Praise
BOOK REVIEW
A 12-year-old boy tries to save a world made of words in this middle-grade fantasy novel.
British-Iraqi Ankido Gulzar is saddened by the news his archaeologist father has disappeared in Iraq. Unfortunately, Habubti, Ankido’s beloved grandmother, is leaving him behind as she searches for his father. An acclaimed fantasy novelist, Habubti asks her grandson to care for her latest, unfinished book, cryptically specifying to keep it out of the hands of Aunt Geraldine. In Habubti’s absence, Geraldine makes a grab for the Gulzar estate by sending Ankido, the heir, to a boarding school. On the way, the boy loses consciousness, awakens, and soon finds himself in a “crossroads between worlds.” He meets Zinaida, a wanderer, who tells Ankido that “the Land of Mesopo”—the title of Habubti’s book—is dying. Mesopo is made of words and a thief, Humbaba, is gradually stealing all of them. Evidently, the Book (Habubti’s) has chosen Ankido as the new Tale Smith; indeed, the boy lately has been dreaming of entirely new words. With an ability to create worlds with invented words, Ankido may be able to rescue Mesopo, as its many books are “the pillars of mankind’s literacy.” Ankido is a well-rounded protagonist, wielding words as a weapon but also struggling to overcome sporadic fits of anger. Dynamic characters fill the pages, from creepy, fishlike River People (Humbaba’s bondsmen) to Geraldine’s winsome stepdaughters, Leila and Salma, who find their own way to Mesopo to help their cousin Ankido. Dietrich (The Great Rainbow Hug, 2011) masterfully visualizes the fantastic world: Recurring blots or pools of black ink signify Mesopo’s slowly diminishing word count. Kallick’s (Sophie’s Quest, 2018) complementary artwork is colorful and detailed, though, disappointingly, there are only two of her dual-page illustrations. The engaging tale is a quick read for young readers and adults. And while it seems the author is priming it for a series, this book can act as a stand-alone.
Vibrant characters and prose energize this literary adventure.
A high-stakes quest. A magical kingdom. A boy in possession of a coveted power. This mythology-rich novel for 10+ year-olds has all the ingredients of an epic adventure. Ankido is a twelve-year-old British-Iraqi boy with a passion for words. So much so, his beloved grandmother calls him her “Word Boy”. One morning, his grandmother announces the terrible news that Ankido’s father, an eminent archaeologist, has gone missing on a field trip in Iraq. When she leaves to search for his dad, she entrusts him with a special book: “The cover was made of fine, gold-inlaid leather. The title read, The Land of Mesopo. Ankido wondered why it was so special but thought it best not to ask.” Left with his aunt and uncle, Ankido is destined to be sent to boarding school, but not before he’s forced to burn Grandmother’s special book when his aunt tries to take it from him. He knows the book is special - “When I started reading it, it felt so real. Almost as if it was calling me to step inside “ – and indeed it does turn out to be special. Rather than end up at boarding school, he finds himself in the Library of Nineveh after being pursued by “a creature of the dark” who “feeds on words. And she knows that you can make your own words.” Ankido’s quest to find his father, and to save the fantastical word-world of Mesopo as the Kingdom’s newfound Tale Smith is sharply evoked, and packed with heart-pounding peril, mysterious atmosphere and intriguing characters, among them scribes, princes and magicians.
This is the story of a little boy who is nicknamed the Word Boy by his beloved grandmother. Ankido is a British/Iraqi boy and his grandmother is named Habubti. Ankido’s father is an archeologist and has gone missing in Iraq. Habubti leaves Ankido with his relatives and goes in search of his father.
Habubti makes Ankido promise to protect her latest book from Aunt Geraldine while she is away. Aunt Geraldine is the stepmother to his two cousins. She is an angry woman who is always fighting about something. She promised to send him to a school for troubled boys. She soon sees Habubti’s book on Ankido’s desk. She demands he give it to her and a physical fight begins for the book. Ankido’s only choice to protect it was to throw it into the fire.
His aunt sent him away with two men in a black limousine where he fell asleep. When he woke he was all alone on the ground and in a place unlike his home. He begins to experience strange things, and dark forces. He finds a dog and later a girl named Zinaida in the land of Ninevah. After talking with Zinaida and the Scripe he is told that this is the land of Mesopo, which is made up of words.
Ankido learns that the words are being stolen and when they all are gone, Mesopo will disappear. He and Zinaida go on countless adventures filled with danger, demons, and strange creatures. They are on the quest to save the words that are left. As the story goes on and on, the number of words continues to shrink. Ankido and Zinaida are aided by the dog and a flying soul bird named Anzu.
Will Ankido save Mesopo or will he meet a terrible fate? There are so many questions as to what, why, and how this is all happening and what will be the outcome. The author writes very skillfully and will certainly hold your attention. The scary passages with demons and a couple of mild curse-words would make me give the book a PG rating.
I voluntarily reviewed this book in a partnership with The Children Book Review & Eva Dietrich.