Hanna Alkaf’s writing is so engaging and the first sentence of Hamra & the Jungle of Memories immediately pulled me in and made me excited to read more. This retelling of Little Red Riding Hood was so good and overall I couldn’t put it down. I think the only thing that seemed to take me out of the story was the element of the pandemic because other than the occasional mention of the pandemic the story felt fantastical and that it could’ve been set in a fantastical world as opposed to modern day.

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy.
I was hooked from the start. I was transported to a different place entirely with the descriptions and mood of this story. It is a whole vibe. A strong female protagonist who goes on a journey and doesn't need someone to save her, sign me up. I definitely will be sharing excerpts with my students during our Hero's Journey unit.

This is an absolutely stunning retelling. Hamra is such a rich sympathetic character and I loved following her journey throughout this story.

This is a book I was really excited to read because I love fairy tale retellings and I loved Alkaf’s The Weight of Our Sky. This was a fantastic reimagining and I loved the complexity of Hamra and dealing with her Opah’s dementia and the difficulties of living in lockdown while her mother is a doctor staying in Kuala Lumpur. I really loved Hamra’s journey and the way things resolved for the weretiger. This is such an emotional story and difficult on several fronts, but so worth the read and I’m so glad I finally read it.

I would love to interview Hanna on my podcast! Hamra and the Jungle of Memories is a fun, action-packed book that's perfect for young readers and educators.

Hanna Alkaf's writing is a dream in the best possible way. Her words will transport you deep into the jungles of Langkawi, side-by-side with a heroine who reminds us that honoring ourselves is just as important as honoring those we love.

This was a really fun adventure read. Hamra felt like a real teenager with real teenager emotions, which can be hard to get in a book. I loved the different characters from Malaysian myth that they met along the way and Hamra's journey back to understanding how precious her family are to her.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

I am not a huge reader of middle grade books but this was a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in Malaysia which immediately made me want to read it. I had a good time reading it however, one of my issues with it was that it took place during the pandemic in 2020 and I am not really a fan of books that take place during that time. I did enjoy it overall though.

I liked this book, but it was more of a “glad that I read it” than something I was actively enjoying while I was reading it. I appreciated being exposed to a different culture, and in a way that felt very immersive. To a point where it could be a bit confusing at times, but I’m glad it erred on the side of not catering to a Western audience. As a novel set very much during the height of the pandemic, it could be a little too close to home, and I found that the middle dragged a bit. But the characters and story were overall strong and I’m glad I stuck with it.

This was the first book I had read by Hanna Alkaf. It was an interesting story of a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood based in Malaysia. I enjoy the whole story from beginning to end. I love how the author incorporated what is happening worldwide and other medical issues dealing with our elders.

*I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.*

I enjoyed how the author mixed together the realistic with the contemporary setting during the height of the pandemic as well as the fantastical with the jungle. Everything meshed together well. I also appreciated the humanizing of the villain/god figure as well as Hamra's realistic 12 year old responses to things like no one remembering her birthday, her grandmother's dementia and a weretiger.

This book was simply fun. It was easy to read and Hamra's journey and overall character growth was very enjoyable to read. The ending was wrapped up very nicely.

Even without knowledge of Malaysian folklore, this fantastical tale of magical quests, through myth and beast to restore an aching family, hits all the high notes. I have deeply enjoyed Alkaf's other works, so knew that Hamra would be filled with sass, traditional lore, tasty local foods, and a good tug at the heartstrings.
I'm a big fan of character growth through adventure, and Hamra is a great example of doing this well. She starts off quite cranky and irritable (understandably, being in the middle of a pandemic, with parents away helping the relief efforts, and a grandmother increasingly showing signs of dementia). However, her rash decisions and spontaneity throw her into a quest with a reliable friend and a dangerous weretiger, forcing her to face multiple fears, her own stubbornness, and the fact that some curses cannot be lifted. A wonderful story of magical realism that any age can enjoy and learn from.

It felt a little slow at the beginning as I stumbled over words that were foreign to me, but after I was able to get past that I really got into the story and couldn't put it down.

I'd love to read more fairy tale retellings from different countries.

This was a free copy via NetGalley.

*4.5 Stars*

Hamra isn't too happy, everyone forgot her 13th birthday, so she does what she's been warned against her entire life and ignores the rules of the jungle. And now, she has a debt to pay to an awful weretiger and has to go on a terrifying quest deep into the jungle.

This was a very good middle grade book. I really liked Hamra, she was a very interesting character and point of view and I liked seeing how she handled challenges and friendships and family relationships. She was captivating from beginning to end. I also enjoyed the plot and the world and the setting. I loved that it was urban fantasy and talked about the pandemic and the struggles that implied but also that it was set in Malaysia. It truly was a great book, a great story and I'm really looking forward to reading more from Hanna Alkaf.

This is a beautiful middle grade read following Hamra on her birthday as she ventures into the rainforest jungle, throwing away all the superstitious rules meant to keep her safe.

What I love:
- Gave the same energy as reading Percy Jackson for the 1st time
- Grandma has dementia, my own grandma does and I think it was represented well
- set during the pandemic in Malaysia, making it known how lonely and neglected Hamra felt
- Magical Realism (I think? I don't completely understand the term)

This is a beautiful retelling of Red Riding Hood, and I can't wait to share it with my students. I teach 7th and 8th grade students, and I believe that teens and YA with good comprehension skills will like this books. The fantasy is detailed and intricate. A lot of the dialogue is in another language and not immediately translated (you have to use context clues). I think this would make it harder for low level students. In any case I loved this story.

I thought the premise of this book was very interesting: a sort of Red Riding Hood retelling with the addition of Malaysian folklore mixed in. I am very interested in learning about folklore and mythology from other countries, so this was the initial pull for me. However, I did end up DNFing around the 23% mark, as I felt this book was too slow-paced for me. I will definitely recommend it to middle grade readers, especially since this novel deals with impacts of COVID-19, which has yet to be explored in literature, so I think many kids out there would really enjoy this.

I was really looking forward to this book and spent a lot of time looking for an audiobook as well. Unfortunately, I didn't know what this book was about and I am finding I am unable to read it.

Both my maternal grandmother and her sister [my great aunt] had Alzheimer's and Dementia [respectively] and my beloved mom is currently in the middle of her battle with it [and declining daily] and I found myself weeping by the end of reading 20% and knew I could not go on.

Between the mix of this being set during the Pandemic [which had I known this was set in such a current time, I would not have requested it; add that to the Alzheimer's and well, here we are] and the Alzheimer's side story [I am not sure if the author has ever dealt personally with someone that has this insidious disease, but her handling of it also bothered me and the idea that "magic", even in a fiction/fantasy book, can "cure" someone with Alzheimer's/Dementia is cruel to those of us that know there IS NO MIRACLE and no magic that will save our loved ones and this just caused so much more pain], and a teen who is insolent and doesn't seem to care that she has broken the rules and only agrees to pay retribution and apologize once the idea of magic saving her grandmother [who she currently has little tolerance for], this was just too much for me overall.
I am sure that many people will love this book and I am glad for them, but for me...no.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hanna Alkaf, and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.