Silver Brook: Yumna and the Golden Horse by Yassmin Abdel-Magied

There is a lot going on in this book - corrupt developers arrive in this small English village. There are four kids - three girls and a boy - they are Muslim and related. You are sure to anticipate that the kids save the day and stop the nasty developers, but there is more to this story. These kids share great grandparent ancestors - one human one djinn - which means they have magical abilities - the boy Kareem can turn into a golden horse, one girl Nafisa can summon and communicate with birds, and the other girl Sadeeqa can summon insects. None of this 'magical' action kicks in until page 45 (I kept waiting for the fantasy) and readers need to wait until Chapter 16 to read about the djinn.

This is a very complex story, and I found the words "fantasy series" on the back cover misleading. I also wish this book had a glossary - there are lots of references to Muslim culture and religious practices (see below). Although I was keen to reach the end of this story and see how the 'magical' kids might thwart the developers and even more importantly regain the trust of their community. I did cheer when Yumna spoke out against the Maidstones.

There are themes of betrayal; endangered animals; and xenophobia. This last one is important. The developers use cunning ways to persuade the people in this village that the Muslim families are causing trouble and should be evicted. This has already happened once before to this family. 

Now back to the subtitle - Yumna does not have the magical abilities of her cousins - she aspires to be a detective which, in the context of this story, seemed to me to be a little 'childish' to me. Her part in the story at times, felt like an episode of the Midsummer Murders television series.  The Golden Horse is also referenced in the subtitle. In the story the author mentions Buraq - the mystical horse. Buraq is a mythical creature from Islamic tradition, described as a white, winged horse with a human face. According to Islamic beliefs, Buraq carried the Prophet Muhammad on a miraculous journey known as the Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj). The journey took the Prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended to the heavens.  

In his horse form Kareem is captured by the evil couple (Hector and Sybil Maidstone) and he is shackled with golden bracelets which conveniently Yumna with her detective skills can unlock! I was unsure why the Maidstones wanted the Golden Horse. 

Because Yumna does not have magical abilities she feels rejected by the other teens especially when they block her from their social media chat group. Yumna's mother was a djinn and that is given as a reason to explain why she left the Yumna and her father. At the end of this book (it will be a series) the stage is set for Yumna to now look for her mother. 

Publisher blurb: Thirteen-year-old Yumna lives in a sleepy town where nothing ever happens. So when her friends start sneaking into the woods at night, curiosity gets the better of her and she follows. There, she discovers something unbelievable. Kareem can turn into a golden horse. Sami can touch fire without burning. Even her cousin Nafisa has a strange new power. Everyone's changing . . . except Yumna. But when Kareem vanishes and a mysterious new family, the Maidstones, seem to be hiding something, Yumna is the only one asking the right questions. As secrets unravel and danger creeps closer, it's up to Yumna to rally her friends and uncover the truth. In a town full of secrets and powers, can one ordinary girl become the hero they all need?

Listen to an audio sample from Chapter One.

There is a little mild swearing in this book and as for an age recommendation I would say mature readers aged 10+. The main characters are aged 13+ and Yumna is waiting for her period to begin - she is very embarrassed when her dad tries to talk about this. 

Examples of words that are used in this book:  Fajr; habibti; abaya; Dhuhr; and Asr.  And there are prayers such as - Ya Allah, Bismillah, Allahu, Akbar! Towards the end of the story there is also a mention of Surat-al-Nas. Surah Nas is the 114th and last chapter of the Qur’an, consisting of 6 short ayats. Many Muslims recite Surah al Nas and Falaq together for protection from the evil eye, envy, black magic, and spiritual harm.

Thanks to Gleebooks Kids for sharing a copy of this book which was published earlier this year. 

These two reviews give more plot details. Here is the Book Trust review:

Themes of identity and belonging are explored in this mystery, along with true friendship, family secrets and what it means to feel that somewhere is your home.  

and the one from The Book Muse:

The mystery is unique, something I have never seen before, and I was drawn into the story, wanting to know more about Yumna, the secrets and her culture. Because it is our culture that shapes who we are and how we see or interact with the world as much as where we grow up. ... Fantasy can be written in so many ways, and I enjoy seeing how different authors navigate the fantasy genre and what they do with it. This one captured a vibrant culture, the modern world and family, community and the strength of community. It shows that it is possible to stand up to bullies and people who want to divide us whilst also showing the unity of a family and friends navigating secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, the mystery, the magic, and the characters.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied has published five books, most recently Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism (Walker, 2023), named a Best Book of 2023 by School Library Journal and longlisted for the 2025 UKLA Book Award and 2024 SLA Information Book Award. Her previous books include ... two novels for younger readers, You Must Be Layla (Puffin, 2019) and Listen, Layla (Puffin, 2021). Listen, Layla was longlisted for Book of the Year by the Children's Book Council of Australia, and named a 2022 Honor Book for Children's Africana Book of the Year by the Center for African Studies at Howard University in the U.S. Her TED Talk on bias has been viewed over 2.7M times. Sudanese by birth, raised in Australia, Yassmin now lives in London.

One Bee too Many by Andrés Pi Andreu illustrated by Kim Amate

I love the little touches of humor in this story which I am sure any adult sharing this book with a young child will really enjoy such as this:

"One day, the bees met in the hive to discuss why they were always so cramped. They didn't have enough space to play sudoku, Parcheesi and or even checkers."

On this page the bees are reading their newspaper - the Honey Times. And on the page where the bees are talking about how to find this terrible extra bee the law book has the title - Bee Laws by Bee Good. You might also spot a Rubics cube, security cameras, and a machine called a pinocchiotronic - yes it's a lie detector.

The bees are in a housing crisis. They employ three architects - naturally things in the hive are based on a hexagon. The experts conclude there is one bee too many and immediately accusations fly around the room - this is such a disturbing scene:

• a foreign bee
• an immigrant bee
• a dirty bee
• a robber eating OUR honey
• it might carry germs
• it wants to take my job

How can the members of the hive find this extra bee. Should they assign a number to each bee - no. The lawyer suggests everyone needs a passport and birth certificate; and the linguist suggests listening to every bee as a way to detect a foreign accent.

Finally the Queen Bee steps in with her words of wisdom and the obvious solution. 

There are fabulous words in this book - incredulously; dramatic pause; hysteria; requirements; worrisome; and chilling conclusion. 

Adults will quickly recognize the allegory with parallels to immigration and racism issues of the present day and perhaps grasp the lesson of the queen bee. If only we could find such human wisdom. Friends Journal

Featuring surreal and elaborate illustrations reminiscent of Catalan modernism, readers are sure to find new surprising details in every read. Originally published in Spanish, it has won prestigious awards such as the White Ravens List, Golden Medal of the Campoy-Ada Award, and USA National Children Literature Award. from Dymocks bookseller page

I would like to find the context for this quote from the back cover of the book: “The picture book comes across inconspicuously, but it is the most beautiful and cleverest philosophical book that has been on the book market for a long time” ―Hans Christian Andersen Committee - I am not sure if the author or illustrator were perhaps nominated for the HCAA Award.

Another reviewer quoted on the back cover uses the words - whimsy, delight, moving and captivating.

Listen to a sample of an audio reading. Kim Amate comes from Spain and Andrés Pi Andreu is originally from Cuba but now lives in the US.

Pair this book with:

Scary Bird

It is not related to this book but in February I will also be reading and talking another bee book by Australian author Megan Daley illustrated by Max Hamilton.