The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike

Sara finds a flying carpet. No, I mean really!

Christopher Pike has been writing for years, so I expected this to be a decent read. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It has more substance than those I've read in the past.

Prepare yourself for a visit to Istanbul, a very old country that still has magical beings from the past. Sara is an American girl over visiting her father - who she never sees. He's always working and she's getting real tired of sitting in the hotel room. It's boring. So boring she leaves the room and wanders downstairs.

She sees a delivery boy bringing a package for her father and attempts to claim it. She wants to find an address for her dad's business so she can go visit it. But the young man won't let her take the package because he needs to check it in to be paid for the delivery. While they are fighting over the package, she notices he's cute and decides to compromise. He's delivering the package for his father, so let him. Then get him to go to the business with her.

Amesh isn't hot on the idea, but Sara suggests they go by taxi - she'll pay. He's never ridden in a taxi before...

As soon as they reach the company (which is gated and guarded), their adventures begin.

There are djinn, a flying carpet, and even another race in this story. It flows well, Amesh is almost more of a problem than an asset, and Sarah is learning about secrets several centuries old.

There are twists and turns and the ending surprised me. The good news is that I believe there will be more books coming in this series. Mr. Pike ends it well, but leaves some openings for returning to the storyline.

It's a fantasy novel, and very good. This book will be out in September and is for ages 12+. If you like Mr. Pike's books or fantasy, this one will work for you!