Legends in the Heights - by Marguerite Dabaie

Book Synopsis

Middle school is hard enough without a legendary creature suddenly appearing in your neighborhood and asking you for skateboarding lessons. Twelve-year-old Raia lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, loves video games, and is doing her best to keep her grades up. But when Bazzu the Buraq (a magical horse-bird-lion) appears, her life will never be the same.

Raia, a middle school student in New York City, has often felt like the odd one out at school. So when she meets Bazzu the buraq, a legendary creature, who offers to show her a world of folklore and magic in return for skateboarding lessons, she's eager to accept. Together, Raia and Bazzu get up to misadventures and explore the world of legends, a fascinating and harmonious community of mythical creatures from all cultures. But as she grows more distant from her real-world friends and family, Raia will have to learn how to balance magic and reality.

About the Author

Marguerite Dabaie (they/them), is a Palestinian American cartoonist who draws autobio, socio-political, and historical-fictional comics with a decorative flair. Dabaie is an author and freelance illustrator and has worked with publishers such as Bloomsbury, Abrams, and Viking Penguin. They are also an editor for the A.M. Qattan Foundation and Birzeit University, as well as an editor, writer, and cultural consultant for the tabletop RPG Blackbirds. Dabaie currently lives in Asia.