When her older brother was accused of rape, Nadira paid the price. By Pakistani law, the other girl’s kinsmen could defile a woman in the accused man’s clan. Nadira was brutally beaten, and her face and body were scarred in the attack. As a result, she was considered damaged goods and not eligible for marriage. Then, her father dies, and the family becomes dependent on her Uncle Rubel for support. So, Nadira hires out as a maid to help support her mother and little brother, Umar, her one joy in life. When Umar disappears, Nadira suspects that Uncle Rubel sold the boy to camel racers who use small boys as jockeys. Nadira cannot stay home and wonder what happened to her brother. Disguised as a boy, Nadira searches for Umar amongst the camps. She witnesses first-hand the cruelty and danger that the young camel jockeys face. Not only are they in constant peril of death during the races, but the boys are also worked hard and fed little. The atmosphere of the camps also breeds ruthlessness and mob mentality in the boys. Nadira protects her little band when she pacifies the camp bullies with masala chai and tales from the Arabian nights.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com ( )

The story had a historical fiction feel, but yet there were computers and televisions mentioned. I'll admit that I am a sucker for the poor, strong female overcoming huge obstacles type of book.Set in Pakistan it involves customs that are foreign to us. The story started out strong, but I felt the ending was too "pat". This was an enjoyable read, but not a great one. Unfortunately, I will probably not be able to get any students to read this book...they don't seem to be interested in anything "multi-cultural". ( )

A beautiful story about a young girl who has to dress as a boy to find her brother when he was taken away. This is such a short read, but with powerful words packed into every part of it. The amount of courage it would take to do that is tremendous, and I admire the main character for that! ( )