How To Free A Jinn is an exciting debut by Raidah Shah Idil, with a mysterious and dangerous invisible world, inclusive themes, and good role models. Overall, it ticks all the boxes for an excellent middle grade fantasy.
Feature image credit: Allen & Unwin
After her nenek (grandmother) has a bad fall, Insyirah and her mother uproot from their life in Sydney and return to Kuala Lumpur to take care of her. But in this part of the world, dangerous jungle spirits known as jinn are everywhere, and Insyirah discovers that she, like her nenek and other women in her family, can see and interact with jinn. This gets Insyirah into all kinds of trouble, but also leads to healing old family wounds.
How to Free a Jinn has very inclusive themes. Insyirah is a main character with clear autistic traits, including anxiety around change and struggles with overstimulation, among other things. Rather than her autism being a label, or a problem, it is simply the way she is with no excuses, which is refreshing. Muslim culture is also heavily featured, in a natural way that shows that it is part of Insyirah’s everyday life. We also see characters showing acceptance of others with different points of view, such as Insyirah’s friend Nurul, who is too scared to chase jinn, and her aunt Maklong, who doesn’t believe in jinn at all. The author does all of this well, without sounding forced or preachy. The only thing that felt a little forced was the way some plot points moved forward without any kind of reaction from the characters or explanation. There’s a jinn haunting the school? This is accepted by everyone immediately. It felt a little jarring at times, especially early in the book when the world and culture were still being established.
As well as the typical middle grade themes of friendship and learning about oneself, the fantasy elements are mystical and exciting. The parallel world of the jinn includes vivid imagery and a wonderful sense of creepiness, and the jinn themselves are clearly portrayed as having the capacity to be equally kind and dangerous.
As this book was published in Australia but heavily features another culture, I do wish it came with a glossary or a short explanation of some elements of Malay or Muslim culture. There are quite a few Malay words that are not translated, and other elements that are given no explanation or context. While I could still get the general gist of a scene from the context, some more information that I could refer to would have added more depth to the reading experience and potential educational aspect for young readers.
Overall, How To Free A Jinn is a wonderfully inclusive tale for middle grade readers. With themes of fitting in in a new place, discovering a personal identity, and inclusion, this story is a great addition to any school library.
Reviewed by Kristin Stefanoff
X: @StefanoffK
Instagram: @imaginenewworlds
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Allen & Unwin
Released: September 2024
RRP: $17.99
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