Books by Sonia Nimr
Novels for Young Adults

Thunderbird 3
(طائر الرعد 3)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2021
ISBN: 9789950270473
In the third and final book of the Thunderbird trilogy, Noor finds herself in Byzantine Jerusalem in the year 638 CE, where the city is under siege. Joined by Sabeeka, the djinn who takes the form of a cat, Noor meets the twins Helena and Julian, who possess the power of healing. Together, they team up to find the thunderbird. However, before they can accomplish this, they are swallowed by a giant, worm-like creature which transports them to the world beyond the wall separating the djinn world from the human realm. In the terrifying, dark, gloomy Bacosala’a world of worm–like creatures, Noor and her friends are rescued and delivered to the colorful and peaceful world of the Sakarik. Here, they discover that Bacosala’a are stealing the golden liquid that sustains the Sakarik's life. Will Noor and her friends rescue the Sakarik and return to the human world in time to find the last two thunderbird feathers needed to save the world?

Thunderbird 2
(طائر الرعد 2)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2020
ISBN: 9789950270350
In this second volume, Noor finds herself in the year 1177 in Jerusalem during the Crusades. With the help of the Djinn and Zainab—a girl who has the power of invisibility—and her local resistance group, Noor must again find a feather belonging to the thunderbird before it burns, to prevent the world of the djinn and other creatures from collapsing into the human world. Along the way, Noor assists the resistance in saving hundreds of books and manuscripts from destruction. Like the first book in the trilogy, Book Two combines magic with real events from Palestinian history, taking the reader on a wild and adventurous ride through time.

Thunderbird 1
(طائر الرعد 1)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2016
ISBN: 9789950260856
Reviewer Link
The Thunderbird trilogy is a fast-paced, time-traveling fantasy adventure centered on Noor, a young orphaned Palestinian girl. Beginning in the present, Noor must travel back in time to collect four magical feathers from the phoenix before it burns and save the world. With the aid of a djinn taking the form of a cat and girls who look identical to Noor—each possessing one of the bird’s powers—this initial volume launches Noor on her journey through different historical periods, striving to keep the wall between worlds intact.

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2013
ISBN: 9789950260108
Reviewer LinkIn a tent at the foot of a mountain in Palestine, hundreds of years ago, our storyteller and her twin sister were born. Her name is Qamar (Moon), and her sister is Shams (Sun). Their small caravan is journeying from their mother’s city back to their father’s remote ancestral village atop the mountain. This village suffers from isolation—and a curse—which their young family tries to undo. But when both parents' lives are cut short, Qamar and her sister are left orphans. Qamar decides to pursue her parents’ dreams of discovering the world—its people, places, and stories. With the red book that brought her parents together in hand, she sets out on a daring journey across empires, traveling by caravans and ships. Telling tales to survive, Qamar crosses deserts and seas: to Jerusalem and Gaza, Egypt, Tangier, Andalusia, and Genoa; Abyssinia, India, the Maldives, and Yemen. She faces kidnappers, is sold as a slave to the house of a mad king, studies with a polymath, disguises herself as a man, and falls in love for the first time—with a pirate. Qamar searches irrepressibly for life, uncovering endless stories within stories.

A Little Piece of Ground
Macmillan Publishers London, 2003
ISBN: 9780330437431
Twelve-year-old Karim longs to play football in occupied Ramallah, but a curfew keeps him home. His struggle for freedom highlights the everyday resilience of Palestinian youth.

Ghaddar the Ghoul and Other Palestinian Stories
Frances Lincoln London, 2007
ISBN: 978-1845075231
Nine Palestinian folk tales retold for young readers. Clever tricksters, mischievous animals, and bold women feature in this delightful anthology.
Illustrated Books

When It Rained Fish (عندما أمطرت السماء سمكاً )
Al Aswar Books Acre, 2021
ISBN: 1407193221
This is the story of Saeed, who is not known for his smarts, unlike his wife. While looking for a paid job, he ends up stealing the chameleon’s gold, triggering a bizarre phenomenon where the sky begins to rain fish, vegetables, and candy.

The Blue Door (الباب الأزرق)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2018
ISBN: 9789950270190
Every night, a little girl plays with her grandfather on an old blue magical door. It's their secret time travel port. It takes them to a different time in Palestine and to her grandfather’s destroyed village, which magically comes to life with colors, green trees, and vibrant life whenever he touches the ground.

King of Tales (ملك الحكايات)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2014
ISBN: 9789950260375
On moonlit nights, the forest animals gather to share stories, but when it’s the grasshopper’s turn, they mock him, claiming he has no tales to tell. Determined to fit in, he tries to be strong like an elephant, roars like a lion, and even disguises himself as a chameleon, but to no avail. But later in the story with his son by his side, he returns to the gathering, finally ready to share his own

The Lion Who Lost His Sleep (الأسد الذي فقد نومه)
Al Aswar Books Acre, 2014
ISBN: 1407-193093
Reviewer LinkThis is the tale of a lion, the king of the forest, who loves nothing more than to sleep. While danger looms from fearsome machines with teeth, the animals turn to him for help. The lion promises to solve their problems and devise a clever plan, but instead, he dozes off again and again, pretending to work while truly lost in slumber. Will the lion wake up in time to save his kingdom, or will his laziness lead to disaster?

Zalloutah (زلّوطة)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2011
ISBN: 9789950260344
This is the tale of a fly who loves her cozy home in the rubbish bin. When she gets into a squabble with other flies over her favorite spot, things take a turn for the worse. Ultimately, the landlady decides to close the bin, forcing her to leave. Now, she must find a new place to call home!

Mukhtar’s Big Ears (مختار أبو دنين كبار)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2011
ISBN: 98799540326798
Mukhtar is a boy who feels self-conscious about his large ears, which make him the target of bullying in his village and among his peers. Despite his efforts to hide them, the bullying

قصة أولها خيال واخرها خيال
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2003
ISBN: 9789950260535
The king wanted his only son and heir to get married and presented him with choices: a princess, a rich girl, or a beautiful girl. However, the prince had a different idea; he wanted a girl who reads books and knows how to tell stories. He sought a story that begins and ends with lies. Girls came from all corners of the kingdom, each trying but failing to tell the prince a story that began and ended with lies. Just as the prince’s patience began to wane, an ordinary girl in a simple dress approached him. She began to tell a most imaginative and fantastical story about a giant rooster that emerged from a round egg , a town inside a water melon and being shot in the sky by a canon and other fantastical details.

Mandoura (مندورة)
Al Aswar Books Acre, 2007
ISBN: 978-965-7439-17-3
Mandoura is a curious girl with a heart full of wonder. She’s captivated by the world around her, always asking questions. Her insatiable curiosity leads her to a tiny world inhabited by the rainbow painters. But when they discover they’ve run out of red, Mandoura embarks on a magical adventure, learning profound lessons about nature along the way. Will she be able to help them find the color red and finish the rainbow?

The Dragon (التنين)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2001
This story is about a town besieged by a monstrous dragon that no one can face. While help is sought but no avail, a brave girl stands up for her town and its people and manages to defeat the monster with a single stone, thus saving the city.

Tanbouri’s Shoes
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 1996
Based on Arabic classical heritage, it is converted here into a folktale shape in rhyme, this is the story of a miser who wants to get rid of his old shoes, but they keep coming back to him as each attempts entangles him more and more into troubles.

The smart swallow
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 1996
Based on classical Arabic heritage, woven in rhyme to resemble folk tales, this story tries to answer, why do snakes eat frogs? why the tail of the swallow is forked? and why do mosquitos make a buzzing sound?
When Children Meet History

From Eibal to the Port (من عيبال للمينا)
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2013
ISBN: 9789950260153
This book is a collaborative effort with young adults who gathered oral history testimonies from older generations. It’s a project, that aimed to introduce the young adults into oral history as a research method.

من القدس تبدأ الحكاية
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2009
ISBN: 9789950326521
This book is a joint effort with young adults who collected oral testimonies and stories from shop owners in the old souqs of Jerusalem. It’s the second project, that aimed to introduce the young adults into oral history as a research method.

Short History of Palestine
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2004
ISBN: 9950326079
This book is an attempt to tell the history of Palestine using a collection of pictures that recounts the main events in the contemporary Palestine.

Yalo “oral history of this village”
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2000
ISBN: N/A
This is a joint work with young adults, who gathered oral history testimonies from older people about the village of Yalo which was destroyed in 1967. It’s a book project that aimed to introduce the young adults into oral history as a research method.
Most Popular Books

قصة أولها خيال واخرها خيال
ISBN: 9789950260535
Age: Children
The king wanted his only son and heir to get married and presented him with choices: a princess, a rich girl, or a beautiful girl. However, the prince had a different idea; he wanted a girl who reads books and knows how to tell stories. He sought a story that begins and ends with lies. Girls came from all corners of the kingdom, each trying but failing to tell the prince a story that began and ended with lies. Just as the prince’s patience began to wane, an ordinary girl in a simple dress approached him. She began to tell a most imaginative and fantastical story about a giant rooster that emerged from a round egg , a town inside a water melon and being shot in the sky by a canon and other fantastical details.

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands
ISBN: 9789950260108
Age: young adults
Reviewer LinkIn a tent at the foot of a mountain in Palestine, hundreds of years ago, our storyteller and her twin sister were born. Her name is Qamar (Moon), and her sister is Shams (Sun). Their small caravan is journeying from their mother’s city back to their father’s remote ancestral village atop the mountain. This village suffers from isolation—and a curse—which their young family tries to undo. But when both parents' lives are cut short, Qamar and her sister are left orphans. Qamar decides to pursue her parents’ dreams of discovering the world—its people, places, and stories. With the red book that brought her parents together in hand, she sets out on a daring journey across empires, traveling by caravans and ships. Telling tales to survive, Qamar crosses deserts and seas: to Jerusalem and Gaza, Egypt, Tangier, Andalusia, and Genoa; Abyssinia, India, the Maldives, and Yemen. She faces kidnappers, is sold as a slave to the house of a mad king, studies with a polymath, disguises herself as a man, and falls in love for the first time—with a pirate. Qamar searches irrepressibly for life, uncovering endless stories within stories.

Thunderbird 1
(طائر الرعد 1)
ISBN: 9789950260856
Age: young adults
Reviewer Link
The Thunderbird trilogy is a fast-paced, time-traveling fantasy adventure centered on Noor, a young orphaned Palestinian girl. Beginning in the present, Noor must travel back in time to collect four magical feathers from the phoenix before it burns and save the world. With the aid of a djinn taking the form of a cat and girls who look identical to Noor—each possessing one of the bird’s powers—this initial volume launches Noor on her journey through different historical periods, striving to keep the wall between worlds intact.

The Blue Door (الباب الأزرق)
ISBN: 9789950270190
Age: Children
Reviewer LinkEvery night, a little girl plays with her grandfather on an old blue magical door. It's their secret time travel port. It takes them to a different time in Palestine and to her grandfather’s destroyed village, which magically comes to life with colors, green trees, and vibrant life whenever he touches the ground.

King of Tales (ملك الحكايات)
ISBN: 9789950260375
Age: Children
Reviewer LinkOn moonlit nights, the forest animals gather to share stories, but when it’s the grasshopper’s turn, they mock him, claiming he has no tales to tell. Determined to fit in, he tries to be strong like an elephant, roars like a lion, and even disguises himself as a chameleon, but to no avail. But later in the story with his son by his side, he returns to the gathering, finally ready to share his own
Translated Books
Thunderbird
"Fast-paced, magical, and inventive"


Translated By: Marcia Lynx Qualey
University of Texas, Austin, 2022
ISBN: 9781477325810
Language: English

Translated By: Marcia Lynx Qualey
University of Texas, Austin, 2023
Language: English
ISBN:

Translated By: Marcia Lynx Qualey
University of Texas, Austin, 2024
Language: English
ISBN: 9781477327524
Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands
"Small in Size but Epic in Scope"


Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands
Translated By: Marcia Lynx Qualey
Interlink Publishing Group, Inc.
First Edition, 2021
Language: English
ISBN: 9781623718664

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands
Translated By: Marcia Lynx Qualey
Interlink Publishing Group, Inc.
Second Edition, 2024
Language: English
ISBN: 9781623716486

Forunderlige reiser i fremmede lande
Translated By: Elisabeth Moestrup
Jensen and Delgaard Publishers, 2024
Language: Danish
ISBN: 9788771518825

Viajes Extraordinarios por Tierras Misteriosas
Translated By: Monica Carrion
Icaria editorial, 2016
Language: Spanish
ISBN: 9788498887426

Viatges Extraordinaris per Terres Misterioses
Translated By: Monica Carrion
Jarit Associacio Civil, 2017
First Edition
Language: Catalan
ISBN: 9788461780310

Viatges Extraordinaris per Terres Misterioses
Translated By: Monica Carrion
Jarit Associacio Civil, 2018
Second Edition
Language: Catalan
ISBN: 9788409009343

سفريه سرزمين هاك غريب
Translated By: Qasim Fathi
Nasher Atraf
Language: Farisi (Persian)
ISBN: 9786229488027
Portuguese, December 2024
Publisher: Tabla, Brazil
French, Fall 2025
Publisher: Le Labyrinthe de Theia Editions, France
A Story that Begins and Ends with Lies
"A magical, imaginative story to save a prince,"


Pribeh, ktory sa zacina aj konci s fantaziou
Civic Association Sinieckovo, 2023
Language: Slovak
ISBN: 9788089314690
.webp)
Una história inventada do começo ao fin
Translated By: Maria Carolina Goncalves
Tabla Brazil, 2022
Language: Portugeuse
ISBN: 9786587796178
Ghaddar the Ghoul and Other Palestinian Stories
"Clever tricksters, mischievous animals, and bold women. Delightful anthology."


Ghaddar o Demonio
Companhia das Letras, 2012
Language: Portugeuse, Brazilian Edition
ISBN: 9788574066288

Märchen im Gepäck - حكايات في حقيبتي
Translated By: Micaela Sauber
AphorisA, 2018
Language: German
ISBN: 978386575032
A Little Piece of Ground
"It’s a rare little gem that articulates the nature of oppression."


قطعة صغيرة من الأرض
Translated By: Samar Al Qutob
Tamer Institute Ramallah, 2004
Language: Arabic
ISBN: 9789950326392
Reviewer LinkExplore the Unwritten
Immerse yourself in the magical world of Sonia Nimr's unwritten tales. Interactive adventures inspired by the art of oral storytelling. Click on one below to become a part of the story.