School Library Journal Starred Review (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 3–6— Alkaf brings Malaysian folklore into the modern day through this quest of Hamra, a girl just turning 13 who lives on the edge of the Langkawi jungle. The jungle can be dangerous, and so there are six rules her family has taught her about entering (such as asking permission and never taking what's not yours). On her birthday, in an angry tantrum, Hamra purposely disobeys all the rules and takes a magical fruit home to give to Opah who is suffering from dementia. The fruit seemingly cures Opah, but at what cost? This event prompts a magical journey that Hamra must go on to fix the consequences of her disrespect to the enchanted jungle. Hamra, with her neighbor and friend Ilyas and the ambiguous weretiger Pak Belang, set out through the jungle into the realm of fae and creatures, some helpful and some harmful. While making deals with magical favors, Hamra learns lessons about family and friendship. The COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects are also mentioned throughout the story, as Hamra's frustration is driven by the lockdown and her parents' stressful work on the front lines. During the journey, they question what it means to be human, what happens to those who are not the hero of the story, and what it means to pay debts and take care of your community. Alkaf also uses family events to bring the story full circle. The reluctant hero Hamra will appeal to young and older readers alike, and the action will keep tweens engaged. VERDICT A welcome addition to libraries that serve children and tweens. This fresh take on Little Red Riding Hood is a necessary purchase for libraries and fantasy shelves.— Helen Prince

Horn Book (Tue May 09 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Hamra has just turned thirteen, though no one in her family seems to have noticed. Due to COVID-19, her home country of Malaysia is under quarantine, leaving her mother working long hours in an overrun hospital hours away, her father distracted by his duty to get supplies to those in need, and Hamra at home to care for her grandparents. While her grandfather often annoys her with his many far-fetched stories, her grandmother's increasing dementia worries and even angers her. Adults are supposed to take care of children, after all. To escape the pressures of caring for elders, Hamra goes to the jungle. When she recklessly takes fruit from the magical jambu tree, a weretiger demands she accompany him on a quest as payment for stealing. If she succeeds, the weretiger will remember his humanity, and her grandmother's dementia will be cured. Accompanied by her best friend, Ilyas, Hamra embarks on a quest where she must face her fears and find the courage to save her family and herself. A compelling story about family, friendship, and the power of memory, filled with Islamic traditions and Malay folklore. S. R. Toliver

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

During the Covid pandemic, 13-year-old Hamra contends with perilous fantastical situations and internal struggles stemming from familial concerns in this riveting jungle adventure by Alkaf, a “Little Red Riding Hood”–inspired Malaysian fantasy. When Hamra isn’t taking care of her grandmother, who grows more forgetful each day, she spends most of her time during the pandemic dreaming of grand adventures. On her 13th birthday, Hamra sets off into the woods to pluck ulam leaves to make nasi ulam for her grandmother. But in her eagerness to accomplish her task, Hamra—accompanied by her best friend Ilyas Chang Abdullah—forgets to heed one of the most important rules of the jungle: “Always ask permission before you enter.” As the duo venture further into the woods, they break another rule—“Never take what isn’t yours”—and inadvertently anger a weretiger, with whom they must make a deal if they hope to leave the forest alive. Creatures from Malaysian mythology appear throughout, adding texture and imbuing the girls’ tale with peril. Alkaf employs lively prose alongside Hamra and Ilyas’s dynamic personalities and earnest friendship to deliver a tale about sacrifice, perseverance, and the enduring bonds of love. Ages 8–12. (Mar.)