How to free a jinn by Raidah Shah Idil

Insyirah is an anxious Muslim girl who lives with her mother Sarah in Sydney.  But her proud, wealthy grandmother has a fall, and they are forced to return to Kuala Lumpur to live with her in their ancestral home.  Insiyrah is happy to be back with Nenek in her beautiful home and discovers things about her family that she had never encountered in Australia. She learns about the powerful and hidden world of jinn (ancient jungle spirits) and how her grandmother has had one to do her bidding since she was a girl. Insyirah had never felt completely at home in Sydney where her religion set her apart from her friends at school and made her a target of racial abuse.  In her Malaysian school she makes friends easily and begins to enjoy her new life but that is when things begin to go wrong.  Her school seems to be haunted by an evil jinn and this one has a grudge against Insyirah and her ancestors.  She must get to the bottom of the horrible secret that has made this jinn so determined to get rid of her and at the same time figure out how to help her family and friends with her newly found power.
A fast-paced, exciting debut novel from this author that is an absorbing read for older Primary and lower secondary students and is a refreshing education into Muslim religion and Malay culture.  It focusses on jinn, part of Malaysian folklore that I have never heard of before and gave me a great introduction to explore this supernatural world. 

Themes: Families, Genies, Paranormal, Grandparents, Malaysian Folklore.

Gabrielle Anderson