By Yassmin Abdel-Magied (author) Part of the Silverbrook series
"A magical fantasy adventure with a great set of characters and a creepily claustrophobic setting."
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In her own eyes, Yumna is a small, stocky thirteen-year-old, generally to be found reading, and pretty well unnoticed by those around her, especially in comparison to her friends, athletic, beautiful Sadeeqa and sassy, charming Nafisa. So when strange things start happening in the quiet town where they live, she’s not surprised that her friends plus Sadeeqa’s handsome brother Kareem suddenly discover they have special powers, and she doesn’t; she’s still upset though.
As events unfold, and with her neighbours at risk of being turned against her friends and family, Yumna uses the special characteristics she has by the bucketload: determination, intelligence, faith.
With more than a touch of magic and all the elements of the best fantasy adventures, plus a setting which is simultaneously very pretty and creepily claustrophobic (a small town in the English countryside), this novel is also distinguished by its protagonists, young abaya and headscarf-wearing Muslim girls who are every bit as clever, witty and appealing to readers as you could wish.
With the ending left open for what should be an even more exciting story, expect Yumna and her friends to be back.
In this quiet town, a magic awakens . . .Thirteen-year-old Yumna lives in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. So when her friends start sneaking into the woods at night, curiosity gets the better of her and she follows. There, she discovers something unbelievable. Kareem can turn into a golden horse. Sami can touch fire without burning. Even her cousin Nafisa has a strange new power.
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In this quiet town, a magic awakens . . . Thirteen-year-old Yumna lives in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. So when her friends start sneaking into the woods at night, curiosity gets the better of her and she follows. There, she discovers something unbelievable. Kareem can turn into a golden horse. Sami can touch fire without burning. Even her cousin Nafisa has a strange new power.
Everyone's changing . . . except Yumna. But when Kareem vanishes and a mysterious new family, the Maidstones, seem to be hiding something, Yumna is the only one asking the right questions. As secrets unravel and danger creeps closer, it's up to Yumna to rally her friends and uncover the truth. In a town full of secrets and powers, can one ordinary girl become the hero they all need?
Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese-Australian writer, broadcaster and social advocate with a background in mechanical engineering who now lives in London.
Yassmin founded her first organization, Youth Without Borders, at the age of sixteen, published her debut memoir, Yassmin's Story , with Penguin Random House at age twenty-four, and followed up with her first fiction book for younger readers, You Must Be Layla , in 2019 and Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism , named a Best Book of 2023 by the School Library Journal and longlisted for the 2025 UKLA book Award and the 2024 SLA Informtion Book Award.
An advocate for the empowerment of women, youth and people of colour, Yassmin has been awarded numerous awards for her advocacy, including the 2018 Young Voltaire Award for Free Speech. Yassmin has travelled to over twenty countries speaking to governments, NGOs and multinational companies on a range of topics including unconscious bias, resilience, and the impact of technology on society. Her TED talk, 'What Does My Headscarf Mean to You?', has been viewed over two million times and was chosen as one of TED's top ten ideas of 2015. Yassmin's critically acclaimed essays have been published in numerous anthologies, including the Griffith Review, the bestselling It's Not About the Burqa and The New Daughters of Africa . Her words can also be found in publications like the Guardian, Teen Vogue, The New York Times, The Independent and Glamour.
Yassmin's broadcasting portfolio is diverse: she presented the national TV show Australia Wide, a podcast on becoming an F1 driver and created Hijabistas, a series looking at the modest fashion scene in Australia. Yassmin is a regular contributor to the BBC, Monocle 24 and is a co-host of The Guilty Feminist. Outside advocacy, she worked as a drilling engineer on oil and gas rigs for four years and is an internationally accredited F1 journalist.
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A twisty mystery about a brave girl uncovering the secrets behind her friends’ magical powers, with big cliff-hangers and just the right amount of scary.
This story is about a girl called Yumna who wants to be a detective. When all her friends get magical powers, she is determined to find out what is going on. Yumna’s dad tells her to stay away from the new neighbours. Later, Yumna discovers something about the neighbours – which I won’t spoil for you – and she must find a way to stop them.
My favourite character was Nafisa because she is strong, sassy and a bit crazy. She really suits her superpower which is talking to animals. The characters felt very real. Each chapter ended on a cliff hanger, and really got me thinking. There were twists and turns in the book which I did not see coming. My favourite part of the book was when Yumna found out a horrifying truth.... Read Full Review
Perfect for adventure and detective book lovers.
I think this book is perfect for adventure and detective book lovers. I would recommend it to my friends, it was great. I struggled to put it down in school and at home. It is all about a young girl called Yumna she solves a mystery about a monster. Yumna gets confused when her friends suddenly develop magical powers. My favourite character was a teenage boy whose powers were amazing. It is fun, imaginative and was a joy to read.... Read Full Review
Aralynne Monksummers
In this quiet town, a magic awakens . . .Thirteen-year-old Yumna lives in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. So when her friends start sneaking into the woods at night, curiosity gets the better of her and she follows.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Silverbrook: Yumna and the Golden Horse and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Silverbrook: Yumna and the Golden Horse features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Recommendations, Adventure Stories, Stories about Family and Friends, Fantasy / Magical, Animal Stories, Romance / Relationship Stories, PSHE: Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem and Wellbeing, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children’s / Teenage fiction: Magical realism / Magical fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Silverbrook: Yumna and the Golden Horse was written by Yassmin Abdel-Magied and published by Hodder Children's Books an imprint of Hachette Children's Group
Silverbrook: Yumna and the Golden Horse has 230 pages
Yes it is part of Silverbrook series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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