The Secret of Ka

Gr 6—8—This fantasy adventure delves into the world of magic genies and flying carpets. Sara is spending her summer with her father in Istanbul. She is bored and stuck in a hotel because it is too hot to go outside, until she meets Amesh, a delivery boy in her father's company. She tricks him into taking her to the construction site, where she finds a magic carpet. Their first trip takes them to a strange island where they find several temples, each one inhabited by a djinn. Amesh releases one and falls under its control. He steals the carpet and returns to the mainland, leaving Sara stranded on the island. In order to get back and save Amesh from the danger he had gotten himself into, she must take charge of the djinn herself and become a Kala. However, powerful forces want to control the carpet and Sara. This story explores cultural differences, Middle Eastern mythology, and friendship. It is more lighthearted than Pike's recent vampire series and will attract a younger audience.—Erik Carlson, New York Public Library