The Magician of Samarkand
Alan Temperley

Macmillan Childrens 2004
154 pp., pbk., $12.95
0330415735

The Magician of Samarkand written by Alan Temperley is set in a desert in the town of Samarkand, India. The main character is Anahita. She is the beautiful, gentle daughter of the town's master saddle maker .

Anahita and her family live happily in the beautiful city of Samarkand
Anahita’s beauty is noticed not only by the handsome and kind prince Sohrab, but also by a new arrival to the city, the evil magician Zohak Ali, who has come to the city with the purpose of bringing the city and its riches under his control.

Anahita upsets the magician when she refuses to marry him and as a punishment Zohak Ali changes her into a bent old woman. She is forced to flee the city when Zohak Ali spreads vicious lies about her and seeks refuge in the distant mountains. After two years she returns to a very different Samarkard to the one she left. The people of the city live in fear of Zohak Ali and many people have disappeared including Anahita’s brother and father. Anahita plans to trick the evil Zohak Ali and return the city of Samarkand to the city it once was.

The storyline is well written and it moves along at an entertaining pace.
I think this book would be suited to readers aged 8 years and older.
I enjoyed reading this book and enjoyed the way it ended. I enjoyed the inclusion of the animal characters that helped Anahita with her plans to get rid of Zohak Ali.

Ellie, aged 12 years, Adelaide.