‘A storm is coming,’ said the old navigator Hakim.
Milad stood beside him on the deck, feeling the rising wind blow against his face and tousle his hair. The
twelve ships of the fleet were drawn out in a long line. Their sails lowered, they rowed slowly through the
strait to avoid the treacherous coral reefs below the surface...
Milad has finally convinced his parents to allow him one voyage to sea as a sailor. After that he is to
return home to the wheat farm his family run. So begins an adventure greater than anything he has
imagined or dreamed about. Milad joins a great Phoenician fleet about to embark on a great journey to
seek treasures to bring to King Solomon. He makes friends with Hakim, an experienced and well-regarded
navigator. It is from him that Milad learns many of the skills needed to be a good sailor. They travel
towards Ophir in Africa. Renowned sailors though they are, there are others on the ocean. Long before
they reach their destination they are attacked by Kallabos, a cunning and tenacious Greek pirate.
Milad: The Voyage to Ophir is set at the time of King Solomon’s reign. Nazam Anhar weaves history and
adventure in this exciting novel about a boy’s first journey to sea. Milad, the bright but inexperienced
sailor has much to contend with, from a captain who doubts he will ever be of any use, to a stowaway who
trusts no one, to Hakim, almost the only one on board who treats him with any dignity. Hakim is teacher,
mentor and friend. Battle scenes are detailed, while violence is moderated for the age of the target reader.
Along the way, Milad and the reader learn about Phoenician sailors and ships, dangerous coral reefs in the
Red Sea, volcanoes in Ethiopia, the power and splendour of the Nile from its dual origins to the wide delta,
the building of the pyramids, and much more. There is enough detail to satisfy the curious, enough
adventure to excite the explorer and enough detailed skirmishes to satisfy the hungriest of readers.
Recommended for mid- to upper primary readers and beyond.
Review by Claire Saxby, winner of the “Crystal Kite” award for children’s writing (aussiereviews.com)
Milad is the first children’s novel set in the world of the Phoenicians.
Available from www.lebanesebooks.com; www.antoineonline.com; www.lcp.co.uk;
- as well as many bookstores in Australia and New Zealand.