Today I get to share with you a middle grades fantasy novel. The main character has Iraqi ancestry and the book has ancient world (think Biblical times) references throughout it. The book is Mesopo by Eva Dietrich. Oh, and there is a giveaway at the end of the post!
From the Publisher:
Twelve-year-old Ankido is on a quest to save his missing father through the magical realm of Mesopo.Mesopo is the land where all fantasy originates, a land whose words and language are in peril. Can Ankido save his father and restore all these words in time?
It was a red velvet box, the size of a school book. Ankido lifted the lid, revealing an old-fashioned quill made out of a reed. It smelled remote and otherworldly. Ancient. And for a reason he couldn’t explain, everything felt all right for a moment.
He thought he caught a sound flowing out of the quill, a word maybe. He wasn’t sure and he shook his head. This was ridiculous. No, he surely must have been mistaken. But there! There was the sound again. This time Ankido was sure of it.
“Mesopo” … whispered in a way that slipped around the room like the warm breeze of the desert.
From Me:
Words matter. We all need words. Ankido is thrown into a mystery and the reader is left to solve it with him. At times the story is confusing but that is only because Ankido is confused. The creativity in this story is amazing. The characters are amazing but the plot is even more interesting. After all we all need words. Can you imagine a life without words? Without stories? This is what Ankido has to stop from happening. He is swept into the fantasy world of Mesopo (think Mesopotamia). It is a desert. He has to survive the desert. His grandmother's and father's lives are at danger as is every creature in Mesopo. They are all relying on him to save them. It is intense. The characters themselves are strong and I love the connections to Iraq as well as the ancient world.
The book develops the characters very well. Although it is hard to imagine some of them since they are a mix of different animals. Ankido is a strong hero but he is helped by several strong females including his younger cousins. While he is struggling to figure out the world he is in he gains friends who explain things like the Bedouin. I love that the book explains a bit about the people so there are history and culture lessons in it. Once you get into the book it is a page turner. You want to know what will happen next and you want to solve the mystery that Ankido finds himself in the middle of. It is a fresh new story that you haven't read previously.
The Author
Eva Dietrich is the author of The Great Rainbow Hug (Le gros câlin arc-en-ciel, from Samir Editeur, 2011), recognized by La Revue Des Livres Pour Enfants in 2011 as their annual selection. Eva holds Masters’ Degrees in Children’s Literature from the University of Surrey, London, and Creative Writing from the Metropolitan University of Manchester, UK, and is the founder and director of Aladdin Books. She is equal parts Spanish and German, and currently resides in Madrid with her three kids, three dogs, two cats, three rabbits, and lots of hens.
For more information, visit https://www.aladdin-books.com/
Giveaway:
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Mesopo and a feather dip quill pen writing set!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A paperback copy of Mesopo
A digital copy of Mesopo
A Feather Dip Quill Pen Writing Ink Set
Two (2) winners receive:
A choice of:
A paperback copy of Mesopo
A digital copy of Mesopo
The giveaway begins April 1, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends April 30, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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