Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata - OPTIONAL

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata, 250 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Viking (Penguin). 2023. $23 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G 

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Nayra is under a lot of pressure as she fasts for Ramadan. She is bullied by other girls at school and has friendship problems with the only other Muslim in her school, and has strict parents. She is even considering transferring schools until she meets a djinn named Marjan. 

I really liked the Muslim viewpoint about fasting and the cultural insight into Muslim life, which is fascinating. Though I liked the insertion of the djinns, I think I would have liked the story better without it. The djinn story was too similar to Nayra's and Rami's and sometimes the art was a little hard to follow. I would have liked to see Nayra solve her problems on her own because she was a strong character. Mayra and her friend, Rami, are Muslim. 

Michelle in the Middle