ABOUT THIS BOOK

IN THE LIBYAN CITY of Ghadames, Malika watches her merchant father depart on one of his caravan expeditions. She too yearns to travel to distant cities, and longs to learn to read like her younger brother. But nearly 12 years old, and soon to be of marriagable age, Malika knows that—like all Muslim women—she must be content with a more secluded, more limited life. Then one night a stranger enters her home . . . someone who disrupts the traditional order of things—and who affects Malika in unexpected ways.

“I was enchanted by this story of a brave Berber girl who dares to dream and its filigree of details about harem life, ancient trade routes, goddesses and healers. The real beauty of The Shadows of Ghadames is that it transcends the exotic to explore universal truths about the condition of being human.”—Suzanne Fisher Staples, author of Newbery Honor Book,
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joëlle Stolz is a French journalist based in Vienna, where she reports for Le Monde and Radio France Internationale. The Shadows of Ghadames is her first children’s novel.


AWARDS

WINNER 2005 - Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner
WINNER 2005 - ALA Notable Children's Book



RELATED LINKS

Click Here for The Shadow of Ghadames BookTalk