The Weight of Our Sky

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1969, Melati has a secret. An evil Djinn lives in her head, filling her mind with terrible thoughts of her mother dying, and the only way she can stop it is to count and tap things, secretly, so no one finds out. Then one day, extreme violence breaks out between the Malays and the Chinese. Melati, who is Malay, is rescued by a Chinese family, but Melati is still terrified – will she ever be able to reunite with her mother? All the while, the Djinn is still tormenting her.

This book dealt with a lot of hard themes. Melati has a mental illness, but can’t get the help she needs. And then there was all the violence that was happening between the different groups. But this is still an amazing book. There are people who are brave and care for each other and even for strangers, and who stand up for what is right even when they are in danger. And Melati is finally able to find a way to stand up to the Djinn. Melati is real and believable, and you get caught up in the story – it is really scary, but finally it is beautiful too. Because this book is so emotionally hard, it would probably be best for older tweens and teens.