Scheherazade’s Secret by Gayle C. Krause

 

    Scheherazade’s Secret is a twist on the traditional Ali Baba story. It takes place in Persia where a young orphan named Scheherazade wishes to escape the streets of Parsa. Eventually Scheherazade and her sister Dinazade find themselves as part of the king's harem and in fear for their lives. When Scheherazade finds a dented lamp she knows that she must make a wish before her sister and her perish. So she rubs the lamp and wishes to become a princess. Before she can blink, her wish comes true and she is the next princess in line to marry the king. However Scheherazade has her heart set on marrying his son, Prince Sanjar.  As more unsafe events ensue Scheherazade continues to use her lamp in hopes of saving her family and marrying her one true love. To tell you  how the story ends would spoil all the fun and rob you from an adventure like no other. So, please, read the book. You’ll thank me later!

    In this novelette author Gayle Krause uses metaphor and imagery in a way that completely captured me as a reader. I have read many of her stories and always feel like I am watching a movie rather than reading a book. This story is no different and was a quick and enjoyable read. I would love to use this text for guided reading.  It is short enough to finish in a few weeks and extremely word rich. It can be used to dissect the author’s craft and as a mentor text for writing for intermediate grades. 

By:Elizabeth Moro