Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal Gr 7–10—This collection of short stories featuring South Asian characters and magic fills a void while celebrating culture and genre. With a vivid front cover and artwork introducing each short story, it invites a wide range of audiences. Each tale features Southeast Asian myths or legends intertwined with diaspora experiences of culture, religion, and geographic location, with notable authors, such as Sabaa Tahir and Tracey Baptiste

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal Gr 7–10—This collection of short stories featuring South Asian characters and magic fills a void while celebrating culture and genre. With a vivid front cover and artwork introducing each short story, it invites a wide range of audiences. Each tale features Southeast Asian myths or legends intertwined with diaspora experiences of culture, religion, and geographic location, with notable authors, such as Sabaa Tahir and Tracey Baptiste and newer voices, such as Naz Kutub and Tahir Abrar, setting the tone for a deeply imaginative reading experience. Contributing authors raise the bar in this volume with their thoughtful interpretations, which range from fun to frightening. This collection is aimed at a wide audience of teens, whether this mirrors experiences they have had or not. Some selections include notes at the end that provide an enriched understanding of the tale; all would have benefitted from this, but regardless, every tale is magic and needs no explanation. The editors made a conscious effort to be inclusive of underrepresented groups across different genres for teens featuring South Asian characters. VERDICT As short story collections go, this strong selection featuring South Asian characters is joyous and original. Add it to the shelf.—Alicia Abdul

Review “A collection of fantastically diverse South Asian stories reimagining and recentering ancient tales by beloved and well-known names from young adult literature as well as intriguing new voices...this anthology pushes the boundaries of fantasy, drawing on a broad range of settings, figures, and tales from South Asian religions, mythologies, and history...engrossing, and entertaining.” — Kirkus Reviews

"This collection of short stories featuring South Asian characters and magic fills a void while celebrating culture and genre. As short story collections go, this strong selection featuring South Asian characters is joyous and original. Add it to the shelf." — School Library Journal

"Editors Ahmed and Charaipotra have gathered a host of South Asian authors and illustrators to create a marvelous anthology, with fourteen fantasy and science fiction stories that deeply explore legends, myths, and historical events, all reimagined from different regions and cultures in the South Asian diaspora. Readers will indeed find magic within this breadth of stories." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and newer voices, such as Naz Kutub and Tahir Abrar, setting the tone for a deeply imaginative reading experience. Contributing authors raise the bar in this volume with their thoughtful interpretations, which range from fun to frightening. This collection is aimed at a wide audience of teens, whether this mirrors experiences they have had or not. Some selections include notes at the end that provide an enriched understanding of the tale; all would have benefitted from this, but regardless, every tale is magic and needs no explanation. The editors made a conscious effort to be inclusive of underrepresented groups across different genres for teens featuring South Asian characters. VERDICT As short story collections go, this strong selection featuring South Asian characters is joyous and original. Add it to the shelf.—Alicia Abdul

Review“A collection of fantastically diverse South Asian stories reimagining and recentering ancient tales by beloved and well-known names from young adult literature as well as intriguing new voices...this anthology pushes the boundaries of fantasy, drawing on a broad range of settings, figures, and tales from South Asian religions, mythologies, and history...engrossing, and entertaining.” — Kirkus Reviews

"This collection of short stories featuring South Asian characters and magic fills a void while celebrating culture and genre. As short story collections go, this strong selection featuring South Asian characters is joyous and original. Add it to the shelf." — School Library Journal

"Editors Ahmed and Charaipotra have gathered a host of South Asian authors and illustrators to create a marvelous anthology, with fourteen fantasy and science fiction stories that deeply explore legends, myths, and historical events, all reimagined from different regions and cultures in the South Asian diaspora. Readers will indeed find magic within this breadth of stories." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Samira Ahmed is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the young adult novels Love, Hate, & Other Filters; Internment; Mad, Bad, & Dangerous to Know; and Hollow Fires. She is also the author of the middle grade fantasy duology Amira & Hamza and the Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit comic series. She was born in Bombay, India, and grew up in Batavia, IL, in a house that smelled like fried onions, garlic, and potpourri. She has lived in New York, Chicago, and Kauai, where she spent a year searching for the perfect mango. She invites you to visit her online at samiraahmed.com and on Twitter and Instagram @sam_aye_ahm.

Sona Charaipotra is the author of Symptoms of a Heartbreak and How Maya Got Fierce and coauthor of The Rumor Game and Tiny Pretty Things, now a Netflix original series. She earned a master’s degree in screenwriting from NYU and an MFA in creative writing from the New School. A working journalist, Sona has held editorial roles at People, TeenPeople, ABCNews.com, MSN, several parenting publications, the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog (RIP), and, most recently, as senior editor of trends and features at Parents.com. She has contributed to publications from the New York Times to Teen Vogue. She is a former We Need Diverse Books board member, and she cofounded CAKE Literary, a boutique book packager focused on high-concept diverse titles. Find her on the web talking about books, Bollywood movies, and chai.