The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams: Newbery Honor Award Winner

The head monk made his answer silence—the executioner’s melody.

“I said, ‘If the birds had such kinship that when one of them died, so did the other one, then what did the second firebird lose? Is there a third thing in this world, at least as powerful as Life and Death?’ ” Smithy sighed and rolled his eyes. “I know where this one’s going.” Mara paid no attention to him. She waved at him to hush. “What was it?”

I can tell you now that this was my first meeting of Samir, who called himself the Seller of Dreams. But I came to know him as an unserious man, a liar, and a thief. That is why I killed him.