When Bayt-Sajji leaders announce that young people ages 12 to 17 from any background are now eligible to become squires, Aiza seizes the opportunity. She is Ornu, a conquered people disdained by citizens and the government alike. Success would mean a pathway to citizenship—currently denied to the Ornu—not to mention potential knighthood and economic stability. At her parents’ urging, Aiza keeps her Ornu identity a secret at training camp. Her fellow recruits come from throughout the Bayt-Sajji Empire, and despite their differences and competitiveness, friendships begin to form. Unbeknownst to Aiza, one of her new friends is spying on her for the camp general. When Aiza is promoted to squire, it’s clear to readers, but not Aiza, that the general is using her and setting up the Ornu in order to advance both her own and the Empire’s interests. This ambitious, beautifully illustrated graphic novel is a fantasy that taps into the hopes, anxieties, pressures, and idealism of youth, with a setting and characters inspired by the diversity of the Arab world. In notes, the author and illustrator discuss their desire to encourage young people to interrogate the stories they are told that shape their understanding of history and the present, considering whose perspectives dominate the narrative, and whose perspectives and experiences are not reflected or are missing.  (Age 11 and older)

From two incredible rising talents comes the fantasy graphic novel Molly Knox Ostertag calls “instantly compelling.” A New England Book Award and Harvey Award winner!

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program. 

It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

In this breathtaking and timely story, Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.