The two things that I appreciated on a more personal level with this book though were the big sister figure that Nura embodied because as an eldest child myself I saw my younger self in her, and also the depiction of day to day life in a Muslim community. Sparkling with magic, Nura whisks you from the mica mines of Pakistan to the dreamy and dangerous realm of the Jinn.

The book has some author’s notes at the end which was interesting to read, explaining more on the mica in the story and the real-life children of today that work mining it.Author MT Khan takes us on a magical journey through the contrasting worlds of a mica miner to the bountiful world of the jinn palace. an ownvoices muslim mg fantasy set in a rural town of pakistan where a luxury jinn hotel holds dark secrets? A magical adventure rooted in Muslim culture and tradition, Nura and the Immortal Palace follows a young girl's journey from modern-day Pakistan into the world of the jinn. From the prep and excitement for Eid, to the jinn stories told by families and the mention of stories from the Quran and praying Ayat al-Kursi for protection, it just warmed my heart seeing such wholesome representation. However, one day, she gets too carried away while digging and ends up triggering a collapse in the mines, resulting in some of the child labourers, including her best friend Faisal, being declared dead.

It is great to learn about other peoples faith, cultures and religions but the way it is discussed in the book is as though that is the only way. A magical and pacy middle-grade debut following a young girl’s adventure from modern-day Pakistan into the world of the jinn. the theme of poverty as a vicious cycle impressed me the most, especially how easily it's conveyed through a middle-grade story. Nura and the Immortal Palace is a middle grade fantasy about 12 year old Nura, who works in the mica mines to support her family but when the mine collapses and her friends disappear, she finds herself whisked away into a secret world ruled by the jinn. Nura is 12 years old and has worked all her life in the mica mines, hoping to someday find a legendary buried treasure: the Demon's Tongue.

I’m not sure the theme of the importance of education came through quite as strongly as it was intended to, but the ideas of money, and greed, and the cycle of exploitation were wonderfully done, and in an age-appropriate way that I hope a lot of children will be able to understand. By the end, Nura and the Immortal Palace also makes the readers realise why being educated is important. It isn’t long before the dirt starts to move and Nura manages to dig a hole, but it isn’t a hole where Faisal is trapped, instead she falls in, plummeting into the world of the jinn. But they only have three days, until the end of Eid, or their memories of their families will vanish, along with their desire to leave.