"Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria".

Lebanese-American writer George Jreije publishes a new novel that recalls the hero of a whole generation: Harry Potter.

Jreije's novel follows Shad Hadid, a Lebanese boy and orphan, who lives with his sick grandmother in Portland. Shad can't find his place in school and dreams of one day opening an Oriental bakery. One night, he is attacked by a supernatural force, and he discovers unsuspected abilities that lead him to join a school of magic, the Alexandria Academy.

If the beginning of the book is reminiscent of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the plot is quite different. Tackling immigration and racism, with a deep interest in the role of the Arab world in the development of science and alchemy, the novel resembles J.K. Rowling's only in its romance.

Photo: Instagram account @bygeorgejreije.