A Thousand Nights

"A folkloric tour de force." —School Library Journal (starred review)

In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring seventeen Muslim women writers—links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.

On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories—stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith. With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.

Stories contributed by:
Hanna Alkaf
Sara Sharaf Beg
Loretta Chefchaouni
Heba Helmy
Zeyneb Holdridge
Ausma Zehanat Khan
Diana Ma
Ardo Omer
Haneen Oriqat
Sarah Mughal Rana
Farah Naz Rishi
Laila Sabreen
Zeba Shahnaz
Ream Shukairy
Zaynah Qutubuddin

Intisar Khanani writes mighty girls in diverse worlds. Prior to publishing, she ran a student volunteer center, helped hospitals stay afloat, and developed projects to reduce infant mortality—which was as close as she could get to saving the world. Now she pens fantasy novels about young women motivated by compassion, empathy, and radical kindness taking on systemic injustice, facing down monsters, and forging the families they need.

Intisar is the author of The Sunbolt Chronicles and the Dauntless Path novels. Two of her books were Kirkus Reviews picks for Best Teen and YA Fantasy Novels of the Year. She is deeply honored to serve as the 2026 Writer in Residence for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.

A dazzling, powerful short story collection that weaves the voices of 17 Muslim women authors and editors. . . . With each one as lyrical and compelling as the next, this collection is a triumphant examination of imperialism and displacement, friendship and found family, and the power of story and imagination. A successful homage to the original A Thousand and One Nights, this exquisite short story collection is a folkloric tour de force.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Azad . . . and Khanani . . . curate and contribute to a captivating anthology of Muslim folklore that showcases stories from 15 female Muslim authors. . . . Narratives of survival and displacement move fluidly between revolutions against tyrants, encounters with bird catchers, and stories about royalty, generating a varied yet thematically cohesive mosaic.
—Publishers Weekly

The 15 tales, each by a different Muslim woman author, are drawn from cultures around the world, and their integration with the frame story renders them remarkably cohesive. . . . this work is a refreshing and effective variation on typical anthology formats. A timely collection, full of marvels and hard-won hope.
—Kirkus Reviews

A layered compilation that embodies culture, faith and especially a homeland. . . . Expertly unfolding a realistic story of survival to create a gripping anthology, A Thousand Nights provides a beautiful tribute to the magic of storytelling and its ability to create bright stars of hope and community in even the darkest of midnight skies.
—BookPage

Gorgeous and resonant, A Thousand Nights takes readers down winding paths of darkness and light with deeply nuanced tales of the jin, phoenixes, curses, blessed pots, brave cats, and, ultimately, the power of hope and community. Readers will savor each tale of this beautifully curated anthology. A fairy-tale collection for our times.
—Natasha Deen, author of The Signs and Wonders of Tuna Rashad