Silverworld

by Diana Abu-Jaber

Fall under the spell of this fantasy-adventure story about a Lebanese-American girl who finds the courage to save her grandmother.

Sitti, Sami's Lebanese grandmother, has been ill for a while, slipping from reality and speaking in a language only Sami can understand. Her family thinks Sitti belongs in a nursing home, but Sami doesn't believe she's sick at all. Desperate to help, Sami casts a spell from her grandmother's mysterious charm book and falls through an ancient mirror into a world unlike any other.

Welcome to Silverworld, an enchanted city where light and dark creatures called Flickers and Shadows strive to live in harmony. But lately Flickers have started going missing, and powerful Shadow soldiers are taking over the land.

Everyone in Silverworld suspects that Shadow Queen Nixie is responsible for the chaos, which is bad enough. But could Nixie be holding Sami's grandmother in her grasp too? To save Sitti and Silverworld, Sami must brave adventure, danger, and the toughest challenge of all: change.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Family, Cultural

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2020

About the author

Diana Abu-Jaber is the award-winning author of Life Without A Recipe, Origin, Crescent, Arabian Jazz, and The Language of Baklava. Her writing has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Ms., Salon, Vogue, Gourmet, the New York Times, The Nation, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She divides her time between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute, but not the kind of MG that I enjoy as much as the child I’m reading to. I didn’t pay enough attention, because I didn’t realize that the grandmother’s illness was thought to be dementia. My own grandma has gotten to the point where speaking is hit or miss, and she clearly has no idea who we are, so the quest for a magic fix gave me bad feelings, personally, and that took some away from my experience. That’s not to say it might not help someone else, especially a child struggling with a similar relationship.

What I did really like: the rep - both racially AND the fact that we see a few types of families in this, both extended (three generations under one roof) and polyamorous (three parents and their kids). Rating bumped up a bit because of the sheer number of delicious sounding food references. I love when people love and eat food in books.

[Victoria Allman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of an advanced copy of Diana Abu-Jaber's Silverworld, the author's first foray into middle-grade novels.

When Teta, a Bedouin grandmother starts talking gibberish and showing signs of dementia, Sami, her 11-year old granddaughter, thinks she is under a hex and is reciting spells from her charm book. In a ill-fated attempt to reverse the curse before her mother puts Teta in a home, Sami mysteriously stumbles through her grandmother's mirror and enters Silverworld, a land where things are familiar yet not...

I must admit I am a lover of Diana Abu-Jaber's previous books both memoirs of growing up in an immigrant home and novels. Her writing is lyrical and laced with beautiful exotic imagery so I had no doubt I'd enjoy this book. But, what I didn't expect, is how the same expertly-crafted sentences and richly-textured prose would transfer so wonderfully to a book written for tweens.

I loved how I was transported not only to Silverworld but into an Arabian history ripe with culture, symbolism, and a place where magic is real.

Abu-Jaber is not only a wordsmith but her superb craft of creating a story is evident for readers of all ages.

I cherished this book as an exciting new genre of girls from different ethnic backgrounds becoming the hero of their own story. I am excited for the next generation of readers to discover Abu-Jaber's writing and Silverworld.

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this story because the cover really captured my attention early on. The beginning of the story was interesting but it started to fizzle as it got closer to the middle. By the end it really didn't capture my attention. I thought the world building needed to be stronger. I usually like Middle Grade fantasy and prefer it to YA fantasy but the world this was set in was kind of dull. I liked the diversity and Lebanese food mentions.

[Pop Bop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Very Mixed Bag

I enjoyed this as a Lebanese "Wizard of Oz". It is more sophisticated than the cover, (which looks very cartoony), would suggest. Just as we've moved on from King Arthur and Greek and Roman gods and myths in order to embrace Asian, Hispanic, Caribbean, and African cultural touchstones, it's good to see the Middle East, and especially Lebanon, getting a chance at the spotlight for something besides Aladdin.

Our heroine is appealing, and cut from traditional feisty resourceful steadfast cloth. Her companions on the other side of the mirror are equally worthy. World building is fun and imaginative without being overwhelming. The book is very well written and moves along at a good pace. There are some gripping scenes, some peril, suspense and tension, and many lovely descriptive passages. We get a fair amount of monologuing, explaining, and "mind reading", but I think that's fine in a middle grade fantasy if it helps keep the reader on the plot's track. There are loads of cultural references that fit seamlessly into the story, so this never feels like "research" has been cut and pasted into the tale.

For what it's worth, I'd offer one caveat before blithely handing this off to a kid reader.Middle grade books are all over the place when it comes to dementia in elderly relatives. I can see the temptation in books like this, to "cure" or "save" grandma by fixing some fantastical spirit world problem or threat and releasing grandma. But of course that's not how it works in the real world, (except metaphorically), and it doesn't seem fair to make adults who have to decide on institutionalizing grandma always be the bad guys. That sounds like a quibble, but this is a middle grade book, and I think middle graders can really be knocked for a loop by a failing grandparent. The author handles this all with sensitivity, but it's still worth being alert.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[TheGeekishBrunette · Rating 3 out of 5]

eARC provided by publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Every now and then I love to read a middle grade book. They are usually filled with fun characters and important messages. This one in particular was a good read but it didn’t fully grasp my attention. It was in no way the book’s fault since there wasn’t anything I could really complain about.

Sami is the main character of this tale and she from the beginning she is trying to cope with her grandmother become older. Sami’s mother believes that her grandmother is getting dementia and is thinking of putting her in a home. This is all very hard to process for Sami. I can definitely relate with this as I had this happen with my grandmother. It’s a very difficult time and I can understand why Sami would not want it to happen. I don’t think I have ever read a book with a plot like this and I appreciated the book discussing it.

As for the magical world, there wasn’t much world building but I found what was mentioned to be interesting. Most of the time the characters were just reading each other’s mind. There were also shadow stalkers that could change into something else. I liked the concept of everything just wish there was more done with the world in general.

Overall, it was a good read. It all tied up nicely by the end and I think a lot of young readers will enjoy this book.

[Dietrich West-Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young adult book. Nice to see an Arabic family presented. Easy read nice addition of some Arabic culture. However I saw no reason to add a scene were a woman had two husbands it added nothing to the story and was not needed it a young adult story.

[Kirin · Rating 3 out of 5]

At 304 pages this middle grades fantasy OWN voice book attempts to weave together a granddaughters love for her Teta, with her adventures in a mythical world that only she can save.  In much the same way of Narnia, or Gregor the Overlander, or even Alice in Wonderland, the book takes a realistic character and pushes them, in this case Samara aka Sami, just beyond, into a world filled with mystery, adventure, and lessons.  The Lebanese flavor sprinkled in adds a little depth and uniqueness to the story, and aids a bit in the world building, but it isn't a strong presence outside of ifrits and character's names.  Teta is a Beduin that has a prayer rug and tarot cards and a painting of the Virgin Mary that she calls Fatima, and Sami's deceased dad was American and the house has Christmas lights.  At one point the book remarks that Teta "likes to pick and choose her beliefs."  The premise starts with Teta showing signs of dementia: speaking in a language no one but Sami can understand, and not eating and seeming present, the resolution as a result could give children the wrong idea about treatments for such real conditions, and adults might want to make sure their middle graders wont be triggered by the decline of a loved one.  The book is written well and holds reader's interest, the world building is decent and the character's relatable, I don't know that it is overly memorable, but it is a fun light magical read with culture and family and friendship at its core that readers will enjoy. 

SYNOPSIS:

Sami and her brother Tony, along with their attorney mom Alia and maternal grandmother, Serafina, have just moved to Florida from Ithaca, New York.  The children's father was killed and the family has moved a few blocks away from his sister to start anew.  Sami is not settling in, and to make matters worse, Teta has stopped talking coherently, and Aunt Ivory and Alia are looking for a nursing home to place her in.  For some reason though, when it is just Sami and her grandma, she can communicate just fine, and Teta tells stories of her adventures with her flicker Ashrafieh in Silverworld.  Sami doesn't necessarily believe the stories are true, but she gets the idea to use her Teta's fairy stories to try and save her grandma, but when she finds her Teta's spell book and peers into an old beloved mirror, Sami is taken to Silverworld and realizes that it is not just her grandmother's future at risk.

In a world of flickers and shadows, Sami finds two balancers that taker her in and guide her: Dorsom and Natala.  The world is a reflection of the Actual world, but the Shadow Nixie is consuming the land and taking prisoners.  The balance is off, and Sami is convinced that this darkness is what is also harming Teta.  Between shadow spies and giant rotifers, magic and prophesied destinies, Sami must push her fear away and accept that she can be the one to set things right.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I like that Sami has to step in to her own and fight for what she wants, even when she is afraid.  I love the relationship she has with her Teta it is very warm and palpable.  I feel like the "saving Silverworld will save her Teta thread," however, is lost in the middle of the book, it might be the catalyst and might have worked out that way in the end, but I don't know that the middle makes the case that the two efforts are one and the same.  I appreciate that there are glimpses of Lebanon in the story with the athan in the background and spinning dervishes, but outside of Teta and a bit of the food, the cultural elements seemed a bit forced and deliberate instead of stemming from a natural flowing place.  A bit odd since it is an OWN voice novel, but maybe I was just wanting more. I would have liked more information about how Teta settled in America, learned English etc., or about her tattoos and Beduin upbringing. Another thing that seemed off to me was the close relationship of Dorsom and Sami at the end.  I hadn't over nearly 300 pages realized that they were that much closer than Sami and Natala.  I even went back to see if I had missed something, but I couldn't find that I had.  I wasn't entirely sure why they were going to see Nixie either, I mean yes it was logical for they type of book it is, but I don't know that Sami really had a plan for Silverworld or her Teta, she was just going to Nixie's castle to get there.  There were also a few inconsistencies such as Sami wishing her and Tony could go fishing or surfing, when the book has made it clear that Sami is afraid of the water, particularly the ocean.  

FLAGS:

There is magic, killing, death. There is talk of goddesses, there is a female character, a shadow, that has two flicker husbands and children with them both.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I don't think this would appeal to middle school readers, it is a solid middle grade book.  I do think fourth and fifth grade shelves would benefit from having this book available to be picked up and enjoyed.  

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The move from New York to Florida hasn't been easy for Sami, especially since her mother gave away the family dog before the move. As it seems that Sami's mother and aunt have plans to move her Lebanese grandmother, Teta, into assisted living since her health seems fragile and she speaks in gibberish, Sami becomes even more concerned. After all, she and Teta share a special bond, and until recently, she's been able to understand what the elderly woman is saying. Although she isn't old enough to do so, Sami opens her grandmother's charm book, looks into the mirror, and finds herself in a completely different world called Silverworld. There, Sami makes new friends and becomes a part of the strife between the Flickers and Shadows. As she tests the limits of her courage in this strange place, could it be that there's a link between Nixie, the Shadow Queen, and what's going on back home with her grandmother? And how will Sami be able to return home? It's hard not to like Sami and appreciate the love she feels for Teta as well as coming to understand her mother's own struggles with life as a single parent and one torn between two cultures. I was interested in the book during the opening pages, then lost interest for a little while, and then found myself interested again as I read. It would have been cool to have small illustrations to accompany the vivid descriptions of Silverworld.

[Zai M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of an advanced copy of Diana Abu-Jaber's Silverworld in exchange for an honest review.

I would strongly recommend this book for the diversity, the healthy family struggling through a difficult time, and for the world building. Portal fantasies, especially when the portal was a spell and a mirror, were my go to niche as a child. I adored Sami, her strength and fierce devotion to her grandmother. I loved the world she fell into, and as there wasn't much diversity in my reading list when I was in middle grade, this felt like a fresh take on the portal fantasy genre. Diana Abu-Jaber has a great way with dialogue that kept the story flowing.

I would not recommend this book to a child who might have a sick relative and they're personally struggling with this, or did. Sami's grandmother seems to have dementia to everyone in the family, but Sami is convinced her grandmother is under spell which starts this entire adventure. I think it was a great choice for the story, but for readers who understand that magic does not heal their loved ones in the real world especially with a disease like dementia. Diana makes it clear in the beginning that the family is wrong, and only Sami can see the truth.

I am very happy to have had a chance to add this to my read list. I plan to buy a physical copy for my children's future library.

[eve.lyn._.reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

☪🌿🔮SILVERWORLD☪🌿🔮
*minor spoilers*
Sami's grandma hasn't been able to speak properly in years, its usually a jumble of things-but sometimes she can talk normally to only Sami-and nobody else. But when Teta can't talk normally to even Sami, and Aunt Ivory thinks its best to send Teta away-Sami finds a magical book that has a spell to take her to Silverworld. Silverworld could be the key to finding out whats wrong with Teta-and saving her.

This book hooked me in the beginning with it's fast paced beginning, and the interesting premise. Near the middle it lost the spark for me, and I trudged through it. Near the end my mind just skimmed through the pages, and I noticed their were a few unanswered questions. Sami defeating the Nixie 'the enemy 1 super powerful and bad guy" was actual not that climatic or satisfying. The questions left where "Sami thinks that Dormom could be her Flicker. But because Dorsom is a rebalancer he cannot reflect no one. Well that's what the wording says but the way Dorsom acts and how they interreact doesn't seem like that. I found the worldbuilding and the premise of the worldbuilding was great in the beginning. But by the end I just kind of lost the interested.
🆗PLOT
🆗PLOT TWISTS
🆗CHARACTERS

☪🌿🔮CHARACTERS☪🌿🔮
🆗SAMI
✅DORSOM
🆗NATALA

☪🌿🔮CONLCUSION☪🌿🔮
This book was just not for me, but hopefully others will enjoy it.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt so conflicted about this book, but in the end I come down on the side of not recommending it AND following this author for future reads.

On the plus side, it's #ownvoices about a multiracial child with Lebanese heritage, there is nuance and no magic including "shadow creatures" is bad necessarily, and obstacles are overcome with mindfulness and deep breaths and self knowledge. I love that!

On the minus side, the plot is confusing, and in the end the magic saves the grandmother such that she no longer has dementia. And.. maybe I'm just too much an adult reading this book, but I don't think "saving from dementia" should be a thing. At all. Come to peace with it, find connection and love anyway, grieve as needed, yes to all that. But like the grandmother gets to come home from the care facility she was in because she doesn't have dementia anymore and that really bothers me.

Children who might have grandparents in similar situations would not be helped by this ending, and that is why I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. I would, however, read more this author writes, because as I said above I love the way the magic works, and the #ownvoices aspect really comes singing through beautifully.

[Dontreadlikethem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need this book in Audio format. I want to be able to close my eyes and visualize what I am reading. While you submerge into this fantasy world defined by its colors you start to reread the descriptions to make sure you are imagining them just right. Sami's grandmother has stopped communicating which causes her family to believe she needs to move into assisted living. Sami is not ready to give up and knows the answer is in her Teta's spell book. Her journey takes her through her mirror to Silverworld. She must restore the balance to the Shadows and the Flickers to save both worlds. A Wrinkle in Time came to mind because it feels like both authors are writing stories so much bigger themselves. This book reminds us we are made up of so many things which have come before us. Our family combined with culture bind our individual self's together. Children ages 13 and up will never look at a mirror the same again.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine a better read for a restless middle-grader seeking an escape in these Covid-19 times. A trip to "Silverworld" immerses the reader in two fascinating cultures: the Bedouin heritage of Sami, the 11-year-old Lebanese-American main character, and the magical place Sami enters through the portal of her grandmother's ancient silver mirror. Sami proves an able, culturally-diverse heroine. At first frightened and reluctant, she rises to the challenge of saving her grandmother back in the actual world, as she fights evil and returns harmony to the fantastical world through the mirror. Silverworld is the first foray into 'tween lit for the gifted Diana Abu-Jaber, already an award-winning writer of books geared to adults. I can't wait to see where Abu-Jaber's talent and imagination take her -- and her readers -- next.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book because it had a Lebanese-American protagonist, not a common thing, but something about it just didn't click with me. It might've been the grandma who is portrayed as having dementia per the adults, but the granddaughter is the only one who can talk to her properly because of some "magic" reason. Dementia is a terrifying condition and can destroy families and memories of loved ones and having the grandma being diagnosed with dementia but it probably being magically caused just didn't sit right with me. (I say probably because I didn't finish the book, so I do not know what the underlying cause was.) I was not really interested in the magic world through the mirror either, it seemed sort of awkwardly fleshed out. Anyway, I donated the book to the local little library so maybe a middle-grade reader will find it better than I did.

[Israa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter loved the book, but I thought it was just ok. I loved that the author appeals to all 5 senses throughout the book, describing a parallel world fantasy land. The magic in this book sing like any other novel, but it’s all just a little too convenient, and sometimes confusing. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but even the book jacket from my library copy was upside down, adding to the confusing fantasy feel of the story. I appreciate that it is a clean novel that I can recommend to students. It’s not a religious book, but some aspects of the Arab culture and Bedouin lifestyle are discussed, so I like this for multicultural studies.

[Cassie Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

What an interesting spin on the middle grade fantasy genre! I loved the fresh take on this genre. I also love that Diana Abu-Jabar included an emphasis on family and culture in this book. Thank you for taking us on Sami's journey to Silverworld! I can't wait to recommend this to my fourth grade fantasy book lovers!

[Cat Who Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved it! I haven't read a book like this for a long time. It's lush, it's vivid, it's pure perfection. Characters were amazing, and writing was so good I could imagine every second of this book. I wish there were more, though. I would recommend this book to every child and to those who feel like it.

[Lauren Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world building was lovely; it was the reason I made it to the end. The story felt forced, and the excessive use of em dashes where a comma or semicolon would have been more appropriate was painful. Most of the characters frequently talked like Yoda. Having one Yoda as a unique characterization choice became iconic for Star Wars. With all three of the protagonist's main sidekicks and numerous extras, clunky, it was.

[Andrea Gollin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Good Read!!!! Silverworld is classic and satisfying -- it's light vs. dark, it's good vs. evil, but embroidered with a dose of Old World Lebanese legends, a stunning sense of topsy-turvy color that washes through the novel and ignites the imagination, and a strong girl at the center of it all.

[Bonnie Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am generally not a fan of fantasy, other than through older texts, such as the 1001 Nights. Still, I make a point of reading everything that Diana Abu-Jaber writes because I love the way in which she interweaves Arab and Arab American culture in her fiction and memoirs. In that respect, this book does not disappoint. Sami finds herself split between worlds, one actual and one fantasy, and she must follow her heart in each in order to save the other. Silverworld is also a wonderful coming of age story about a girl who is finding herself and her inner confidence, with the help of her grandmother and her imagination. Favorite sentence (from the author's note): "Like my grandmother, I've come to believe that stories can offer an important homeland."

[Danielle Vuong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with two interesting stories-one totally fictitious world inside another. I read it to my 10 year old daughter and she looked forward to each chapter. She often requested many chapters because she couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next.

[Genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I actually did - I enjoyed the world-building and the overall plotline, but found it very "put-down-able" - it was always easy to stop reading and I didn't find myself sneaking a paragraph or two in spare moments like I will with compelling reads

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Netgalley♥️Teta is telling a story . Teta has tattoos on her arms. The story is if bandits. Sami is intranced by the story told many times. Teta has a double Ashrafieh.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.51? Really? Smh

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting book. I enjoyed the premise even though it felt a bit long winded. The second half of the book definitely got a lot more interesting especially when things starting coming together. The characters especially Sami were created well and enjoyable. I wish there was more substance to some of the minor characters including the bat and mermaid and I wish there was more to Sami’s adventure but I overall liked the book, especially the ending.

[Dani(elle) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose are good and I like the characters, but the pacing had me dragging my feet on this one. The fantasy elements were inventive and they were what kept me going but the plot itself felt uneven. I would still recommend this to young readers, but I'd ask them to look at the first chapter or two to see if the narrative catches their attention.

[Em (Makenna) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Earc from netgalley.

I wanted to like this one, but there are some things that I had a hard time with, like the world building could have been a little better I think.