Moonchild: City of the Sun

Aisha Bushby does it again! His is the second book in the Moonchild series and was just as magical as the first one. Although we now have a group of Moon Children, this book follows Farah. Unlike Amira, Farah is not a natural story teller but she relents, due to feeling inferior, and tells her story, which is the next stage of the Moon Children’s story. This time, their story takes them to the desert, to try and find and rescue the magical, hidden city. Along the way, they find other moon children and their jinn. Together, they journey on their quest until they become separated.

I adore the writing style of these books. We regularly break the 4th wall and the narrators are regularly talking to the reader.

This is truly a magical, enchanting middle grade and I desperately hope it is not the last we see of these wonderful moon children.

Moonchild: City of the Sun simply oozes magic - it drips off each and every page. Aisha Bushby is truly an extraordinarily talented author. Like a magician, she has created her own world, which is evocative and immersive. The world described in this book carries the feeling that it has always existed. The characters are likeable and believable, with individual flaws and motives inspired by their backgrounds.

Farah is a Moonchild and a very reluctant narrator. Accompanied by her magical companion - a jinni - she is forced to embark on a quest to restore balance to the world. Can she find the lost city located where the sun shines brightest or will the sun set on this adventure before she is even ready to begin?

Aisha Bushby’s writing is different to anything I have read before. I love how she plays around with different conventions within her books, making them feel fresh and unique. I very much enjoyed reading Moonchild: City of the Sun, both for the story itself, but also for the reader experience this book offers: narrators arguing over the best way to tell the story; characters stepping out of the story scape to speak directly to the reader; myths woven into the fabric of the tale etc.

I very much look forward to sharing this book with my class. Not only will they love the story, but they will also benefit as writers from studying the talented and unique prose style that Bushby so effectively utilises. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.