Shifa Saltagi Safadi on Sisters Alone: Grief, Sisterhood, and Survival in Verse

In this episode of The Growing Readers Podcast, host Bianca Schulze sits down with National Book Award–winning author Shifa Saltagi Safadi to talk about her new novel in verse, Sisters Alone—a heart-stopping story about two sisters, trapped alone by a sudden blizzard, who must survive the storm and finally tell each other the truth.Shifa shares the story behind the story—how a childhood memory of stealing a library book about dolphins first made her realize she was a reader, why she still wrestles with imposter syndrome even after winning the National Book Award for Kareem Between, and what she wants young readers to take from Rama and Leena's fire-and-ice sisterhood. She reads the opening pages of Sisters Alone aloud and gives listeners a first look at her upcoming picture book, The Kaabah Cat.Read the transcript on The Children's Book Review.Highlights:The Dolphin Book Confession: How stealing a nonfiction book about dolphins from her second-grade ESL classroom became the moment Shifa first knew she was a reader—and the years-later confession that followedImposter Syndrome, Even Now: Why winning a National Book Award for Kareem Between didn't quiet Shifa's self-doubt—and how she keeps writing anywayFire and Ice: Building Rama and Leena as two sisters with opposite ways of surviving grief, and why both had to feel equally trueWhy Verse: How the spare, poetic form of Sisters Alone became the only way to hold intrusive thoughts, grief, and a blizzard all at onceA Preview of THE KAABAH CAT: A first glimpse into Shifa's picture book coming this January, about a boy's prayer, a runaway cat, and a joyful romp around the KaabaNotable Quotes:"Sisterhood and love and honesty and opening up to those who love you—that is a strength. It's not a weakness at all to be honest with other people about what our demons are." —Shifa Saltagi Safadi"Writing just has to come from the heart. And that's definitely not AI... we're sharing our hearts with the world as writers, and it's scary to share your heart with the world." —Shifa Saltagi SafadiBooks Mentioned:Sisters Alone by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Amazon | Bookshop.orgKareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Amazon | Bookshop.orgThe Kaabah Cat by Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Amazon | Bookshop.orgAbout Shifa Saltagi Safadi: Shifa Saltagi Safadi is the National Book Award–winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. Born in Syria, Shifa immigrated to the U.S. with her parents as a young girl and is a bilingual Arabic/English speaker. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and once reviewed Muslim books on her blog, Muslim Mommy Blog. Shifa is passionate about spreading a love of reading to children through storytimes and school visits, and hopes readers of every background will find themselves in her stories.Visit: shifasafadi.comCredits: Host: Bianca Schulze / Guest: Shifa Saltagi Safadi / Producer: Bianca Schulze