A fascinating series, spanning 15 some years in Pakistan.  Shabanu is a desert girl, who through a series of tragic events, is married off to be the fourth wife of a much older, wealthy and powerful clan leader.  Desperate for freedom and safety for herself and her young daughter, Shabanu waits for the right time to seize control of her own future.

Shabanu, a Newbery Honor book was the first, and in my mind, the best book of the series.  Staples includes rich Pakistani history and culture, and her tale of Shabanu being forced to leave her beloved family and desert home is amazing.  The remaining two books are good, and wrap up the story, but they aren’t of the same quality as the first.  Although I liked how the series ended overall, in The House of Djinn, Staples used djinn (mischievous spirits) to move the plot along.  These supernatural beings were not in keeping with the feel of the first two books, were very distracting, and not at all necessary for me.  Other than that, it’s an excellent series, well worth reading.

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