The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams, by Daniel Nayeri

     From the author of Everything Sad is Untrue, this second book by Daniel Nayeri is a blend of folktale, picture book, and fable - with a lot of humor thrown in! Thanks in part to the wonderful artwork of Daniel Miyares, Seller of Dreams reminds me of some of the books I would read as a young pup, the sorts that had pictures on the oversized spine and came in bright oranges and greens. I always read a new book with one eye on who I think would enjoy this story, and I have to admit I was a bit baffled throughout most of the book. But the end of the story was unpredictable, and a real treat for sticking with it until the end (there were a few times during the book when I wasn't sure where this story was going, or if it was worth finding out), like the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop! 

    Samir is a traveling salesman as well as a wonderfully enthusiastic teller of stories. His story is being told by a young boy who has many of his own stories to tell, but when the boy's life and Samir's come together, the boy is being chased by a mob of rock throwing monks, and when Samir trades some of his possessions for the boy's life, he gives him the name Monkey (monk-ey!). And so the story begins. Samir and Monkey are part of a traveling caravan of merchants and nomads traveling the Silk Road in the early 11th Century. Author Nayeri shares in his notes at the end of the story that he has always had a fascination for the Silk Road, and from his notes and the story he creates in this book it is easy to see why. That "road" of hundreds of miles is where trade between the East and what was then the West was focused, but I don't think many of us know a lot about it. Samir and Monkey travel this trail throughout the book, and experience many wonderful adventures along the way!

    I think you would like this book if you are open to reading something different than what you might normally read...if you are open to a whimsical tale where adventure and humor are woven together to create a life like you may not have ever imagined. I mentioned that during my reading I often wondered where this story was going, and if you wonder the same thing but stay to the end, I think you'll be very satisfied with where the entire book takes you! Seller of Dreams did win the Newbery Honor last year, so you know it's a better-than-average story. I hope you'll stretch yourself a bit and give this a try...and then let me know what you think in the comments! Happy New Year, and happy reading! 4 paws!