When I saw this title and cover, I immediately thought of the famous One Thousand and One Nights. Like yesterday's read, this one isn't a new release but came out a few years ago in 2023. As you can see on the cover image, it was a Newberry Award Nominee. But honestly, I picked it up because it carries that ancient flair and promise of desert adventures. So, let's dive in and see where this caravan leads.
THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR
THE SELLER OF DREAMS
by Daniel Naveri
Levine Querdo
Middle Grade Fantasy
228 pages
ages 8 to 12
A new all-ages adventure tale from Printz Medal Winner, 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?
For fans of The Little Prince and Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
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?
For fans of The Little Prince and Salman Rushdie's Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
MY TIDBITS
Scams, survival, desert heat, and danger dance across every page in this exciting adventure.
Monkey...well, that isn't his true name, since he's an orphan twice or thrice over, but it's the latest one he carries (and dislikes) as the servant of Samir, a scam artist who travels the desert. Although Samir saved Monkey's life by purchasing him from a pair of monks who were determined to execute him for what they considered a crime, Monkey knows he can't truly stay with the thief and is constantly hoping to find a way to pay off his debt. Doing it through money or treasures won't work, but when there are plots to kill Samir, Monkey hopes that saving the man's life will be valuable enough. Unfortunately, assassin attempts aren't something easily survived for either him or Samir.
This is a grabbing tale which transports the reader back into history and brings them to the hot desert sands. Right away, the reader is caught up in action as Monkey runs to escape guards and monks, who are determined to kill him with their swords. The author doesn't hold back but lets the danger and impossibility of escape seep from the pages so that it's clear that Monkey doesn't really have a chance. This raw danger sets the tone as the author doesn't sugar-coat the threats or dampen them. So, there's a violent edge. Still, the author keeps the read appropriate for the middle grade audience, at the same time. Fans of danger and adventure will appreciate that. There's also a constant demand for clever thought as Monkey needs to weave around the talented scamming of Samir and the plots of the assassins. So, there's never a boring moment.
The world opens up and lets the reader sink into the hot sun, dusty caravans, and rough lifestyles, and it does this without wordy dumps or boring passages. The culture comes to life as this also introduces some insight into the habits of these people at that time. It works nicely for classroom and homeschoolers, too, especially thanks to a thorough and free teacher's guide available on the publisher's website. The text fits well to the middle grade audience and would work even for tweens thanks to the subject matter.
For homeschoolers and teachers:
The publisher offers a full, ready-to-use teaching guide with reading comprehension questions, discussion ideas, and more.
And here he is...
Daniel Nayeri is a Newbery Honoree and the author of EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (A TRUE STORY), THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, THE SELLER OF DREAMS, and THE TEACHER OF NOMAD LAND. He was born in Iran and spent a couple of years in a refugee camp in Italy before moving to Oklahoma at age eight. He is the publisher of Odd Dot Books at Macmillan and the founder of Renard Press, a boutique publisher of classic literature.
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