Amir and the Jinn Princess

The 12-year-old heir to a brick-making company in Lahore, Pakistan, partners with a powerful jinn princess to find his absent mother in this beguiling fantasy adventure by Khan (Nura and the Immortal Palace). Privileged Amir Rafiq yearns for his mother. Whether she went missing or abandoned the family is unclear, but when Amir’s grandmother decides that his father must remarry before the end of summer to remove the “stain” her disappearance placed on their family name, Amir determines to find her. Fortunately, he soon learns that the cat he adopted in secret is a jinn princess named Shamsa in disguise. Shamsa offers to help Amir search for his mother; in exchange, Amir must assist Shamsa in her quest to become next in line as king of the jinn. During their journey, which teems with playfully tinged practicalities (Shamsa and Amir travel to the jinn world via train), Amir learns that he’s not the only one facing hardships. Khan conveys these lessons with sensitivity, taking care not to invalidate Amir’s concerns, culminating in an empathetic portrait of two lonely tweens who help to broaden each other’s worldviews, along the way finding genuine companionship and previously untapped strength. Ages 8–12. (July)