Vogel crafts a magical world in this YA debut, inspired by her own childhood experiences, that follows 12-year-old Claire Hamilton, who has just moved to Saudi Arabia with her family. Claire is a shy, insecure child and is determined, in her own words, “not to be a loser” at her new school in this new country. But as she explores the local landscape—the souks, the vast desert, and the Arab people—strange, inexplicable things start to happen: a stick turns into a snake at will, gnats and flies seem to be chasing after Claire and her friends, and biblical plagues come with a vengeance, making Claire wonder at her role in all the chaos.From the start, Claire comes across as a closed-off child, bullied by her parents; in response, she fashions a set of rules to keep herself out of everyone’s hair (“Hide-What-You’re-Really-Thinking” and “Apologize-Often” are just two of those). Comparatively, she is always at ease around animals, who she tends to gravitate towards, and Vogel scatters this entertaining plot with snakes, dogs, horses, and frogs, all of whom draw out the real Claire and show readers a side of her rarely revealed around other humans.
Since the novel is based in Saudi Arabia, Vogel utilizes numerous references to Arabic words, local customs, and myths, all conveyed via the sensitive gaze of a curious 12 year old. But also intriguing is the proliferation of biblical references, particularly in the second half of the book, which help Claire make sense of the inexplicable events she’s facing and culminate in her “liberation,” as readers see her finally open up and come into her own. The end result is an informative, enlightening YA novel that explores the traditions of foreign culture while bringing biblical stories to life. Lovers of magical realism, animals, and coming-of-age adventures will embrace this heartwarming story.
Takeaway: Beautiful coming-of-age fusing foreign culture with biblical stories.
Comparable Titles: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures, Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+
