Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask (An Amanda Travels Adventure)

Amanda is a twelve year old Canadian student who dreams of travel and adventure. Shortly after she blows out her birthday candles, Amanda's wish comes true when she is invited to spend a month with her Aunt Ella and Uncle Ben in the United Arab Emirates. Soon Amanda immerses herself in the local culture by visiting a market where a local merchant sells her a mysterious perfume flask that purportedly once belonged to a princess. Amanda meets another young English girl living in her aunt's building. They explore the seashore and a deserted Bedouin village where Amanda meets Princess Shamza who claims to have sold the perfume flask and her camel to get money to survive. Shamza has run away from her parents to avoid an arranged marriage to a wealthy old man. Lots of adventures ensue: camel races, sandstorms, kidnappings, and meeting Princess Shamza's true love, a boy named Mohammed. How will Amanda's journey end? Will she remain friends with Leah? Do the princess and Mohammed find happiness?This is book one of Amanda's travels. Lots of action and interesting characters, mixed with tidbits of culture and local customs. Middle grade readers become immersed in the action while learning a lot about multicultural characters and customs. Looking forward to seeing where Amanda will land next. I have a feeling that her love of adventure and generous spirit will lead her readers to be eager to join her again in the future.

Amanda is a twelve-year-old Canadian girl who’s given the opportunity to spend a month-long vacation with her aunt and uncle in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She’s immediately drawn to the sites and beauty of a land that’s very foreign from her own and is thrilled when she gets the opportunity to ride on a camel. On a trip to a local village she buys an intricate and old perfume flask from a mysterious shop owner who insists he knew it was meant for her. From there Amanda’s vacation is filled with adventure, intrigue and even danger.This was a wonderful chapter book for young girls. I love books that show girls as adventurous heroes and this one certainly fits that category perfectly. Amanda in Arabia contains just the right amount of action, suspense and mystery to keep youngsters involved and reading. It’s a super quick read and I finished it in just under an hour.The cultural references were educational and engaging. Ms. Foster has placed a spunky tween in the main character role and it works beautifully. What young girl doesn’t need another positive role model to read about? Wonderful!

This was the first book in the Amanda Travels series my son, Michael (aged 11 years old) and I, read together. Michael found it very interesting and enjoyed the descriptions of this desert country. He liked learning about the camels and reading about the camel race and a sand storm in the desert. The story was sufficiently fast paced to keep him interested and he wanted to read every night [instead of his usual practice of procrastinating for as long as possible before getting down to his reading]. I enjoyed the book to and thought the language was pitched at the right level for a middle school reader. My only comment on this book is that I was not sure if two foreign girls in UAE would have that much freedom to wander around but this certainly did not detract from the story line.

I LOVED this young adult novel. I enjoyed the story AND I learned a lot about a part of the world unfamiliar to me. The story was well written and I want to read more of her books. As a retired teacher I often find it painful reading e books that really needed an editor to proof read and correct the manuscripts. No such problems with this book. Do not dismiss it because it is written for a young audience. The United Arab Emirates is unfamiliar to most Americans and we can all benefit from stories that help us understand our global neighbors. It is like a mini vacation, kudos!

Not just an exciting read for middle-graders, this story provides many fun facts about the Arabian culture, like the types of camels living in the UAE, the diet, and just how treacherous sand dunes can be! Looking forward to Amanda's adventures in other locations, especially in England and the latest, in the Danube.

Interesting story. BUT I cannot Imagine the premise: that a 12 year old girl; or even 2 of them would be so offhandedly treated by their parents: letting the girls wander about unchaperoned in Arabia? No fear of kidnapping, rape or even murder? This story would be believable if set in Canada, where the author lives... bar the camels... but totally UNBELIEVABLE FANTASY adventure.

I really liked this story, written about a 12-year-old girl visiting the UAE. I can just imagine being that age again, and how exciting reading this book would be. I found the story sweet and interesting, and I loved learning a little about the culture in the Emirates. This story had clean adventure, friendship, and romance. It was a delightful, short read, and I would be interested in reading the other books in the "Amanda" series.

What a great book for a young girl who enjoys adventure. Darlene Foster has written a Nancy Drew like book set in UAE. Amanda is ready for adventure when she goes to visit her aunt and uncle. She makes a new friend, Leah. But what happens when she buys a perfume flash?

Lovely little read...I've now passed the title on to my friends daughter...good storyline...characters really good...I could imagine the scene in the desert....I hope to read more...keep up the good work.

I love the book It is a greatLovelyWonderfulA book that I readA book based in UAE