Review Detail

What I liked:
Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria is a rich cultural story about a young boy from Lebanon who lives in America with his very sick Grandma. His mother is in Lebanon with her other family and has nothing to do with Shad and his life in America. The descriptions of the food, Shad's intuition as he makes alchemy potions, and the clever way we are immersed in the Lebanese culture while figuring out who the bad guys are in the story are genius.
Final Verdict:
Shad is a realistic middle-grade character and a hero worth following along on his adventures. This story has a lot of humor and heart, and the fart jokes will be popular with the middle-grade crowd. The author's love for Lebanese culture shines through in the family conventions, food descriptions, and the culture around alchemy for our main character Shad. I would sum this book up as a magical adventure where kids save the world.