HAMRA AND THE JUNGLE OF MEMORIES is a powerful reimagining of the classic fairy tale Red Riding Hood set in the jungles of Malaysia. The author Hanna Alkaf has balanced her story between two worlds: the modern and all too real one of the global pandemic and a fantasy world that draws on Malaysian folklore. The heroine, Hamra, or Little Red, is a young girl with a fiery temper, struggling with the slow loss of her once equally spirited grandmother to dementia. In an impulsive act Hamra ignores the rules of the jungle, and is forced to go on a quest to make amends. Accompanying her on this quest are two companions: her best friend and neighbor, Ilyas, and a mysterious weretiger who goes by the name Pak Belang. The journey is fraught with danger and painful lessons about forgiveness, friendship, and the power of memory. Alkaf weaves an exquisite tale with echoes of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. Not since I was a little girl reading about Aslan and Lucy have I been so transported to a magical setting and moved to tears by the connection between fantasy and human characters. The descriptions of both the mythological creatures of Malay folklore and the diverse geography are vivid. This middle grade novel is not only my favorite read of the summer, but one of my favorites ever, one that I can't wait to share with readers both young and old.

Wow! This story captivated me from the very first second and I was so immersed until the very last second!!!❤️

Genre: Upper MG Magical Realism
Ages: 11/12 and up
Preorder before the March 2023 Pub DATE!! (Preorders help authors!!)

Hamra lives with her family in the Jungle, and her grandmother is starting to forget her because of dementia. Hamra struggles with the feelings of being on lockdown due to Covid, feeling isolated from the world and her front-liner parents, and caring for her aging grandparents.

When she steals a fruit from the jungle, a Were-tiger demands she comes with him on a quest, and claims she can cure her Opah’s dementia if she succeeds.

Accompanied by her best friend Ilyas, Hamra enters the jungle and faces riddles, fairies, fantastical creatures, and her own fears. She has to hold on to friendship and family, and find her courage inside to be able to survive.

Ahhhhh!!! This book truly had me soooooo engrossed and I was flipping page after page of the #arc to find out what happened! The fantasy adventure will be sure to entertain and suck in any young reader and the intricate worldbuilding had me marveling at the storytelling power of the brilliant author!

Islam was present in the book so much- and I LOVED it! Hamra uses her hijab collection to get herself out of tricky situations, she calls on Allah for help, makes duaas, dhikr, prays, recites Quran, etc!

Malaysian culture is always gorgeously represented by this author and this book is no exception!! Malay words are unapologetically written and beautifully blended in the Malaysian setting, with folktales and riddles and songs that truly transport the reader into a new place! So authentic and rich, I was truly blown away!!

I love the lessons of the book, about friendship and family and healing from the isolation of Covid, and I see this being a timeless book that readers will read over and over again, discovering new wonders each time.

I had known Hanna Alkaf from The Girl and the Ghost and had enjoyed reading this. I had enjoyed that book so much that I was looking forward to reading Hamra and the Jungle of Memories. I enjoyed the Malaysian Little Red Riding Hood spin and the weretiger elements, it was a great twist on what I was expecting. The characters were beautifully done and it was a great read.

"I know they weren’t my teeth to promise, Hamra thought to herself. But what else could I have done? But she couldn’t stop the pangs of guilt that kept beaming through her insides, the little voice that kept asking her when will you stop giving away things that matter? When will you stop sacrificing your friends’ feelings for your own gain?"