Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame By Supriya Kelkar
Lee & Low/Tu Books
India, 1857 Meera’s future has been planned for her for as long as she can remember. As a child, her parents married her to a boy from a neighboring village whom she barely knows. Later, on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, she prepares to leave her family to live with her husband’s—just as her strict religion dictates. But that night, Indian soldiers mutiny against their British commanders and destroy the British ammunition depot, burning down parts of Delhi. Riots follow, and Meera’s husband is killed. Upon hearing the news, Meera’s father insists that she follow the dictates of their fringe religious sect: She must end her life by throwing herself on her husband’s funeral pyre.
Risking everything, Meera runs away, escaping into the chaos of the rebellion. But her newfound freedom is short-lived, as she is forced to become a servant in the house of a high-ranking British East India Company captain. Slowly through her work, she gains confidence, new friends, new skills—and sometimes her life even feels peaceful. But one day, Meera stumbles upon the captain’s secret stock of ammunition, destined to be used by the British to continue colonizing India and control its citizens.
Will Meera do her part to take down the British colonists and alert the rebellion of the stockpile? Or will she stay safe and let others make decisions for her? It really comes down to this: how much fire must a girl face to finally write her own destiny?
Cover image and summary via Lee & Low
The Magical Reality of Nadia by Bassem Youssef and Catherine R. Daly
Illustrated by Douglas Holgate
Scholastic
Nadia loves fun facts. Here are a few about her:
- She collects bobbleheads — she has 77 so far.
- She moved from Egypt to America when she was six years old.
- The hippo amulet she wears is ancient…as in it’s literally from ancient Egypt.
- She’s going to win the contest to design a new exhibit at the local museum.
Because how cool would that be?!
(Okay, so that last one isn’t a fact just yet, but Nadia has plans to make it one.)
But then a new kid shows up and teases Nadia about her Egyptian heritage. It’s totally unexpected, and totally throws her off her game.
And something else happens that Nadia can’t explain: Her amulet starts glowing! She soon discovers that the hippo is holding a helpful — and hilarious — secret. Can she use it to confront the new kid and win the contest?
From The Daily Show comedian Bassem Youssef and author Catherine Daly comes a humorous and heartfelt story about prejudice, friendship, empathy, and courage.
Includes sections of black-and-white comics as well as lively black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Cover image and summary via Scholastic
City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
Disney-Hyperion/Rick Riordan Presents
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents CITY OF THE PLAGUE GOD, an adventure based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology written by Sarwat Chadda, author of the Ash Mistry series.
Characters from the Epic of Gilgamesh populate this high-stakes contemporary adventure in which all of Manhattan is threatened by the ancient god of plagues. Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents’ deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life. Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn’t know it, and that’s about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble. Sik’s not in this alone. He’s got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they’ll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.
Cover image and summary via Disney Books
The Boy Who Met a Whale by Nizrana Farook
Nosy Crow
From the author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant comes another brilliant escapade. A thrilling adventure set in fictional Sri Lanka, jam-packed with peril and kidnap and a huge blue whale!
Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side… Inside is Zheng, who’s escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of sea monsters and missing treasure. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating adventure in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all…
Cover image and summary via Nosy Crow