Books

Step into a Once Upon a Time where anything is possible . . .

For as long as she can remember, Rumaysa has been locked away in her tower, forced to spin straw into gold for the evil Witch, unable to leave. Until one day, after dropping a hijab out of her small window, Rumaysa realizes how she might be able to escape . . . 

This enchanting debut weaves together three stories, spinning the classic fairytale to show that anyone can be a hero. Gorgeously illustrated throughout by Rhaida El Touny.  

Shortlisted for the 2022 Awesome Book Awards

Shortlisted for the 2022 Leicester Libraries Our Best Book Awards

Longlisted for the 2022 Waterstones’ Children’s Book Prize

Selected in Waterstones’ The Best Children’s Books of 2021

Listed as a Waterstones’ best children’s book to look out for in 2021

One to Watch in The Bookseller’s April preview of Children’s and YA books 2021

Available for pre-order from Waterstones, The Rocketship Bookshop, Bookshop.org, Amazon, WHSMiths and Foyles

Reviews

Glitteringly beautiful & heart-thumpingly exciting. I laughed, gasped & cried tears of joy, this is a fairytale reimagining the world has needed for a long time. It’s going to dazzle & delight readers of all ages — Sophie Anderson, author of The House With Chicken Legs

Blending fairytales and cultures in a witty and playful story of strong-willed female protagonists, Hafiza crafts a world of magic and enchantment with immense skill. ― Waterstones.com, Best Children’s Books to Look Forward to in 2021

I loved the three heroines of this wonderful tale, loved how their stories intersected each other and that they were their own rescuers and path-finders. Three classic fairytales, beautifully woven together, sparkling with magic and humour. — Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

A laugh out loud fairy tale . . . a wonderful, immediately likeable gang of characters, hilarious dialogue and that special tale feeling – of both specificity and universality, of now, then and always . . . a joy to read. — Louie Stowell, author of The Dragon in the Library

This is gorgeous . . . three fairytales reimagined and woven together into a lyrical and funny treat. — Sophie Wills, author of The Orphans of St Halibut’s

Brown girls take centre stage in the stories of Rumaysa, Cinderayla and Sleeping Sara as Hafiza puts a playful new spin on three classic fairytales . . . woven into a funny, empowering adventure of sisterhood. ― The Bookseller, One to Watch