The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
By Mary Eisenhart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Orphan, con man share wild adventures on ancient Silk Road.
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What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old orphan Omar, soon to be known as Monkey, flees for his life from monks who are trying to stone him to death and quickly becomes embroiled in THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, THE SELLER OF DREAMS. It's the 11th century on the Silk Road, and Samir, a portly merchant with the gift of gab and a creative relationship with the truth, rescues Monkey and also announces that he's now Samir's property. Monkey, a kind, righteous kid, is horrified by Samir's deceitful ways and even more horrified to learn that some of Samir's unhappy customers have hired assassins to take their revenge -- including one who's just inescapable, so they might as well give up. It's a long way from China to Samarkand, a lot of people are on the road to sell their wares and take their chances -- and the blacksmith's niece is the most beautiful person Monkey has ever seen. Between unrequited love, keeping assassins away from Samir, and keeping himself from untimely death, Monkey's got a lot to deal with.
Is It Any Good?
Daniel Nayeri's childhood fascination with the ancient Silk Road inspires a peril-packed, funny, and heart-filled adventure involving an honest orphan and the lying, thieving merchant who saves him. As young Monkey soon discovers, his rescuer has a lot of people trying to kill him, and it becomes Monkey's job to foil The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams. Lethal 11th century weaponry -- swords, gunpowder, poison, mini-cannons, and more -- are in play, and very little is what it first seems to be. Quite a few over-the-top killers -- the Viking Berserker, the Chinese Ablutionist, the Persian Mystic, and more -- have their moments in the spotlight, which rarely go as planned. It's a fun, appealing read you'll probably want to revisit, and there's lots of detail about the time and place, should you wish to learn more. Daniel Minares' colorful illustrations at the beginning of each chapter enrich the beautifully produced, heirloom-quality book.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories like The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams, whose main character is something of a trickster, though in this case a kindly one. What other trickster tales do you know -- and are the tricksters mostly benign, mostly evil, or something else?
Author Daniel Nayeri says he's been fascinated by the ancient Silk Road since he was a kid, and that's how this book came to be. Are there times and places of the past you find so interesting that you'd like to write a story about them? When and where, and who would the characters be?
Along the Silk Road, people from all different cultures, religions, and walks of life travel together, and interesting connections develop that wouldn't have happened if they'd all stayed home. Have you ever traveled to another country or spent time with someone from a different culture and come away with a new way of looking at things? What happened?
Book Details
- Author: Daniel Nayeri
- Illustrator: Daniel Miyares
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , History
- Character Strengths: Courage , Gratitude , Humility , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Levine Querido
- Publication date: March 7, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 224
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: June 7, 2023
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