Yusuf’s adventures · Book 03 · Ages 8–12

An Adventure in Damascus

An important errand.
A kindness that cannot wait.

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Illustrated Edition sample · No sign-up needed

An Adventure in Damascus — Portrait front cover

An Adventure in Damascus — Actual final portrait pages · view 1

An Adventure in Damascus — Illustrative photograph · Portrait open

An Adventure in Damascus — Illustrative photograph · Portrait family reading

An Adventure in Damascus — Portrait back cover

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Books at home, shared reading and finished pages. Photographs are illustrative; chapter samples show the exact text.

Step into golden courtyards, busy markets and gardens threaded with water. A new opportunity sends Yusuf and his family across Damascus, where an ordinary errand becomes an adventure in noticing what matters.

Illustrated chapter fiction Kindness & keeping promises

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An Adventure in Damascus open on a coffee table

The story

Paper to deliver.
A whole city to discover.

Eleven-year-old Yusuf has arrived in Damascus, where his father’s paper could earn an important new customer. First, they must find a scribe and bring back his assessment. With Hamza beside him, Yusuf sets off through bustling streets and leafy gardens. But when someone needs help, can he put another person’s needs before the moment he has been waiting for?

A promising customer needs a scribe’s opinion of Baba’s paper. Finding him takes Yusuf, Hamza and the family beyond the streets they know: beneath glittering mosaics, around an unexpected detour and out towards the gardens. With a report to bring back and someone in need along the way, Yusuf must decide where he can be most useful.

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The Illustrated Edition

A bigger canvas.
A world to linger in.

Look a little closer. Discover a little more. Let the pictures carry you there.

The complete adventure in a full-colour hardback, with sweeping illustrations and details worth coming back to. Share a grand scene, follow a familiar face and pause over the little discoveries tucked into the page.

Enjoy generous facing-page scenes in A4 portrait, or wide panoramas in A4 landscape. A book to open together, give with love and return to as they grow.

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An Adventure in Damascus Illustrated Edition open on a sunlit coffee table

Illustrative photographs of the Illustrated Edition. Open the chapter sample for the exact text and page layouts.

History with a human heart

Behind the gateways.
Beyond the golden walls.

Discover Damascus through a fictional adventure set in the early Islamic world. The city’s long history, the Great Mosque and the water that nourishes its surroundings give the journey a vivid sense of place.

An illustrated window into the historical world of An Adventure in Damascus

Gold above their heads

Pause beneath the Great Mosque’s mosaics with Yusuf and Hamza. Tiny pieces of glass become trees and buildings, inviting a closer look at the work behind their beauty.

The work behind a sheet of paper

Follow paper from the family’s delivery to a scribe’s careful trial. Pens, ink and patient attention turn an ordinary object into something worth looking at again.

A city shaped by water

Walk from crowded streets towards gardens and channels. Yusuf discovers the people whose everyday work helps keep the city moving.

Original historical fiction: Yusuf and his adventures are imagined, and the illustrated settings are creative reconstructions.

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Rooted in Islamic values

Keep your promise.
Notice who needs you.

An honest answer. A task done carefully. A willingness to stop and help. Islamic values live in the family’s everyday choices, as Yusuf learns that another person’s difficulty matters even when something exciting is waiting for him.

Talk together about patience, useful work and keeping promises. What does kindness look like when we are busy, eager or unsure?

Made to be explored

Golden mosaics.
Green gardens. New discoveries.

From the scale of a great courtyard to the marks made by a scribe’s pen, the illustrations give children room to look, wonder and return. Follow familiar faces through a city full of colour and quiet detail.

For your family's bookshelf

A new place to explore.
A familiar friend beside you.

Share the adventure chapter by chapter, pause over a picture or let a confident reader find their own way through the streets. The opening introduction welcomes new readers, so this third adventure can also be their first.

Written for ages 8–12. Read the opening chapter to find the right fit for your child, whether you plan to read together or they are ready to explore independently.

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Mother and son reading An Adventure in Damascus together

The same adventure. Your kind of reading.

The same adventure.
Two ways to enjoy it.

Every chapter. Every discovery. Both editions tell the complete story, with different ways to enjoy the illustrations.

Actual Illustrated Edition opening pages from An Adventure in Damascus

Illustrated Edition · actual sample pages

For the wonder of looking a little longer

Illustrated Edition

A bigger canvas.
A world to linger in.

Give the adventure room to unfold. Full-colour layouts and expansive artwork make the setting part of the experience, inviting children to explore the details as well as follow the story.

The same complete, unabridged story
Full-colour layouts with generous, immersive illustrations
Hardback in A4 portrait or A4 landscape

A beautiful choice for shared discovery, picture-loving readers and a thoughtful gift.

Both Illustrated formats contain the complete story. Read a sample here, then visit the bookshop to choose the format for your family.

Explore the Illustrated Edition

Read a chapter.
Begin the adventure.

Meet Yusuf in “A City to Wake Up In”. Start with the full-colour Illustrated Edition in landscape or portrait. Each option opens the complete first chapter.

The same complete story in every edition. Free to read.

Enjoyed the first pages? Make room for the whole adventure.

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Actual opening pages of An Adventure in Damascus

Before you begin

A few things
you might wonder.

Who is this adventure for?

An illustrated chapter book for ages 8–12. Share it aloud or let a confident reader explore independently. The complete first-chapter samples help you judge the reading level for your child.

What are the different formats?

The Illustrated Edition is a full-colour hardback in A4 portrait or landscape. Both formats contain the complete story. Explore the photographs and free samples here; choose your format in the bookshop.

Where does it fit in Yusuf’s adventures?

Follow Yusuf from An Adventure in Baghdad, through An Adventure in the Desert, to An Adventure in Damascus. Damascus also stands alone, with an introduction that welcomes new readers.

Where can I buy the book?

Our separate bookshop is opening soon. When it opens, you can choose your edition and place your order there. Enjoy the free chapters in the meantime.

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A place on their bookshelf. A world in their imagination.