The Clockwork Notebook of Al-Jazari - An Islamic Golden Age STEM Mystery for Muslim Kids

Can an 800-year-old robot solve a modern mystery? Idris Rahman has always wanted to know how things work. So when he and his sister Hana find a box taped shut eleven times at the bottom of the masjid library's donation pile, they open it. Inside is a leather notebook left by an old engineer, Brother Yusuf. Its first drawing shows the Elephant Clock of Al-Jazari, the brilliant Muslim inventor many call the father of robotics. Idris decides to rebuild it for the school science fair, using a plastic tank, his grandmother's rice bowl and a lot of trial and error. But a stranger in a grey coat wants the notebook, a page has been torn out, and Idris's carefully drawn plan suddenly goes missing. When his science fair rival announces the very same project, Idris is sure he knows who took it. But real scientists do not guess. They test. Book 1 of The Golden Age Inventor Mysteries, a clean Islamic chapter book series for Muslim kids that mixes a page-turning middle grade mystery with real STEM history from the Islamic Golden Age. Inside this book, young readers will: Discover Al-Jazari, the Muslim engineer who built water clocks and automatic machines in 1206 Learn how his famous Elephant Clock worked, with water, floats, gears and careful measuring Follow a clever mystery with clues, a witness, and a hidden brass gear Learn why Muslims built clocks to pray salah on time See honesty, avoiding suspicion, thinking the best of others and forgiveness come alive, with Qur'an and hadith woven gently into the story Watch a brother and sister work as a team, with a warm Muslim family behind them Build their own sinking-bowl water timer with the hands-on science activity at the back Also included: a note about the real Al-Jazari, a glossary of Arabic and Islamic words with easy pronunciation, and discussion questions for classrooms, book clubs and family reading time. Why parents and teachers choose this book: Clean, halal reading for Muslim children: no romance, no music, no bad language and nothing inappropriate Real Islamic history and Muslim role models kids can be proud of STEM learning through story: engineering, robotics, inventions, simple machines and the science of time Islamic values and good manners (adab) shown through the characters, not lectures An engaging read-aloud for younger children and an independent read for confident readers Perfect for: Muslim boys and girls ages 8 to 12 (grades 3 to 7), Islamic school classrooms and libraries, weekend Islamic school, homeschool families looking for Islamic history and science units, Muslim book clubs, and Eid and Ramadan gifts for kids who love mysteries, robots, inventions and science experiments. No romance, no music, no inappropriate content. Just a warm Muslim family, a brave brother and sister, and a mystery worth solving. Read the whole series in order: The Clockwork Notebook of Al-Jazari The Light Riddle of Ibn al-Haytham The Secret Code of Al-Khwarizmi The Star Map of Maryam al-Ijliya Scroll up and start the adventure today.