Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

Hanna Alkaf

HarperCollins, 400 pp. ISBN: 978-0-06320-795-0

Grades 5 and up

Thirteen-year-old Hamra’s world is now circumscribed by COVID-19 lockdowns, a grandmother with Alzheimer’s, and a seemingly endless stream of nagging and chores. When she is sent on an errand through the Langkawi Jungle, angry Hamra ignores the traditional rules that must always be followed - and finds herself facing dire consequences in the form of a vengeful weretiger. Hamra must now use all her courage on a quest to right what has been wronged.

Hanna Alkaf

Ever since graduating with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University, Hanna Alkaf (please see: A note on names) has worked as a copywriter in online B2B marketing, a senior writer at a major fashion & lifestyle magazine, and a communications manager at a non-profit organization in education. She’s written everything from profiles to press releases, from corporate annual reports to long-form investigative features, from social media posts to email newsletters, and her work has appeared in the Malaysian iterations of Marie Claire, Esquire, Shape, Female, Her World, and more.

Hanna has lived in Malaysia her entire life except for the six years she spent studying and working in and near Chicago. She currently lives near Kuala Lumpur with her husband and two children, and attempts to write books while juggling her never-ending to-do list (this works on some days better than others).

author website