Street of Storytellers

Luke is an American kid, in a place he doesn't understand.

In this multicultural thriller, a teenager who's passionate about rock and reggae music angrily blames his parents' divorce on his dad's obsession with finishing a book about a lost ancient civilization in a dangerous part of Asia. But Luke's father has him over Christmas vacation, and desperately wants his son to understand -- so he brings Luke to Peshawar, an age-old crossroads city in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier. To punish his dad, Luke refuses to visit the ruins or learn anything about the project ... and instead he is drawn into the strange, intriguing Old City, where a violent new extremism is on the rise. Luke is dazzled by the beautiful Danisha -- but if they're ever seen together, she could be killed. He's recruited by a group of jihadis -- but he also bonds with Yusuf, an Afghan refugee who knows what could happen. Then there are the musicians Luke befriends, and a mysterious Sufi teacher who opens his eyes. Set in 1984 at a pivotal time and place in history, Street of Storytellers is about three families across two cultures. It's about an ancient true story the world has almost forgotten. And it's about learning to think for yourself -- even if that puts your life at risk.

This is Doug Wilhelm's 17th book. His acclaimed novel The Revealers has been the focus of reading-and-discussion projects in over 1,000 American schools.