Written by bestselling author Saviour Pirotta, this fast-paced story is set in the Islamic Golden Age when Baghdad was the largest and most dazzling city in the world. Perfect for fans of thrilling adventure. Thirteen-year-old Jabir is hoping to save his family from being made homeless by finding work in Baghdad. Famished after his long journey to the city, Jabir is caught stealing bread and sent to prison. Luckily, one of the guards there notices that he has a gift for carving wooden models and he is released on the orders of the grand caliph Harun al Rashid himself. In return Jabir must carve twelve golden horsemen, a gift from the caliph to the emperor Charlemagne. But someone is determined to stop Jabir from completing the work and he will stop at nothing, not even arson, to achieve his aim. Can Jabir and his friend Yasmina finish the horsemen or will Jabir be sent back to prison? This exciting and readable adventure story is packed with great characters and insight into Islamic civilisation and the historic culture of the Middle East circa AD 900, a period which is now studied in the National Curriculum. The Flashbacks series offers dramatic stories set in key moments of history, perfect for introducing children to historical topics.

 

This book is part of a book series called Flashbacks .

This book is aimed at children in secondary school.

There are 160 pages in this book. This book was published 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC .

Richard Joyce has written two adult non-fiction books, the first about cricket - a sport he has an unhealthy obsession with - was nominated for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year. His first book for children is the product of an alphabetical negotiation: his family lobbied him for a pet, he offered them an ant, they badgered him for a badger, he countered with offers of a centipede, dust mite, earwig and flea; in the end they settled on a story about a goat. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and three children. Freya Hartas is a UK based illustrator. She specializes in conjuring up strange characters, animals and monsters- creating fantastical worlds for them to inhabit and get lost in. Her first picture book Little Kong will publish with Lemniscaat in October 2015. She has also illustrated teen series The Dark Lord published by Orchard Books. Saviour Pirotta has written a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts and won awards both here and in the US.