Sabrena Swept Away

Riazi (A Bit of Earth) draws inspiration from The Thousand and One Nights to conjure a magical swashbuckling adventure. Tween Sabrena Bhuiyan longs to be a gifted storyteller like her grandmother, who—despite cognitive decline brought about by dementia—spins a yarn about their family’s purported connection to the infamous sailor Sinbad with such prowess that Sabrena believes she can feel the drops of saltwater Grandma describes in her tales. Envious of this power, Sabrena is nonetheless uneasy when her own stories begin to conjure phantom drips and leaks within her home. This unnerving phenomenon grows worse and, during school at her Islamic academy, she finds herself swallowed by seawater and transported to another reality. As Sabrena traipses through this mystical world, she reckons with accusations of being a jinn, befriends Ali Baba’s prickly adopted daughter Marjana, and sinks to the bottom of a sentient sea to discover a cursed kingdom. It is in this dreamlike realm that the story finds its footing, propelling both the reader and the protagonist through a survey of mythological tales and creatures, which Riazi renders using sensorial prose. Throughout her adventures, Sabrena discovers new perspectives through which to view her worries about her grandmother’s health and her struggles with belonging at school. Ages 8–12. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (July)