Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here to spotlight the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally, they're books that have yet to be released. Find out more here.
I grew up listening to my dad reading The Arabian Knights and the tales of Scheherazade among other classics, so when I saw this come across on Edelweiss it immediately brought back nostalgia for me. Then I read the synopsis... I love this whole idea so much! It's my pick this week.
A Thousand Nights
By Nafiza Azad & Intisar Khanani
YA Anthology, Fantasy, Short Stories
Hardcover & eBook, 496 Pages
September 8, 2026 by Candlewick
Summary
"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
(Affiliate links included.)
Will you be reading this one?