Nayra and the Djinn

In this coming-of-age graphic novel with a fantastical twist, Nayra Mansour, a Muslim American girl attending a New England boarding school, is helped on her journey to selfhood by a djinn (genie).

Nayra Mansour feels anything but at home in her New England boarding school. There’s the constant pressure from her strict family, cruel bullying from her classmates, and exhausting friendship demands from Rami, the only other Muslim girl at school. Nayra has had enough. Just when she’s considering transferring schools to escape it all, Marjan appears.

As a djinn, a mythical creature in Arab folklore, Marjan uses their powers and wisdom to help Nayra navigate her overwhelming life. But Marjan’s past in the djinn realm is fraught with secrets, guilt, and trouble that have a way of following them all the way to the human realm. And so they must face what they’ve done before Nayra is pulled into the mess they’ve made.

In this beautifully illustrated graphic novel, Iasmin Omar Ata has created a realistic coming-of-age story with an enchanting dose of the fantastical about strength, identity, and, most of all, friendship.