When Marjan, a thirteen-year-old crippled girl, joins the Sultan’s harem in ancient Persia, she gathers for Shahrazad the stories which will save the queen’s life.
Middle East
Thura’s Diary: My Life In Wartime Iraq
Nineteen-year-old Thura al-Windawi traces the days leading up to the bombings in Iraq, the war, and the chaos that followed, describing her life and the reality of war for Iraqi families.
The Key to My Heart
After Jonathan’s dad loses his keys, they retrace all of their steps throughout the day, from the post office to the playground, and all of the places in between.
The Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East
In this stirring anthology of sixty poems from the Middle East, Naomi Shihab Nye welcomes us to this lush, vivid world and beckons us to explore. Eloquent pieces from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, and elsewhere open windows into the hearts and souls of people we usually meet only on the nightly news. What we see through these windows is the love of family, friends, and for the Earth, the daily occurrences of life that touch us forever, the longing for a sense of place. What we learn is that beneath the veil of stereotypes, our human connections are stronger than our cultural differences.
Wishing Moon
After a fourteen-year-old orphan named Aminah comes to possess a magic lamp, the wishes granted her by the genie inside it allow her to alter her life by choosing prosperity, purpose, and romance.
Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up In A War
An ancient Sumerian tale about the youngest and weakest of eight brothers who, caught up in an ill-advised war, uses his wits and courage and eventually becomes king.
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
When war comes, Alia Muhammad Baker, the librarian of Basra, fears the library will be destroyed, so she asks government officials for help, but they refuse, which means Alia must take matters into her own hands to protect the books that she loves.
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East
Nineteen poems about the Middle East and about being an Arab American living in the United States.