Thirteen-year-old Safiya (Saff) prefers defeating evil wizards in her favorite video game to facing the real-world frustrations of fighting with her mum or trying to figure out why her best friend is suddenly more interested in boys than spending time with her. But when Mum falls into a coma and Saff starts having mysterious dreams about her mother's childhood in Kuwait, Saff has to muster her courage to retrieve the real-world counterparts of magical items revealed in her mother's memories in order to wake her up. As she connects with her mum's past, Saff learns to stand up for herself, better understand her mother, and face the guilt and grief of saying goodbye. The scenes in Kuwait are lovingly rendered, informed by Bushby's own childhood there and marked by her signature magical touch. Middle-grade readers will relate to Saff's journey to newfound confidence and the joy of finding friends who love you for who you are. Back matter includes resources for teens dealing with grief and bullying.

A British teen tries to save her comatose mother through dreams that resemble a video game. After her parents' divorce when she was 9, Safiya Fisher chose to live with her English dad. Thirteen-year-old Safiya loves playing video games, but her theater-loving mother doesn't understand or respect her interest in them, and their differences are straining their relationship. When Mum has a stroke and ends up in a coma, Safiya instantly regrets pushing her away. During hospital visits, Safiya starts falling asleep and has strange dreams, which she realizes are her mother's memories of growing up in Kuwait. These dreams start to feel like the video games Safiya is always playing, and she becomes convinced she can help her mother wake up if only she can find a way to finish the game. As Safiya visits her mother's childhood home through these dreams, she realizes the similarities between herself and her mother at 13. While Safiya progresses in her video game dreams, her confidence grows, and this trickles into her reality. Tragedy comes early in the novel, while Safiya's exploration and maturation build slowly, pulling readers in as they inevitably become invested in her journey of personal development. Bushby writes with nuance and skill about a mother-daughter relationship fraught with misunderstanding, and Safiya's eventual realizations are equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking. A poignantly written novel that is hard to put down and even harder to forget. (discussion questions, resources) (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.