One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean is a fresh retelling of King Shahryar's quest for love. When his first wife abandons him for another, he vows to kill each new wife before they can leave him too. After three years of killing a new bride everyday, the supply of young eligible maiden's in his kingdom is running low. In an effort to protect her, King Shahryar's trusted adviser, keeps his own daughter, Shahrazad, a secret. Eventually, she is found out and her time comes to marry the King. However, Shahrazad concocts a clever plan to tell the King a story every night before bed to spare her life. Her stories are so wonderful and exciting that the King must keep her alive until the next night to continue. This goes on for one thousand and one nights until Shahrazad tires and can no longer tell her tales. Will the King take Shahrazad's life? You must read this enchanting adventure to find out for yourself.
McCaughrean's One Thousand and One Arabian Nights is a part of the Beautiful Feet Intermediate Medieval History study. Only select chapters are assigned in their guide. However, you can certainly read more if you so choose. Ruben really enjoyed the tales I read aloud. I absolutely adored the beautiful ending, which made me want to go back some day and read the stories we missed.
Overall, I think McCaughrean's retelling is great for getting acquainted with these classic tales. They may not be as in depth as other translations, but certainly suitable for middle school or anyone looking to get a basic understanding for historical relevance.
We enjoyed this book when we did this BF plan!
ReplyDelete