Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

During the Covid pandemic, 13-year-old Hamra contends with perilous fantastical situations and internal struggles stemming from familial concerns in this riveting jungle adventure by Alkaf, a “Little Red Riding Hood”–inspired Malaysian fantasy. When Hamra isn’t taking care of her grandmother, who grows more forgetful each day, she spends most of her time during the pandemic dreaming of grand adventures. On her 13th birthday, Hamra sets off into the woods to pluck ulam leaves to make nasi ulam for her grandmother. But in her eagerness to accomplish her task, Hamra—accompanied by her best friend Ilyas Chang Abdullah—forgets to heed one of the most important rules of the jungle: “Always ask permission before you enter.” As the duo venture further into the woods, they break another rule—“Never take what isn’t yours”—and inadvertently anger a weretiger, with whom they must make a deal if they hope to leave the forest alive. Creatures from Malaysian mythology appear throughout, adding texture and imbuing the girls’ tale with peril. Alkaf employs lively prose alongside Hamra and Ilyas’s dynamic personalities and earnest friendship to deliver a tale about sacrifice, perseverance, and the enduring bonds of love. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)