This enchanting audiobook, narrated by Shiromi Arserio, transports listeners to a magical world of jinn. Young Nura mines mica to earn extra money for her impoverished family. She’s excited to bring home treats for her siblings to celebrate Eid. But when the mine collapses and her best friend’s life is on the line, she desperately shovels through the rubble and finds a portal to a luxurious jinn hotel on the other side. Arserio’s skillful performance introduces listeners to headstrong and confident Nura, cautious and stuttering Faisal, and a variety of sinister jinn who are scheming to trick the humans that fall into their clutches. Arserio’s youthful tone, distinct voices, and intensifying pace will keep young listeners hooked. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

★ 06/13/2022

In fictional Meerabagh, Pakistan, clever, ambitious Nura and her friend Faisal, often teased for his stutter, mine mica scraps, reaching crevices too deep in the earth for adults to access. Though her widowed mother dreams of sending her to school, Nura concentrates her wishes on more immediate things, such as the sweets she can buy with her wages. Finally forbidden from mining, Nura determines to unearth the legendary and valuable Demon’s Tongue mica stone on her final day. When she digs too deep, however, and the earth collapses over Faisal, Nura delves even farther to save him, landing in the realm of the jinn, and at the Sijj Palace, an opulent jinn hotel. There she finds Faisal, and the duo face trickery from the jinn, who offer untold luxuries and attempt to maneuver human children into laboring for the hotel. Meticulous plotting and layered lore elevate Khan’s debut, while Nura and Faisal’s friendship grounds the high-stakes story about burgeoning labor consciousness. An author’s note contextualizes the importance of education as well as cycles of exploitation and forced child labor. Ages 8–12. Agent: Melanie Castillo, Root Literary. (July)

"With gorgeous, atmospheric writing, M.T. Khan tells a bold tale that challenges greed and inequality as the tough and clever Nura fights the odds from the mica mines of rural Pakistan to a realm of jinn and magic."—Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Widow and Zachary Ying series

"Beautifully imaginative and full of humor, heart, and characters to root for, Nura and the Immortal Palace is a grand adventure of a book."—Christina Li, author of Clues to the Universe

"Both startling and beautiful. Nura will win your heart in the first pages of this magical adventure with surprises at every turn."—J.C. Cervantes, best-selling author of The Storm Runner series

"Nura and the Immortal Palace is a debut that glimmers as captivatingly and intensely as the mica its protagonist mines. Every word is a thoughtfully selected gem, every scene gripping and intensely wrought. The result is an adventure that is dangerously beautiful and will make sure readers are both enchanted and excited for every page turn. M.T. Khan is a wordsmith to watch, and name to remember."—Karuna Riazi, author of The Gauntlet

"M.T. Khan weaves a magical tale brimming with themes of friendship, family, and hope - interspersed with delicious foods and enthralling lore. Readers will root for brave Nura from the gripping beginning to the breathtaking conclusion. Action-packed, heartfelt, timeless!"—Katie Zhao, author of The Dragon Warrior and Winnie Zeng series

"A stunning debut.  Khan weaves a uniquely magical tale taking the tropes of jinn and presenting them as tragic, selfish, and all together untrustworthy. Nura, despite her humble origin, rises up to take on all the illusions and deceits of the immortal mischief-makers, and through her trials Khan presents a powerful view of the world we live in, where injustice and subjugation of the poor and powerless is as cruel and destructive as anything a djinni could conjure up. A uniquely powerful tale."—Sarwat Chadda, author of City of the Plague God

"Truly spellbinding. Mesmerizing with every turn of the page, Nura and the Immortal Palace sparkles, even in the darkest of twists."—Julie Abe, author of the Eva Evergreen series

"M. T. Khan has woven a magical, transporting tale with Nura and the Immortal Palace. Guiding us into a mysterious and glitzy world of jinn, serving us sweet bites of gulab jamun, all while shedding light on the chilling reality of child labor in our world, Khan's debut is one that will linger with me long after turning the last page."—Graci Kim, bestselling author of The Last Fallen Star

"A riotous adventure with colour and a lot of heart, featuring an intrepid protagonist who refuses to let anything defeat her."—Nafiza Azad, author of The Candle and the Flame

"An exceptional middle grade debut that shines brighter than any gem—and digs into the ugly truth of child labor. Khan is a gifted writer whose books will be treasured for years to come!" —Sarena and Sasha Nanua, authors of Sisters of the Snake

"Meticulous plotting and layered lore elevate Khan’s debut, while Nura and Faisal’s friendship grounds the high-stakes story about burgeoning labor consciousness."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"This action-packed story set in a Muslim community moves at a fast pace, with evocative writing that brings the fantasy world to life and lyrical imagery to describe emotions.
 
An enthralling fantasy debut exploring exploitation by those in power."—Kirkus, starred review

"This high-stakes, immersive fantasy will be sure to stay with readers long after they finish it."—Booklist, starred review

*"A strong purchase for any fantasy collection, but especially those wanting to feature culturally diverse stories."—School Library Journal, starred review

"The standout worldbuilding strikes an impressive balance between realism and fantasy, presenting the harrowing experiences of child labor while also joyfully describing a lavish jinn resort with all manner of curious and memorable details in a way that does not diminish the impact of the former."—BCCB

“Along with telling a compelling, multi-layered story, Khan is also skilled at creating complex characters readers will be drawn to…”—Canadian Review of Materials

★ 09/30/2022

Gr 4–6—In a poor village in Pakistan, 12-year-old Nura digs for mica in the mines, helping support her widowed mother and three younger siblings, sometimes using her pay to buy herself her favorite sweet treat, gulab jamun. Mining is dangerous; it's how her father died, and Nura's mother wants her to stop. Nura promises she will after one more day, but that is the day the mine collapses and her best friend Faisal, along with several other children, gets trapped inside. When Nura risks her own safety to venture back into the collapsed mine to find them, she is lured into a magical jinn palace full of sparkle and riches beyond her wildest dreams, only to be tricked by the jinn back into the very same sort of child labor scheme she just left. Will Nura outsmart the jinn, find a way to escape the immortal palace, and save the trapped children? With expert pacing, Khan dishes out tidbits of Pakistani culture while readers remain absorbed in the high-action fantasy world, perhaps not realizing they are learning about the holiday Eid, a story from the Quran, or how gulab jamun tastes. While the wrongs of exploiting children evolves naturally as an integral theme of the story, the author tries a two-for-one approach, throwing discussions of education access into the mix alongside the obvious contradiction that it is our underserved heroine who outsmarts everyone at the end. VERDICT A strong purchase for any fantasy collection, but especially those wanting to feature culturally diverse stories.—Hillary Perelyubskiy

This enchanting audiobook, narrated by Shiromi Arserio, transports listeners to a magical world of jinn. Young Nura mines mica to earn extra money for her impoverished family. She’s excited to bring home treats for her siblings to celebrate Eid. But when the mine collapses and her best friend’s life is on the line, she desperately shovels through the rubble and finds a portal to a luxurious jinn hotel on the other side. Arserio’s skillful performance introduces listeners to headstrong and confident Nura, cautious and stuttering Faisal, and a variety of sinister jinn who are scheming to trick the humans that fall into their clutches. Arserio’s youthful tone, distinct voices, and intensifying pace will keep young listeners hooked. A.K.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

★ 2022-04-27
Will 12-year-old Nura be able to outsmart the trickster jinn and save herself and her friends?

Nura lives in the fictional Pakistani town of Meerabagh, where she has worked mining mica to help support her family of five—her mother, herself, and her three younger siblings—since her father’s death. In the mines she has the company of her best friend, Faisal, who is teased by other kids for his stutter, and she enjoys small pleasures like splurging on gulab jamun. Although Maa wants Nura to stop working and attend school, she has no interest in classroom learning and hopes to save up to send her younger siblings to school instead so they can break the family’s cycle of poverty. Following a mining accident in which Faisal and others are lost in the rubble, Nura goes to the rescue. In her quest, she is plunged into the magical, glittering jinn realm, where nothing is as it seems. The author seamlessly weaves into the worldbuilding of the story commentary on real-life problems such as the ravages of child labor and systems that perpetuate inequities. An informative author’s note further explores present-day global cycles of oppression as well as the life-changing power of education. This action-packed story set in a Muslim community moves at a fast pace, with evocative writing that brings the fantasy world to life and lyrical imagery to describe emotions.

An enthralling fantasy debut exploring exploitation by those in power. (Fantasy. 8-12)