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Rumaysa: A Fairytale

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What to expect

Step into a Once Upon a Time where anything is possible . . . Radiya Hafiza's enchanting and funny debut weaves together three stories, spinning the classic fairytale to show that anyone can be a hero.

'Rumaysa, Rumaysa, let down your hijab!'

For as long as she can remember Rumaysa has been locked away in her tower, forced to spin straw into gold for the evil Witch, unable to leave. Until one day, after dropping a hijab out of her small tower-window, Rumaysa realizes how she might be able to escape . . .

Join Rumaysa as she adventures through enchanted forests and into dragon's lairs, discovers her own incredible magical powers and teams up with Cinderayla and Sleeping Sara!

Rumaysa: A Fairytale is a magically fresh, empowering and funny debut, which retells three classic fairytales – Rapunzel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

Critics Review

Glitteringly beautiful & heart-thumpingly exciting. I laughed, gasped & cried tears of joy, this is a fairytale reimagining the world has needed for a long time. It's going to dazzle & delight readers of all ages
Sophie Anderson, author of The House With Chicken Legs
I loved the three heroines of this wonderful tale, loved how their stories intersected each other and that they were their own rescuers and path-finders. Three classic fairytales, beautifully woven together, sparkling with magic and humour.
Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant
All the fairytales in this exciting collection are vivid, magical and wonderful – each one spinning the genre on its head and bringing the stories right up to date with their diverse heroines taking centre stage. I just adored it!
Jasbinder Bilan, author of Asha and the Spirit Bird
An enchanting and cleverly woven trio of tales filled with humour, charm, and magic.
Aisha Bushby, author of A Pocketful of Stars
Blending fairytales and cultures in a witty and playful story of strong-willed female protagonists, Hafiza crafts a world of magic and enchantment with immense skill.
Waterstones.com, Best Children's Books to Look Forward to in 2021
A laugh out loud fairy tale . . . a wonderful, immediately likeable gang of characters, hilarious dialogue and that special tale feeling - of both specificity and universality, of now, then and always . . . a joy to read.
Louie Stowell, author of The Dragon in the Library
Gorgeous, through and through.
Amy Wilson, author of A Girl Called Owl
This is gorgeous . . . three fairytales reimagined and woven together into a lyrical and funny treat.
Sophie Wills, author of The Orphans of St Halibut's
Brown girls take centre stage in the stories of Rumaysa, Cinderayla and Sleeping Sara as Hafiza puts a playful new spin on three classic fairytales . . . woven into a funny, empowering adventure of sisterhood.
The Bookseller, One to Watch
Golden-skinned, dark-haired Rumaysa was taken from her parents by a witch, trapped in a tower in an enchanted forest, and forced to spin straw into gold. Her only friend is Zabina, an owl. Inspired to make a very long hijab to help her escape, Rumaysa is lowering herself to the ground when she meets Suleiman, a lost boy in possession of a magic carpet, sent by his parents to search for a princess taken by a dragon. In the second of these three interconnected stories, Rumaysa meets brown-skinned, curly-haired Ayla in Qamaroon. She’s an orphan who lives with her demanding stepmother and stepsisters. Rumaysa helps Ayla transform herself for the royal Eid ball, where Ayla meets the prince. But fearful of being caught by her stepmother, she runs off, leaving one golden shoe behind. Finally, Rumaysa is transported to a tower guarded by a dragon, where Princess Sara, who has warm brown skin and “a beautiful big body,” is under a sleeping spell. There she also runs into Suleiman. Working together, Rumaysa and Suleiman defeat the villain and reunite the princess with her parents. Rather than focus on happily-ever-afters or romance, Hafiza portrays the women in her story as strong, independent, and clever. Suleiman has his own journey of pushing back against gender expectations. Cultural elements are seamlessly woven in, and grayscale illustrations punctuate the text. Adventurous, humorous, and magical.
Kirkus

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