Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds by Samira Ahmed

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve been following Ahmed’s career since the publication of her best-selling debut novel, Love, Hate & Other Filters, and have enjoyed all of her previous work immensely. If you’ve done the same and have yet to delve into Amira & Hamza: The War to Save the Worlds, you should be aware that it is a slight departure from her earlier work.

As Ahmed herself says in the book’s acknowledgements section, middle-grade fantasy is “a new age group and genre category for [her].” That said, her unmistakable voice, which carries through all of her previous novels is certainly heard here. All center around strong young people who are finding their power in various ways.

As for the new genre, Ahmed navigates these uncharted waters effectively, and once I got used to the slightly younger vibe of the book (appropriate, obviously, for middle grade, as opposed to YA), the story pulled me along, just as those in her previous three novels had done — with compelling protagonists, strong plot points, and, above all else, some great writing.

I won’t re-tell the plot here, because much of Amira & Hamza’s power comes from discovering the action as it unfolds, along with the young heroes. The central theme, that there is a hero inside all of us, and that, as Amira says, “…sometimes unexpected things can change the world” is a great one for this book’s demographic. My only regret is that Ahmed didn’t write this a few years ago, when my two sons, now just shy of being grown men, were discovering chapter books. I would have loved to have shared this one with them.

If you have children — no matter their gender or cultural background — don’t hesitate to share Amira & Hamza with them. But I don’t limit my recommendation to parents. Anyone who enjoys a good story will have a great deal of fun with this one.



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