What Gives Olivia Abtahi Hope

More hope. From the kidlit community, to you.  

No matter where you are. No matter what’s going on around you. No matter what is pulling your attention or competing for space in your mind. May these next few minutes offer you rest, peace, and hope.

Hope - May 9, 2026

Olivia Abtahi, author of Twin Flames (Tu Books), shares what is giving her hope today: seeing the bulbs start to bloom.

Listen along:

About the Book: Twin Flames by Olivia Abtahi. Published by Tu Books.

On estranged twins Leila and Bianca's eighteenth birthday, Leila suddenly gains a djinn's superpowers, and the twins realize that their town can only survive the djinns' secret plans if they learn to work together as sisters. An action-packed YA fantasy!

Twins Bianca and Leila could not be more different from each other. Being both Argentinian and Iranian in a small town has always been hard, but with Leila shunning her heritage and Bianca embracing it, the two walk very different paths. They run in different circles of friends, and barely talk anymore. Leila's a homebody who loves to craft and plans on marrying her high school sweetheart. Bianca's more anti-establishment and plans to get out of Dodge as soon as humanly possible.

But on their eighteenth birthday, the neighbor's barn mysteriously burns down. When Leila encounters a monster--a djinn--arising from the fire, suddenly she gains strange powers and can no longer touch iron.

What do these djinn want with Leila--or other people in town, for that matter? Can the twins learn to rely on each other--and their cultures--to banish them? It'll take a sisterly reconciliation for the girls to find out and to save their hometown in this New Visions Award-winning fantasy adventure.

More:

Visit Olivia Abtahi online at www.oliviaabtahi.com 

Learn more about Boyds Mills and their upcoming programs by visiting boydsmills.org. 

Learn more about Lee & Low Books and their upcoming releases by visiting www.leeandlow.com.

Transcript:

Olivia: "one thing that always brings me hope every year near Nowruz or Solar New Year or Iranian New Year is seeing all of the bulbs that I planted last year start to bloom.

It always brings me joy. It always makes me so happy. No matter what's going on in the world, I can always count on seeing tulips and daffodils, grape hyacinths, and big hyacinths or sunbul as we say in Persian. It makes me so happy. They smell so wonderful, and it always reminds me to take a deep breath and to remember that the spring always comes.

Thank you so much."