The Magical Land of Birthdays

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4197-3743-5
eISBN: 978-1-6833-5576-2
Text copyright © 2019 Amirah Kassem
Book design by Hana Anouk Nakamura
Flour Shop branding by TPD Design House
Published in 2019 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
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To everyone with a birthday!
Here’s to wishing you find your B-Buds and spread joy one sprinkle at a time!
Keep believing in the magic of birthdays and friendship—a pocket of sprinkles can change the world!


“Happy New Year!” Amirah sang out.
Her parents looked up from their morning coffee. “Happy New Year, princess,” Baba said.
“You’re starting the new year off in a good mood,” Mama added.
“Well, you know what January first means,” Amirah replied.
Mama pretended to look confused. “The first day of the new year?” she teased Amirah.
“No!” Amirah replied with a laugh. “Well, yes! But it means my birthday is in one week. Just one more week to go until I turn eleven!”
“Oh, of course!” Mama replied. “How could I have forgotten?”
Amirah and Mama exchanged a big grin. They both knew that she hadn’t forgotten—not for a minute. Birthdays were a very big deal in Amirah’s family—and Amirah wouldn’t want it to be any other way. All year long, she looked forward to her birthday on January 8. Not just because of the presents or the delicious cake—though she definitely loved those parts of her birthday. No, the very best thing about her birthday was that it gave Amirah the chance to celebrate with all her favorite people. She invited everybody in her small town in Mexico to her birthday party every year, from her friends to her neighbors to the principal of her school!
“Want some chocolate con leche?” Mama asked as she stood up and walked toward the kitchen. “Your brother will be awake soon and I know he’ll want some.”
“Yes, please,” Amirah said. The warm, sweet drink was one of her favorites, especially at breakfast time. It was a traditional beverage in her country, but Amirah always liked to add an unusual ingredient: a smattering of sprinkles from the container she kept in her pocket. No matter where she went or what she did, Amirah made sure to carry some sprinkles with her. She was a firm believer in the power of sprinkles and their ability to make magic happen just about anywhere.
While Mama measured out the ingredients for chocolate con leche, Amirah walked over to the little desk in the corner of the living room where she kept all her favorite art supplies.
“How are the invitations coming?” Baba asked as he sipped his coffee.
“Almost done,” Amirah replied. “Mrs. Maria’s will be the first one I deliver. I’m bringing it to her later.”
“I’m sure she will like that,” Baba said. “I know your visits brighten her whole day.”
“I hope so,” Amirah said, reaching for her favorite pink glitter pen. Making personalized invitations for her party guests was one of her special traditions, and Amirah had been spending a lot of time at her desk over the last few weeks as she worked on them. Amirah had spent twice as much time on Mrs. Maria’s invitation as all the rest. Mrs. Maria, one of Amirah’s elderly neighbors and a close friend, treasured the handmade invitations that Amirah had brought her over the years. She kept them on display year-round!
“Oh good, the paint’s dry!” Amirah exclaimed. Mrs. Maria’s card had a birthday cake on it, covered in colorful sprinkles, of course. A single candle in the cake burned brightly with a flame made from red, orange, and gold glitter.
Amirah carefully tucked Mrs. Maria’s invitation into the last envelope and added a handful of shiny confetti. She loved birthdays so much that she even wanted her invitations to feel like a party when her friends and family opened them!
Amirah could tell from the delicious smell of chocolate wafting from the kitchen that her drink was almost ready, so she wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
“Your invitations turned out beautifully this year,” Mama said as she stirred the pot of chocolate con leche on the stove. “I noticed you painted a lot of birthday cakes. Any ideas about your birthday cake?”
Amirah sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know why I can’t decide,” she replied. “I want it to be delicious—and different—but beyond that, I’m just not sure.”
“Try not to worry, princess,” Mama said. “You still have a whole week to figure it out. I know the perfect cake will come to you!”
Amirah hoped so. She had already worked out all the other details for her party, from the type of piñata she was going to have (unicorn shaped) to the outfit she was going to wear (rainbow striped dress, denim jacket, and silver glitter sneakers). The candy bags Amirah would hand out to all her guests were even planned out! Every little detail had been finalized, except for the cake.
After breakfast, Amirah spent the next few hours working on the last batch of party invitations. Finally, when they were all finished, she left them to dry on her desk. She