![Majdi Mansoor and the Book of Miracles by Anisa Bezak](https://islamicschoollibrarian.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/img_0030.jpg?w=113)
Majdi Mansoor and the Book of Miracles by Anisa Bezak
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I don’t think I have ever seen or even heard of any dystopian Islamic fiction reads, we have a handful of Islamic historical fiction, and dystopian with Muslim characters, but the genre made me curious, and with that motivation I began the 458 page book. The beginning didn’t immediately grip me, but I told myself to read a hundred pages before deciding to DNF it or keep reading, and long before that arbitrary mark, I was intrigued by the story, invested in the characters, and impressed by the consistent writing, pacing, and role of Islam. The book is preachy and idyllic, but that is to be expected, the way Islamic ideas and concepts and concerns were included as plot points though, is surprisingly well done. For much of the story, I kept wondering who the target audience would be. The vocabulary is a bit advanced, and the pages full of small text. The book starts story wise-solid middle grade, but I think by the end I would recommend this book for advanced middle grade or early middle school Muslim readers. I’ve heard from some adults that they read a chapter to their kids each night, and I think that aloud younger kids might also enjoy the story and be swept away to a future land run by a corporation where religion is banned, books are a thing of the past, a boy speaks only in Quranic ayats and hadith, and bullies of all sizes will have to be faced.
SYNOPSIS:
Twelve year old Jacob is an orphan in Tanas World and is unwillingly part of a gang. One day in a boarded up old building he finds a book, a physical book, the Quran. Religion is not allowed, Islam most of all, but he reads the book, and even though he doesn’t believe, he keeps rereading the pages. When an attempt to steal some tech takes him outside the boundaries of the walled off city, he meets a small boy, Majdi Mansoor, who talks in a peculiar way. When threatened by the gang, Jacob decides to take Majdi’s side and that one act sets the two boys on a course that will change them forever.
I don’t want to give away too much, but Jacob is taken in by the Mansoor family who live in isolation and in hiding outside Tanas Corps patrols. The parents are kidnapped, the children seek to save them and along the way meet smugglers, a Muslim community corrupted by bidah and djinn, Muslim Defense Unit rebels seeking revenge, and the executives who want the MEECA device to imprison the planet.
WHY I LIKE IT:
I was honestly impressed with the quality of writing, but I honestly don’t know if it was because my expectations were so low, or in fact was sufficiently edited and refined. The characters have heart, the world building is believable, and the Islam is handled with an even hand. At times members of the Mansoor family are too “good,” but Jacob has a sense of humor, is fallible, and curious which allows the story to stay moving and on task. There are some major plot points that are not resolved, and I’m assuming the political details will play out in the second book. I’m hoping at least. The book doesn’t talk down to the reader, but older readers might find it too preachy.
I’m hoping my early teens who love Islamic fiction chapter books such as The Broken Kingdom series, The Adventure of Nur Al-Din books, and The Moon of Masarrah quartet will similarly enjoy this.
FLAGS:
Death, bullying, manipulation, assault, revenge, danger, whispers of shatan, bidah
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
I would love to do this as a Middle School book club, I think it would be a bit too cheesy, but I think there would be some great discussions to be had about seeking, temptation, bidah, forgiveness, and the way that Majdi talks and Islam is woven in to the text.