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The Bloodstone Thief
A hilarious and heartwarming fantasy adventure perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief! This is the middle grade debut from acclaimed author Sabina Khan.
Laila Habib is having the worst birthday ever, as she's just discovered that her family's two-year stay in Houston, Texas, is going to be extended . . . indefinitely. With one foot in her current life and one foot back in her old home in Mumbai, she doesn't feel like she truly belongs anywhere.
But her day only gets worse from there. Opening up what she thinks is a hidden birthday present, Laila unleashes an evil jinn from a magical amulet. Trapped there long ago by Laila's father, the jinn is eager for revenge, and drags Laila's father back to the magical world of Qaf.
To save her father, Laila must travel to Qaf, where she discovers that there's only one hope for freeing him. She must find the Bloodstone, an object that gives the holder absolute power. But doing so will require a quest that changes everything Laila ever thought she knew about who she is, what she believes, and who she can trust. Not fully belonging in the jinn world or our own, Laila has to create her own community, forge friendships, and fight for her family-no matter who or what they are.
Inspired by Islamic mythology, this hilarious and richly-woven middle-grade fantasy from Sabina Khan sparkles with humor, magic, friendship, and heart -- perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and Percy Jackson.
Laila Habib is having the worst birthday ever, as she's just discovered that her family's two-year stay in Houston, Texas, is going to be extended . . . indefinitely. With one foot in her current life and one foot back in her old home in Mumbai, she doesn't feel like she truly belongs anywhere.
But her day only gets worse from there. Opening up what she thinks is a hidden birthday present, Laila unleashes an evil jinn from a magical amulet. Trapped there long ago by Laila's father, the jinn is eager for revenge, and drags Laila's father back to the magical world of Qaf.
To save her father, Laila must travel to Qaf, where she discovers that there's only one hope for freeing him. She must find the Bloodstone, an object that gives the holder absolute power. But doing so will require a quest that changes everything Laila ever thought she knew about who she is, what she believes, and who she can trust. Not fully belonging in the jinn world or our own, Laila has to create her own community, forge friendships, and fight for her family-no matter who or what they are.
Inspired by Islamic mythology, this hilarious and richly-woven middle-grade fantasy from Sabina Khan sparkles with humor, magic, friendship, and heart -- perfect for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and Percy Jackson.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 2025
1 person is currently reading
2269 people want to read
About the author
Sabina Khan
10 books578 followersSabina Khan is the acclaimed author of the upcoming Middle Grade Fantasy THE BLOODSTONE THIEF (Scholastic, Fall 2025), and YA Contemporary novels WHAT A DESI GIRL WANTS, MEET ME IN MUMBAI, ZARA HOSSAIN IS HERE & THE LOVE AND LIES OF RUKHSANA ALI. She has lived in Germany, Bangladesh, Macao, Illinois and Texas before finally settling down in Vancouver, BC. When she’s not writing, you can find her playing with her adorable puppy, picking new songs for Karaoke or sitting in a coffee shop dreaming up new stories and characters.
Her books have received starred trade reviews; were a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Teen Indie Next Pick, were on the “Best Of” lists of Oprah Magazine and Seventeen, were featured on NBC News and the BBC, the NYT, Teen Vogue, as well as short-listed for the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize and the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Awards.
Find her on Twitter and Instagram @sabina_writer
Website: https://sabina-khan.com/
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 7, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Laila Habib is not very happy about her family relocating to Houston, Texas from Mumbai, India, but she takes small comfort in knowing that there is only one more year left in her mother's contract in the US. Having her grandmother with the family, and being allowed to continue her training in the art of Kalaripayattu, an Indian martial art, also helps. Still, she's occasionally angry, and when she is going through some unpacked boxes, she comes across a necklace she hasn't seen before. Unbeknownst to her, interacting with the necklace has awoken a spirit that takes her father, although she is told he is just traveling for work. She has access to a magical carpet inhabited by a jinn named Jamshed, who tells her that her father is actually the Jinn King of Qaf. Considering all of the stories her father has told her, this makes sense, and Laila is soon traveling to that world to save her father, armed only with her urumi sword, some sour gummies, and scant supplies. Arriving there, she is saved by a girl named Amina who is her cousin, and learns that her father has been taken by Bilquis, who wants to be the most powerful jinn. Amina's mother is the Sultana Zahra, who tells the girls that they need to find the Bloodstone in order to free Laila's father. Following a clue found in a picture frame, they head to a refugee camp, where they meet Raihan, who joins their quest. They must go to the Cave of Whispers, cross a desert, fight the Serpent Queen, figure out maps and riddles, and eventually go to the impenetrable Emerald Citadel to fight dragons. Even if they find Laila's father, will the people of Qaf be safe? A sequel is a possibility.
Strengths: Laila's experiences moving from Mumbai to Houston are fascinating, and I would have loved to know more about her Kalari training. She puts this to good use, of course, and her father's other lessons about the world of Qaf come in handy as well. The plot moves quickly, and the adventure is fast paced. There are clever moments, like fighting off the Serpent Queen by playing her and her minions with the sour gummies, which send them into a sugar high! The world of Qaf is well developed, with magical places, creatures, and spells that keep Laila and her companions of their toes. This could be a stand alone, but the ending makes me think that there could be another book to continue Laila's adventures.
Weaknesses: This is similar to the many fantasy quest adventures that have been published in the twenty years since Rick Riordan's first Percy Jackson book has come out, but there are always new readers for this genre, and books don't last forever in school libraries.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like culturally connected fantasy quests like Hoang's The Crossbow of Destiny, Lee's Pahua and the Soul Stealer or DasGupta'sKiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond.
Laila Habib is not very happy about her family relocating to Houston, Texas from Mumbai, India, but she takes small comfort in knowing that there is only one more year left in her mother's contract in the US. Having her grandmother with the family, and being allowed to continue her training in the art of Kalaripayattu, an Indian martial art, also helps. Still, she's occasionally angry, and when she is going through some unpacked boxes, she comes across a necklace she hasn't seen before. Unbeknownst to her, interacting with the necklace has awoken a spirit that takes her father, although she is told he is just traveling for work. She has access to a magical carpet inhabited by a jinn named Jamshed, who tells her that her father is actually the Jinn King of Qaf. Considering all of the stories her father has told her, this makes sense, and Laila is soon traveling to that world to save her father, armed only with her urumi sword, some sour gummies, and scant supplies. Arriving there, she is saved by a girl named Amina who is her cousin, and learns that her father has been taken by Bilquis, who wants to be the most powerful jinn. Amina's mother is the Sultana Zahra, who tells the girls that they need to find the Bloodstone in order to free Laila's father. Following a clue found in a picture frame, they head to a refugee camp, where they meet Raihan, who joins their quest. They must go to the Cave of Whispers, cross a desert, fight the Serpent Queen, figure out maps and riddles, and eventually go to the impenetrable Emerald Citadel to fight dragons. Even if they find Laila's father, will the people of Qaf be safe? A sequel is a possibility.
Strengths: Laila's experiences moving from Mumbai to Houston are fascinating, and I would have loved to know more about her Kalari training. She puts this to good use, of course, and her father's other lessons about the world of Qaf come in handy as well. The plot moves quickly, and the adventure is fast paced. There are clever moments, like fighting off the Serpent Queen by playing her and her minions with the sour gummies, which send them into a sugar high! The world of Qaf is well developed, with magical places, creatures, and spells that keep Laila and her companions of their toes. This could be a stand alone, but the ending makes me think that there could be another book to continue Laila's adventures.
Weaknesses: This is similar to the many fantasy quest adventures that have been published in the twenty years since Rick Riordan's first Percy Jackson book has come out, but there are always new readers for this genre, and books don't last forever in school libraries.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like culturally connected fantasy quests like Hoang's The Crossbow of Destiny, Lee's Pahua and the Soul Stealer or DasGupta'sKiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond.
February 13, 2026
Don't you hate it when you're having a bad birthday and then unknowingly release a jinn from a magical amulet? Well, that's what Laila Habib is going through. Not only that, but the jinn takes her father away as revenge because it was her father who trapped them in the first place. Now it's up to Laila to travel to the magic world—Qaf—to get her father back.
Note: Using new rating system starting 2025.
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February 25, 2025Read for work!
November 27, 2025
Would be a good recommendation for fantasy-loving middle graders. Indian culture is prevalent. Nice level of adventure and action.
December 18, 2025
My 4th grader (a big reader) absolutely loved this.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews