. . . . With each one as lyrical and compelling as the next, this collection is a triumphant examination of imperialism and displacement, friendship and found family, and the power of story and imagination. A successful homage to the original A Thousand and One Nights, this exquisite short story collection is a folkloric tour de force.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Gripping, expansive. . . . The collected narratives feel authentic to Azad and Khanani's frame tale as the authors rework myths and legends from around the Middle East and Asia. This anthology is a beautiful testament to the human spirit, and the power of hope and imagination in the face of unspeakable choices.
—Shelf Awareness (starred review)
Azad . . . and Khanani . . . curate and contribute to a captivating anthology of Muslim folklore that showcases stories from 15 female Muslim authors. . . . Narratives of survival and displacement move fluidly between revolutions against tyrants, encounters with bird catchers, and stories about royalty, generating a varied yet thematically cohesive mosaic.
—Publishers Weekly
The 15 tales, each by a different Muslim woman author, are drawn from cultures around the world, and their integration with the frame story renders them remarkably cohesive. . . . this work is a refreshing and effective variation on typical anthology formats. A timely collection, full of marvels and hard-won hope.
—Kirkus Reviews
[A] culturally rich collection. . . . The stories are compelling, but it is the four storytellers who really form the connective tissue here, their desperation driving them to—of all things—hope, as they carry and share their people’s stories to form deep, soul-sustaining connections. Their arrival at safety will be a welcome relief to readers, even if the stories must reach their end.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
A layered compilation that embodies culture, faith and especially a homeland. . . . Expertly unfolding a realistic story of survival to create a gripping anthology, A Thousand Nights provides a beautiful tribute to the magic of storytelling and its ability to create bright stars of hope and community in even the darkest of midnight skies.
—BookPage
Gorgeous and resonant, A Thousand Nights takes readers down winding paths of darkness and light with deeply nuanced tales of the jin, phoenixes, curses, blessed pots, brave cats, and, ultimately, the power of hope and community. Readers will savor each tale of this beautifully curated anthology. A fairy-tale collection for our times.
—Natasha Deen, author of The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad
The work of ages distilled into a gift for readers today. Each piece of this book links together, building a puzzle that sweeps us along into stories as old as they are timeless and as beautiful as they are necessary. Each story in this selection is a jewel, and each writer has given us their very best.
—E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times bestselling author