A character I liked: Nura. She is witty and so I liked how perceptive she was, despite never having been to school. 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 The characters were also adorable. Nura was a bit irritating at times, but it was exactly the kind of stubbornness and slight egotism that would be realistic for a 12-year old forced to take on too much responsibility too early, and I loved that she ultimately was driven by love and care for her family and friends. Her best friend Faisal was such a sweetheart too, and their bond was so precious!

In this follow-up to 2020’s The One and Only Bob, Ruby the elephant is still living at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary. Author MT Khan takes us on a magical journey through the contrasting worlds of a mica miner to the bountiful world of the jinn palace. Her main character clearly wants what she can't have and her journey to claim it is fraught with problems for her to overcome, until ultimately, she discovers that what she needs is not what she thought that she wanted.Something else that doesn’t really factor into the plot of the book but impacted me quite a bit is how much Nura’s sense of duty to her family is compounded by her father’s death. Eldest sisters already face tremendous pressure in Asian households. More so when it’s a single parent household. It’s also something I have personal experience with, so you can imagine that I could really relate to Nura in this regard on a deeply personal level. A stark reveal of reality

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 Review: It was amazing to read a book featuring Pakistani characters. I’ve said this before, and I will say it again, I am soo grateful to be living in an era where diversity is finally being given the importance it deserves. Growing up, we did not have the luxury to read about characters who we could relate to in terms of tradition and culture. So, I am lapping it all in now 🤣 Nura and the Immortal Palace follows Nura, a 12 year old girl who is one of countless children working in the mica mines of Meera Bagh to help her single mother support their family. Whispers of the Demon’s Tongue, a priceless treasure that would solve anyone’s money problems have been circulating for some time and when Nura’s mother tells her to stop working, it only heightens her ambitions to find it. Little does she know that her efforts will lead her to another world, the realm of the jinn. Here she is met with wealth and splendour beyond her wildest dreams. But all that glitters is not gold and Nura learns that wealth and happiness do not necessarily come from the things she thought. When faced with a bleak reality, she realises too late what is important to her. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12...Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for presenting me with an ARC of this book in exchange of a honest review. But there’s a dark truth lurking beneath all that glitter and gold, and when Nura crosses the owner’s son and is banished to the working quarters, she realizes she isn’t the only human who’s ended up in the hotel’s clutches. Faisal and the other missing children are there, too, and if Nura can’t find a way to help them all escape, they’ll be bound to work for the hotel forever. Set in a rural industrial town in Pakistan and full of hope, heart, and humor, Nura and the Immortal Palace is inspired by M.T. Khan’s own Pakistani Muslim heritage.Nura and the Immortal Palace is a middle grade fantasy set in a rural town in Pakistan. The book follows our protagonist, Nura, who works in the mica mines to help provide for her family. Her life changes one day, when the mines collapse and four children, including her best friend Faisal are said to be dead. And it was all her fault. Reluctant to believe that her best friend is now dead, she digs deeper in hopes of finding him, but instead discovers a magical real home to the djinn. 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 This is a stunning, colourful story, vividly created for the reader. The world of the jinn feels frantic, frenzied and dangerous to be part of. There are grotesque characters with uncontrollable emotions and no morals who keep children - human and jinn alike - to do all their bidding. Nura is a fabulous heroine; a determined young girl who undergoes her own transformation as she realizes the true priorities in life are not what you have but who you have in your life. One of the best things about Nura and the Immortal Palace is how vividly the setting has been described. My South Asian heart absolutely adores the Islam religion and Pakistani culture influences in the book, be it about festivals, the mouth watering food, the dances, the faith or the sense of family among the characters. I love how unapologetically Muslim it is and how the culture blends with the magical elements.

Our young heroine Nura works hard in the mica mines to earn a little money, for a great deal of effort, to help support her family in this enthralling new fantasy series. Nura has heard tales all her life about the amazing Demon’s Tongue – a piece of mica that would make her so rich her family would never need to work again. She digs and digs, deeper and deeper, until her efforts contribute to a mine collapse in which her friend Faisal is missing. Nura is fiercely protective of her loved ones and would do anything to get her hands on some gulab jamun and I absolutely loved her. Khan has done a brilliant job in capturing both her boldness and the naivety she has about the world and I really valued the subtler message on the importance of education that is brought into the narrative as we follow her on her journey in this story too.Aru Shah and the End of Timemeets Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Awayin this mesmerizing portal fantasy that takes readers into the little-known world of Jinn. History repeats itself. Once again, we fall to chaos. But we’ll rise again. And again. And once more.” This line from the book really encapsulates the most central message of Nura and the Immortal Palace. It’s one that I take dearly to heart. Along with telling a compelling, multi-layered story, Khan is also skilled at creating c omplex characters readers will be drawn to…”— Canadian Review of Materials From the Publisher I loved that child labor and exploitation was explained in an accessible way! Of course it was a heavy subject matter and such matters should be published for every age group. That being said I truly believe middle grade authors have some sort of secret power in how they write their novels. They truly can write anything and it just turns out to make perfect sense and is done so well.