Nisa Qamar and the Circle of the Astrolabe
- 114 pages
- 4 hours of reading
What happens when a class project pairs you with two contrasting personalities? Nisa's group includes the lively Hasna and Amir, the quiet new boy. Their planning session takes an unexpected turn due to a broken watch and a mysterious artifact known as the Timekeeper's Manifesto, which reveals a cryptic message about searching the past to find one's purpose. As a strange green gas envelops Johannesburg, the President declares a citywide shutdown, imposing curfews and turning gas masks and oxygen tanks into essential gear. Schools close, and a thick green darkness blankets the city, freezing it in time. According to the Circle of the Astrolabe, they must act quickly to reverse the chaos before the green menace takes permanent hold. How much longer can they withstand this threat, and who will step up to restore normalcy? This is the fourth installment in the Nisa Qamar series by WordFlute Press, with previous titles recognized in the MAHLA awards and the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature 2019. Shafinaaz Hassim, an award-winning South African writer, crafts enchanting stories for readers of all ages.