The Book of Wonders (edition 2012)

I'm a fan of (much of) the Arabian Nights, and was delighted to run across this middle grade novel, which repurposes elements from the tales -- Sinbad, djinnis, the roc, mistaken identities, wishes governed by complicated rules -- but without the racism and misogyny that permeates the original tales. So far, so good. But, the book's writing leaves much to be desired. Rather than the characters' personalities driving the plot, the plot (and author's need to work in exposition) drives the characterization completely - in a given scene, the heroine goes from disgusted at the thought of the evil sultan, to grumbling about having to help with dinner, to tearing up at how infrequently she sees her father, to 'happy but guilty' when her grandmother praises her skills with a kitchen knife. That's in roughly two pages. It's like watching a train pass by: here's a boxcar, oh look, now a tanker, now two more box cars, a hopper, and so on - with no obvious reason for the order of the cars, and only a rough coupling between each of them.

In looking at other reviews, I see that this is labelled 'middle grade' rather than 'young adult'. I guess that's younger than young adult, and I can see why an author would tailor the plot and characters for the audience. But surely these readers can handle - and would thrive - on better characterization than this. ( )

The combination of exotic cover art and the promise of Sinbad the Sailor and other characters from One Thousand and One Nights drew me to this one like a moth to a flame. A magical adventure story from the East, The Book of Wonders is loosely based on the original tales of the Arabian Nights and features a teenaged version of the character Scheherazade. Together, "Zardi" and her best friend, Ridhan, a boy mysteriously endowed with violet eyes and silver hair, must save Zardi’s sister, escape from Desolation Island, and free their people from the evil sultan's rule. Filled with action, magic and suspense, there’s sure to be a sequel. This one should be popular with middle-schoolers.

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Zardi, short for Scheherazade, loves hearing stories about the times when magic was plentiful and abundant in the land of Arribitha. But those times are gone, ever since the evil sultan, Shahryar, came to power and forbade anyone from even talking about magic. When her sister, Zubeyda, is taken to be the sultan's next praisemaker - a job that always results in the girl's death - and her father is imprisoned, Zardi and her friend Rhidan must seek out Sinbad, and hope that the sailor's tales of lands faraway are true. Together they're all thrust into an adventure that none of them saw coming.

This was a really fun book that used the tales of One Thousand and One Nights in a very interesting way. Zardi was a downright fantastic female lead: she's tough, stubborn, and unwilling to give up. Her friendship with Rhidan is first rate, too, and I liked the way they complemented each other. While I'm familiar in passing with the story of Sinbad, this was an interesting look at his character, and definitely tarnishes the legend just a bit. Zardi is unrelenting in her search to save Zubeyda, and is willing to face danger after danger in order to ensure her sister's life. While the adventures were fun (and dangerous!), it was her spirit that really made me love this book. She was just a really perfect narrator.

I will say that this book took me far longer to read than it should have, because I stopped midway through to read a whole bunch of other things instead. This is not a knock on the book - I was thoroughly enjoying it - but it does suffer a bit from what I call the "non-stop action" affliction. Zardi and the others certainly have to go through a lot.

Also, a word of caution, this is very clearly the start of a new series, which doesn't become apparent until almost the very end. While one story line is wrapped up, there are tons of other things that have yet to be figured out. The book doesn't really end on a cliffhanger, though, so much as it's very open-ended. I look forward to seeing what Zardi and Rhidan get up to next. ( )

http://hobbitsies.net/wordpress/2012/01/needs-other-reviews-the-book-of-wonders-...

Okay, The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards is a seriously awesome middle grade novel about fantasy and adventure and it’s got pirates, boats, magic, a loyal best friend, and a seriously brave female main character.

The Book of Wonders is the type of book I would have absolutely devoured in middle school, and I’m glad that still holds true today! As an avid fan of Tamora Pierce, I am all about the awesome and strong female characters in fantasy settings, so Zardi was like a breath of fresh air compared to some of the wishy-washy protagonists we read about today.

What I also loved about The Book of Wonders (besides the awesome new world Richards introduced us to) is how jampacked it was with stuff. There was not a down moment for Zardi – something was always happening, she always had a goal to work towards, and that made it very interesting for me. There were never any moments where I wanted to skip ahead.

Seriously, The Book of Wonders is middle grade, but I think it will certainly appeal to any lover of fantasy. Zardi, even though she’s only thirteen years old, came off as much older and more mature. The Book of Wonders is an exciting story of a girl on a quest to save her family and I definitely recommend it. ( )

Guys, if you’re a fan of fantasy and adventure and pirates and sailboats and magic and heroic female main characters, definitely check out The Book of Wonders.

I mean, here is this 13-year-old girl doing stuff that I’m not even sure I could do. She’s brave and loyal and fierce. I absolutely loved being with her through her adventures.

Seriously – even though it’s middle grade, Zardi felt so much older and more mature than that. Definitely give The Book of Wonders a shot if it sounds like something you’re interested in!

My full review will come closer to publication date. ( )