SQUIRE

SQUIRE​ 

Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

Harper Collins / February 2022

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Squire is a young adult graphic novel set in a alternate history Middle East/North Africa.

 

This YA comic follows 14-year-old Aiza, who trains to become a knight for a war-torn empire while hiding her true background as a girl from conquered lands. 

 

Born a second-class citizen, Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the Ornu people, her only path to full citizenship. 

 

 

Now, ravaged by famine, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again. This means Aiza can finally enlist to the competitive Squire training program. 

 

 

The camp is nothing like she imagined. Hiding her Ornu status in order to blend in, Aiza must navigate friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the merciless General Hende. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in more danger than she ever imagined.

Color assistance by Lynette Wong
Flat Colors by Mara Jayne Carpenter