THE MAGICAL REALITY OF NADIA

Lameece Issaq's youthful narration captures the first in a series featuring sixth grader Nadia. She returns from Egypt to reunite with her "Nerd Crew" of like-minded, culturally diverse friends who join forces to put together a museum project. At the story's center are Nadia's changing emotions--her incomprehension of a classmate's bullying, the comfort she finds from friends, and the hurt of experiencing microaggressions and learning that her peers have problems with her leadership style. Issaq adopts an accent when portraying Titi, a magical figure who emerges from Nadia's amulet to aid her problem solving. While the story's transitions between magical and realistic elements sometimes seem abrupt, the novel's depictions of prejudice and issues of identity will avidly engage listeners. Egyptian comedian and coauthor Bassem Youssef narrates several small bits. S.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2021]