City of the plague god

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Title :

City of the plague god / Sarwat Chadda.

Title:

City of the plague god

Varying Form of Title:

Rick Riordan presents

Author:

Chadda, Sarwat

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

383 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

ISBN:

9781368051507

9781368067324

Production / Publication Information:

Los Angeles : Disney-Hyperion, 2021.

Summary:

"Thirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz has to team up with the hero Gilgamesh in order to stop Nergal, the ancient god of plagues, from wiping out the population of Manhattan in this adventure based on Mesopotamian mythology"--

Target audience note:

Ages 8-12.

Language:

English

Genre:

Fantasy fiction. (OCoLC)fst01726607

Fiction. (OCoLC)fst01423787

Juvenile works. (OCoLC)fst01411637

Paranormal fiction. (OCoLC)fst01921727

Fantasy fiction.

Paranormal fiction.

Geographic Term:

New York (N.Y.) -- Juvenile fiction.

New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction.

New York (State) -- New York. (OCoLC)fst01204333

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	TWEEN FICTION CHADDA	31330008997458	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Amesbury Public Library	J FIC CHADDA	32114002640390	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library Children's Room	J CHADDA	31330008961967	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Billerica Public Library	YA/CHADDA	33934004382306	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Boxford Town Library	J CHA	32115002101374	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	J CHADDA	32116003773054	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Burlington Public Library	J CHADDA	32116003773807	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Carlisle - Gleason Public Library	J CHADDA	32117002050510	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	J/FIC/CHADDA	31480011433791	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library	J/FIC/CHADDA	31482002934134	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Dunstable Free Public Library	JFIC CHA	32118001035999	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groton Public Library	YA CHADDA	37003701858632	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Groveland - Langley-Adams Library	YA FIC CHADDA	32121000865135	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Haverhill Public Library	J/FIC/CHADDA	31479007434748	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Ipswich Public Library	J CHADDA	32122002919151	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lawrence Public Library	J FIC CHA	31549004839105	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Littleton - Reuben Hoar Library	J F CHADDA	39965002496338	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library	J FIC CHADDA	31481005519074	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library	J FIC CHA	32124002146165	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	J-PB FIC CHA	31548003428506	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Middleton - Flint Public Library	J CHADDA	32126001766539	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newbury Town Library	J CHA	32127001377772	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newburyport Public Library	J CHADDA	32128003944452	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Newburyport Public Library	TWEEN CHADDA	32128003954725	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	J CHA	31478003621258	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Andover - Stevens Memorial Library	TEEN CHADDA	31478003694685	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... North Reading - Flint Memorial Library	J PB FIC CHA	31550002614995	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rockport Public Library	J FIC CHADDA	32129002417987	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Rowley Public Library	J FIC CHA	32130001080230	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tewksbury Public Library	J FICTION CHADDA	32132003237032	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Topsfield Town Library	J CHADDA	32133002543644	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Tyngsborough Public Library	J/CHADD	32137002123364	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	J CHA	32135001512660	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	J F CHADDA	31990005023267	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Wilmington Memorial Library	KIDS FICTION CHADDA	32136003471681	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents an adventure based on ancient Mesopotamian mythology by Sarwat Chadda, author of the Ash Mistry series.

"An epic worthy of Gilgamesh. Chadda brings attention to the less well-recognized mythology of ancient Mesopotamia with engaging humor and wit."-- Kirkus Reviews

Thirteen-year-old Sik wants a simple life going to school and helping at his parents' deli in the evenings. But all that is blown to smithereens when Nergal comes looking for him, thinking that Sik holds the secret to eternal life.Turns out Sik is immortal but doesn't know it, and that's about to get him and the entire city into deep, deep trouble. Sik's not in this alone. He's got Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, on his side, and a former hero named Gilgamesh, who has taken up gardening in Central Park. Now all they have to do is retrieve the Flower of Immortality to save Manhattan from being wiped out by disease. To succeed, they'll have to conquer sly demons, treacherous gods, and their own darkest nightmares.

"Featuring gods and goddesses, and importantly, Muslim heroes, this #OwnVoices tale eerily echoes our pandemic presents; but readers will find escape in the entertaining balance of an apocalyptic setting with irreverent humor."-- School Library Journal

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Look for these other best-selling Rick Riordan Presents titles:
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi The Storm Runner by J. C. Cervantes Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5--7--Thirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz's parents are the patients zero of a plague attacking New York City. Before they were isolated in a hospital ward, Sik's parents, who are Iraqi refugees, owned a successful deli in Manhattan, which thrived even as the family grieved the recent loss of Sik's older brother Mo. When Sik finds out that Nergal, a Mesopotamian plague god, is behind the pandemic, he teams up with new friend Belet and her adoptive mother, the goddess Ishtar, before bringing Gilgamesh out of retirement. This is a lush read with high appeal, full of apocalyptic drama, fight scenes, and stomach-churning descriptions of Nergal and his band of demons, balanced with Sik's dry humor and a cast of quirky, vivid characters. Belet is a brilliant fighter and is best friends with Kasasu, her sarcastic, talking sword; Gilgamesh is a pacifist and vegan baker; and Mo's friend Daoud (and, readers eventually learn, his great love) is a vain actor in denial that he is being typecast as a terrorist. There are other instances of Islamophobia in the story, and Muslim identity is an essential theme. The dialogue includes Arabic phrases and terms relating to Islam, all listed in a glossary, and there is even a reconciliation between Sik's Muslim faith and the existence of multiple gods and goddesses. VERDICT Featuring gods and goddesses and, importantly, Muslim heroes, this #OwnVoices tale eerily echoes our pandemic present; but readers will find escape in the entertaining balance of an apocalyptic setting with irreverent humor.--Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn P.L.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Chadda (the Ash Mistry series) crafts an entertaining exploration of New York City through the eyes of an irreverent Iraqi American Muslim teen. Ever since Sikander Aziz's older brother died in a motorcycle accident two years ago, the now-13-year-old's responsibilities have been piling up. Forgoing usual games nights with friends, Sik spends his evenings helping out at his parents' Brooklyn deli, serving delicious Arab and Medi-terranean food to passersby. One night, though, his routine goes badly wrong when a pair of demons from Babylonian mythology launch a vicious attack on him, assisted by disease-ridden rodents. As servants of Nergal, the Mesopotamian god of plagues, their false belief that Sik holds the secret to eternal life puts him in the god's crosshairs. Together with Belet, daughter of the war goddess Ishtar, and Daoud, a vain would-be actor and friend, Sik must find the ancient flower of immortality and save his city from Nergal's devastation. Combining fast-paced action and heavy doses of humor, this Gilgamesh-inspired novel benefits from a well-developed secondary cast. The touching exploration of adolescent grief, and the strong connections between Sik and his parents, provide additional nuance and depth. Ages 8--12. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Jan.)

Kirkus Review

Thirteen-year-old Iraqi American Sikander Aziz must stop the ancient Mesopotamian plague god Nergal from raining destruction and pestilence on New York City. After the death of his older brother, Mo, who died during a trip to Iraq, Sik has been working in his refugee parents' New York deli nonstop, trying to stymie his grief. But when Nergal and his minions trash the deli while seeking a stolen treasure, they start a plague that infects Sik's parents and threatens all of New York. Teaming up with the goddess Ishtar; her sword-wielding adoptive daughter, Belet; and Mo's frequently typecast aspiring actor best friend, Daoud, they must find a way to stop Nergal and cure New York's residents in an epic adventure worthy of Gilgamesh. Chadda brings attention to the less well-recognized mythology of ancient Mesopotamia with engaging humor and wit. Dialogue between characters, most of whom are Iraqi and Iraqi American, allows exploration of heavier topics of Islamophobia, anti-Arabism, and terrorist and Orientalist tropes to be inserted with ease. The Aziz family and Daoud are Muslims; Chadda navigates the difficult line of reconciling the depiction of characters interacting with multiple gods with the fundamental Muslim belief in one God both in the text and the backmatter. Daoud and Mo are alluded to being gay and having been in love. Well paced and witty. (author's note, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Sikander "Sik" Aziz, a Muslim boy, works all night at his parents' New York deli in the aftermath of his brother Mo's death. As he closes up late one night, Sik is attacked by two gangly and gross demons, and despite his wish to stay in "the real world," he gets a quick and not-at-all warm welcome from Nergal, the Mesopotamian god of disease and war. Nergal is certain that Mo stole something from him during a trip to Iraq, and has come to collect--and he's willing to kill all of New York if he doesn't get what he's looking for. When it turns out that Sik's classmate Belet is the adopted daughter of love goddess Ishtar, Sik has to face facts: the real world just got a lot more interesting. Sik has the trademark snark and humor of all heroes from Riordan's imprint, which makes this venture into one of the world's oldest mythologies more fun--and is especially appreciated given that this villain is a plague god making his literary debut during a pandemic.