The renowned Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef has written his first children’s book, ‘The Magical Reality of Nadia’. Due to be published by Scholastic, the original publisher of the Harry Potter series in the US, in February 2021, the book is co-written with Catherine Daly, a former editor at Disney, Harper and Scholastic.
The book’s eponymous heroine is a 12-year-old Egyptian girl who moved to the US when she was six. She loves bobbleheads, and has collected 77 so far. But like many other children of colour, Nadia faces bullying and racism at school – particularly from one boy who considers her to be ‘different’.
When Nadia decides to organise a new exhibition at the local museum, she at first seems completely on her own in this endeavour. This is until she finds herself in the company of a mystical teacher, who takes Nadia on an adventurous trip to learn from history, opening the door to magic in her life.
