Book cover for A Thousand Nights: (A Survival Fantasy Inspired by Arabian Nights and Muslim Folklore, Featuring Stories of Refuge, Hope, and Resilience) by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani

A Thousand Nights

(A Survival Fantasy Inspired by Arabian Nights and Muslim Folklore, Featuring Stories of Refuge, Hope, and Resilience)

2026 Released
496 Pages
8-12 Hours
Ebook Unavailable
Audiobook Unavailable
Paperback Unavailable
Candlewick Press (MA)ISBN 9781536241549
"A folkloric tour de force." --School Library Journal (starred review)

In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology--featuring seventeen Muslim women writers--links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.

On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories--stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith. With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.

Stories contributed by:
Hanna Alkaf
Sara Sharaf Beg
Loretta Chefchaouni
Heba Helmy
Zeyneb Holdridge
Ausma Zehanat Khan
Diana Ma
Ardo Omer
Haneen Oriqat
Sarah Mughal Rana
Farah Naz Rishi
Laila Sabreen
Zeba Shahnaz
Ream Shukairy
Zaynah Qutubuddin

Intisar Khanani

Intisar Khanani grew up a nomad and world traveler. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in five different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. She first remembers seeing snow on a wintry street in Zurich, Switzerland, and vaguely recollects having breakfast with the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo when she was five. She currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two young daughters.

Intisar is also the author of Thorn. To find out what she is working on next and connect with her online, visit www.booksbyintisar.com.

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