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Book | Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library | YA FIC NAYERI | 31481005692194 | Searching... Unknown |
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Book | Searching... Lowell - Pollard Memorial Library | YA FIC NAYERI | 31481005692186 | Searching... Unknown |
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Book | Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library | J NAY | 32135001594585 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER
BEST OF THE YEAR:
NPR - Booklist - School Library Journal - Chicago Public Library - Evanston Public Library - Kirkus - Wall Street Journal
The Silk Road comes to life in this picaresque epic adventure with twists and turns and a wonderful surprise ending from Printz Medalist Daniel Nayeri
This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called "Seller of Dreams". The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey''s life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir-- furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life--as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he''ll be a free man...but will they all survive that long?
Fans of Salman Rushdie''s Haroun and The Sea of Stories and The Little Prince will fall in love with the bond between Monkey and Samir--in this swashbuckling all-ages page-turner from national bestseller Daniel Nayeri and featuring full-color illustrations from Daniel Miyares.
P R A I S E
"Adventurous, funny and nimble. Daniel Nayeri understands this relationship between storytelling and magic, and finds every opportunity to celebrate it. "
-- The New York Times
"Daniel Nayeri and artist Daniel Miyares conjure a richly colored 11th-century realm of merchants and swindlers, camels and donkeys, caravanserai and spice bazaars, and the gaudiest array of mercenaries ever assembled in a book for young readers."
-- The Wall Street Journal
4 STARRED REVIEWS
★"An epic adventure with an enduring message about love and family."
-- School Library Journal (starred)
★ "Filled with the multicultural hustle and bustle of the Silk Road, enlivened by the unpredictable nature of unreliable storytellers, and adorned with whimsical, colorful illustrations, this is a strange, wondrous, and creative tale. Can family be found along the Silk Road, or will everyone ultimately betray you? An enticing taste of a rich historical world."
-- Kirkus (starred)
★ "Readers will find more than expected, including tender philosophies, complex characterizations, heaps of humor, a masterful twist, and most importantly, just a great story, beautifully told."
-- Booklist (starred)
★ "Blends playful humor, solid pacing, and fully realized characters into a witty, assassin-studded traveler''s yarn that also serves as a memorable, lively portrait of the 11th-century Silk Road."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Nayeri''s immersive writing style brings a you-are-there energy to the depiction of the harsh but gorgeous environment of the Silk Road, and an informative author''s note further details the geography of the trail, its economic and social value, and the many people who traversed it. The book ends with a simple but profound reminder that love comes in many forms, it is almost always messy and unpredictable, and it is almost always worth every effort toward it."
-- BCCB
"Daniel Nayeri has a gift. The child that reads this will not forget it, and how many books that come out for this age range can say the same? Is there anything else out there like it? I will simply say this: If you hand this book to someone, they will definitely have an opinion of it. You may, in fact, end up loving it in the end, or cursing it to the heavens. A tome with a soul tied inextricably to that of its titular character. Better read it."
--Betsy Bird, SLJ''s Fuse 8 Blog
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--8--This delightful adventure along the 11th-century Silk Road opens with its 12-year-old narrator, Omar (soon called Monkey), fleeing for his life from the monks who had once sheltered him. Monkey is saved by Samir, a merchant traveling in a caravan, who buys him from the monks for six bolts of silk. Monkey joins Samir in his journey to Samarkand and begins to learn Samir's tricks of the trade. What initially seems like simple bartering tactics and weaving of wild tales turns out to be a recipe for disaster. Samir has earned grudges from many of his former customers, and now several assassins are after him. The thrills never let up in this fast-paced adventure tale that is packed with intrigue, vivid description, and plenty of heartwarming moments. The narrative voice is at times naive, at others snarky, but ultimately readers will find delight in Monkey's own ability to weave a wild tale that keeps them guessing till the very end. Miyares's beautiful full-color illustrations animate life along the Silk Road, and an extended author's note provides excellent historical context for Monkey's tale. VERDICT An epic adventure with an enduring message about love and family, this is a first purchase for upper elementary and middle school libraries.--Dana West
Publisher's Weekly Review
Orphaned novice monk Omar is saved from stoning at the hands of his order at the start of this cleverly constructed adventure centering two Sogdian protagonists. For the dubious equivalent of six bolts of silk, the monks trade the approximately 12-year-old child to Samir, a savvy traveling merchant known as The Seller of Dreams. As their caravan family travels the Silk Road, moving from caravanserais to cities to oases across the Taklamakan Desert en route to Samarkand, Omar, now called Monkey, observes how Samir's dealings have earned more enemies than riches. Fearing for his own fate as a series of hired assassins tracks Samir, and beginning to intuit the man's underlying kindness, Monkey attempts to thwart the killers, each time moving closer to gaining his freedom. Regular acknowledgements of Monkey's involvement in Samir's eventual death accompany an ongoing chain of trades and catastrophes, creating page-turning narrative tension. Nayeri blends playful humor, solid pacing, and fully realized characters into a witty, assassin-studded traveler's yarn that also serves as a memorable, lively portrait of the 11th-century Silk Road. Richly hued art by Miyares and expansive back matter enhance the delight. Ages 8--12. Author's agent: Joanne Volpe, New Leaf Literary. Illustrator's agent: Judy Sue Goodwin Sturges and April Jones Prince, Studio Goodwin Sturges. (Mar.)
Horn Book Review
Along the medieval Silk Road, a boy is cast out from the temple and nearly stoned to death by monks. He is purchased as a servant by a fast-talking merchant named Samir, for the price of six bolts of silk, and dubbed Monkey. Monkey watches Samir spin tales and make enemies everywhere he goes. In fact, the man is being hunted by six different âeoekilling lines,âe from a Viking berserker to a Mongol gunner -- though at the end of the first chapter itâe(tm)s Monkey who tantalizingly confesses: âeoeThat is why I killed him.âe The book is warmly funny, with folkloric commitment to larger-than-life characters, exaggerated perils, and plenty of jokes, punctuated by Miyaresâe(tm)s lively and colorful illustrations. The formula of the six killing lines encourages readers to anticipate the unspooling of the tale; the twist regarding Samirâe(tm)s eventual death is more a reward than a shock. ÂCelebration of the cultural riches of the Silk Road, along with the geographic, Âreligious, and material diversity of the setting, make for engaging historical fiction -- and a rollicking good yarn. Alex SchaffnerMarch/April 2023 p.75 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A servant boy attempts to win his freedom by repeatedly saving his master as they travel the Silk Road. At roughly age 12, Omar has led a hard life, having lost both his parents and the woman who cared for him after their deaths and now being chased away by the monks who once housed him for asking too many questions. For the price of six bolts of silk, they hand him off to Samir, a fellow Sogdian who calls himself the Seller of Dreams. Renamed Monkey, he is tasked with assisting Samir in trading. As the two head west with a large caravan across the Taklamakan Desert toward present-day Tajikistan, Monkey learns Samir's business tricks, though he often disapproves. He also meets blacksmith's assistant Mara, the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. Soon, though, it becomes clear that Samir faces more problems than just making the next deal: He has wronged more than one person along the road, and assassins are after him. What follows is Monkey's account of Samir's brushes with death--and how Monkey himself may have contributed to Samir's eventual demise. Filled with the multicultural hustle and bustle of the Silk Road, enlivened by the unpredictable nature of unreliable storytellers, and adorned with whimsical, colorful illustrations, this is a strange, wondrous, and creative tale. Can family be found along the Silk Road, or will everyone ultimately betray you? An enticing taste of a rich historical world. (author's note, bibliography) (Adventure. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This tight little tome shares the testament of one orphan boy, dubbed Little Monkey following his rescue (and purchase) by the titular Samir, an incorrigibly jovial and conniving snake-oil merchant, whom--as the boy states up front--he has killed. As Monkey settles in with Samir's caravan, he comes to detest the endless bloviating, scheming, and swindling of the "Seller of Dreams," for whom trickery is not just a constant impulse but the paradigm through which he views the world. As such, there are many who want him dead, and on the journey east along the legendary Silk Road, Monkey elaborates on seven attempts on his master's life. Miyares' rich paintings, only a few here seen, precede each chapter, giving vivid shape to the figures but also endowing the story with a classic quality through a style hearkening to certain renditions of the Arabian Nights. Nayeri grounds the proceedings in Monkey's narration, and the boy proves to be a thoughtful and engaging guide through this simple yet sophisticated story. As Monkey works to save Samir from assassination, hoping to win his freedom in exchange, he takes an inner journey, exploring "the expansive nature of love" and ultimately finding something more than he expected. Readers, too, will find more than expected, including tender philosophies, complex characterizations, heaps of humor, a masterful twist, and most importantly, just a great story, beautifully told.