A Thousand Nights - Hardcover

by Nafiza Azad (Editor), Intisar Khanani (Editor)

"A folkloric tour de force." --School Library Journal (starred review)

In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology--featuring seventeen Muslim women writers--links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.

On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories--stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith. With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.

Stories contributed by:
Hanna Alkaf
Sara Sharaf Beg
Loretta Chefchaouni
Heba Helmy
Zeyneb Holdridge
Ausma Zehanat Khan
Diana Ma
Ardo Omer
Haneen Oriqat
Sarah Mughal Rana
Farah Naz Rishi
Laila Sabreen
Zeba Shahnaz
Ream Shukairy
Zaynah Qutubuddin

Author Biography

Nafiza Azad is the author of The Candle and the Flame, which was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award, The Wild Ones, and Road of the Lost and coeditor, with Melody Simpson, of the nonfiction anthology Writing in Color. Born in Fiji, she lives in Alberta, Canada.

Intisar Khanani is the author of the Sunbolt Chronicles and the Dauntless Path series. Her latest release, Memories of Ash, was a Kirkus Reviews pick for Best Teen and YA Fantasy of 2024. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two kids, and three cats.