Silverworld

by Diana Abu-Jaber (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Fall under the spell of this fantasy-adventure story about a Lebanese-American girl who finds the courage to save her grandmother. Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Sitti, Sami's Lebanese grandmother, has been ill for a while, slipping from reality and speaking in a language only Sami can understand. Her family thinks Sitti belongs in a nursing home, but Sami doesn't believe she's sick at all. Desperate to help, Sami casts a spell from her grandmother's mysertious charm book and falls through an ancient mirror into a world unlike any other. Welcome to Silverworld, an enchanted city where light and dark creatures called Flickers and Shadows strive to live in harmony. But lately Flickers have started going missing, and powerful Shadow soldiers are taking over the land. Everyone in Silverworld suspects that Shadow Queen Nixie is responsible for the chaos, which is bad enough.

But could Nixie be holding Sami's grandmother in her grasp too? To save Sitti and Silverworld, Sami must brave adventure, danger, and the toughest challenge of all: change.

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Kirkus

An exciting fantasy with familiar elements—magical creatures, high stakes, and courage—rich with Lebanese texture. 

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5--Sami's Lebanese grandmother Sitti's health is declining, and she is saying things that only Sami seems to understand. Sami's father has died, and now her family wants to move Sitti into a home. But Sitti has always told Sami stories of magic, and the young girl believes that, with that magic, she can change things. When Sami falls through the old mirror in her room, she finds Silverworld. Believing that if she can save Silverworld from the invasive Shadow Queen Nixie, she can save Sitti, Sami embarks on a quest and finds she is more special than she ever thought. While this world is painted as a magical fantasy with dark Shadows, who talk and transform, and light Flickers, who have all colors of skin and hair, it feels rooted in reality. Readers may struggle to get lost in the magic. The book takes place in the modern world and has references to current issues, but lacks the depth to deliver a nuanced portrayal of the Bedouin and Arab cultures that are very much alive today, and not a romanticization limited to flowing clothes and golden headdresses. The occupants of Silverworld feel one-dimensional and inconsistent in a way that is distracting. There is also a lack of emotional intensity that these kinds of adventures usually elicit. While the author's note emphasizes the importance of story and giving a voice to those trying to fit between cultures, there are other examples of this done much more successfully. VERDICT Though this character gives a true meaning to the notion of living in two worlds, the story does not develop enough depth to make it a first purchase.--Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



Diana Abu-Jaber
Diana Abu-Jaber is most recently the author of Birds of Paradise, an Indie Books Pick, as well as the award-winning memoir The Language of Baklava and the bestselling novels Origin and Crescent, which were awarded the PEN Center USA Award for Literary Fiction and the American Book Award. Her first novel, Arabian Jazz, won the Oregon Book Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award. Silverworld is Diana's first novel for children and started as a tale she told to entertain her young niece while vacationing in a condo lined with mirrors!

A frequent contributor to NPR, she teaches at Portland State University and divides her time between Portland and Miami. Find her online at @dabujaber or on her website dianaabujaber.com.
Classification
-
ISBN-13
9780553509700
Lexile Measure
800
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Crown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
May 14, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV053000 - Juvenile Fiction | Science Fiction
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
Library of Congress categories
Sick
Grandmothers
Magic
Fantasy
Lebanese Americans

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