Little is known about the fifteenth-century Persian painter Bizhad - we only know he worked in what is now Afghanistan and Iran and that he was the first artist to sign his works. "Jackal in the Garden" imagines Bizhad as an astoundingly gifted dreamer and contrasts him with a strong female protagonist, Anubis, born disfigured into her father's harem. She must fight for survival - which leads her to Bizhad and the colony he leads. Both philosophers, they find common ground. Yet their different attitudes offer a sharp, unusual commentary on life, survival and art that will resonate with young adult readers seeking their place in the world.

 

 

This book is part of a book series called Art Encounters .

This book has been graded for interest at 11-15 years.

There are 176 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2007 by Watson-Guptill Publications .

Deborah Ellis is also the author of several books and has been the recipient of many Canadian awards for her writing.