By Djamila Morani (author)
"Set during Baghdad’s golden age, this gripping historic murder mystery throngs with revenge, grief, love and lyricism."
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Winner of an English PEN Translates Award
Set in 8th century Baghdad during the Abbasid period, when the city enjoyed a glittering golden age of learning, trade and culture, Djamila Morani’s The Djinn's Apple sees sixteen-year-old Nardeen on a mission to avenge her family’s deaths. Richly lyrical — Sawad Husssain’s translation reads fabulously — it’s a pithy murder mystery centred on a bright young woman’s resolve to put wrongs to right, while grappling with personal conflicts.
Nardeen is just twelve when her family home is raided by violent men who seem to be searching for something that belongs to her father, a learned doctor who, in her words, “knew how big my dreams were, and that this world wasn’t ready for a girl with dreams like mine”, though he remained devoted to teaching her.
When her family are murdered during the raid, Nardeen faces enslavement, but finds a mentor who also allows her to study medicine: “I want you to be a doctor who takes on the men here. I don’t want you to just be as good as them, I want you to shake them up.”
But Nardeen remains set on avenging the murder of her family, with her journey to realising that fraught with conflict, peril, poison and pain. Above all, though, The Djinn's Apple tells a gripping tale of courage and resolve.
Historical fiction meets crime fiction in The Djinn's Apple, an award-winning YA murder mystery set in the Abbasid period-the golden age of Baghdad.
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Historical fiction meets crime fiction in The Djinn's Apple , an award-winning YA murder mystery set in the Abbasid period-the golden age of Baghdad.
A ruthless murder. A magical herb. A mysterious manuscript.
When Nardeen's home is stormed by angry men frantically in search of something-or someone-she is the only one who manages to escape. And after the rest of her family is left behind and murdered, Nardeen sets out on an unyielding mission to bring her family's killers to justice, regardless of the cost…
Full of mystery and mayhem, The Djinn's Apple is perfect for fans of Arabian Nights, City of Brass , and The Wrath and the Dawn.
Translated by multi-award-winning Arabic-to-English translator, Sawad Hussain
'This is a beautifully lyrical story that combines elements of grief, revenge, love and a touch of magic to create a compelling mystery for sixteen-year-old Nardeen to solve. Can she bring the man behind her family’s deaths to justice, and what will it cost her if she does? Can she bear to let go of her future dreams in order to avenge the wrongs of the past? Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Abbasid period, The Djinn’s Apple will take readers on an unforgettable journey back in time to Baghdad’s Golden Age.' - Victoria Williamson, author of The Boy with the Butterfly Mind, War of the Wind and Norah's Ark
'An engrossing mystery with a haunting and convincing conclusion.' - Kirkus Reviews
'Morani has made full use of a rich and gripping history to create this fiction, resulting in the vivid depiction of a period where magic, religion, politics, science, and culture could all intertwine in one’s own life.' - Asymptote
'In this fast-paced murder mystery set in eighth-century Baghdad, girl detective meets One Thousand and One Nights .' Marcia Lynx Qualey, founding editor of ArabLit
Djamila Morani is an Arabic-speaking Algerian novelist and a professor of Arabic language and literature. She writes fast-paced historical fiction set in the Abbasid period — the golden age of Baghdad. Djamila lives in Relizane, in the west of Algeria.
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Historical fiction meets crime fiction in The Djinn's Apple, an award-winning YA murder mystery set in the Abbasid period-the golden age of Baghdad. A ruthless murder.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Djinn's Apple and determined it is suitable for children aged 15-18 years old
The Djinn's Apple features in the following genres: Crime & Mystery, Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Historical Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Stories about Family and Friends, Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations
Paperback. Not Available.
The Djinn's Apple was written by Djamila Morani and published by Neem Tree Press Limited
The Djinn's Apple has 160 pages
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