Summary

Twelve-year-old Khosruou Nayeri, or Daniel, is the only Persian kid at his school in Edmond, Oklahoma. Everyone in Mrs. Miller’s class thinks Persians “are liars and lying is a sin” (1). Daniel’s mom says “it’s true,” because everyone sins, but Daniel’s dad “says it isn’t,” because Persians are poets (1).

Depending on how he tells his story, Daniel could be “the refugee kid” from Iran, or “a prince in disguise” (1). Daniel likes to tell his story the way Scheherazade, “the rememberer of all the world’s dreams,” tells stories in 1,001 Nights (1). Scheherazade told pieces of her story to the king each night to preserve her life.

No matter how he tells his story, Daniel has to start with his Baba Haji, his father’s father. In his first memory, Daniel drove to Baba Haji’s with his family through the...