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Sisters Alone
Not yet published
Expected 8 Sep 26From the National Book Award–winning author of Kareem Between comes a powerful novel in verse about two sisters trapped in a blizzard in a heart-wrenching story of sisterhood and survival.
Two sisters. One storm. A fight for their lives.
Rama is all fire—fierce, quick to anger, and trying to hold her family together while battling the monster of intrusive thoughts. Leena is all ice—quiet, numbed to the vibrancy of the world, as she silently blames herself for their mother’s death.
When their father must travel for work, a sudden blizzard traps the sisters alone at their rural home. As the storm tears through their house, they’re left without power, without food, without shelter—and with no one to rely on but each other.
Told in powerful, poetic verse, Sisters Alone is a heart-stopping story of sisterhood, survival, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going, even when the world feels like it's falling apart.
Two sisters. One storm. A fight for their lives.
Rama is all fire—fierce, quick to anger, and trying to hold her family together while battling the monster of intrusive thoughts. Leena is all ice—quiet, numbed to the vibrancy of the world, as she silently blames herself for their mother’s death.
When their father must travel for work, a sudden blizzard traps the sisters alone at their rural home. As the storm tears through their house, they’re left without power, without food, without shelter—and with no one to rely on but each other.
Told in powerful, poetic verse, Sisters Alone is a heart-stopping story of sisterhood, survival, and the quiet strength it takes to keep going, even when the world feels like it's falling apart.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 8, 2026
About the author
Shifa Saltagi Safadi
11 books127 followersShifa Saltagi Safadi was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents when she was a young girl. She is a bilingual Arabic/English speaker, and is very familiar with the challenges of learning English and navigating two languages.
As a mom to four Arab American children and a former English teacher to Middle School students, (and an author!) she now spends her time helping kids develop a love of reading and writing too.
You can learn more about her books on her website shifasafadi.com
As a mom to four Arab American children and a former English teacher to Middle School students, (and an author!) she now spends her time helping kids develop a love of reading and writing too.
You can learn more about her books on her website shifasafadi.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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February 11, 2026Loved this one! I'll review closer to pub date <3. In the meantime, get those pre-orders in!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is so good.
If you love books in verse and all the feels, put this on your to-read list. I will definitely be purchasing this for my school library when it is published.
Sisters who lost their mother just six months ago are dealing with their grief in very different ways. Rama, the older sister, is in charge of Leena and feels the pressure of holding the family together. Shifa Saltagi Safadi does a great job of not shying away from mental health struggles, especially Rama’s “monster” that lives in her head. She is angry at everything that is changing and doesn’t know how to cope.
Leena, on the other hand, believes her mother’s death is her fault and pours herself into a scrapbook of “before” to keep her mother alive. She feels like she can’t do anything right, especially compared to her seemingly perfect sister.
When the annual school ski trip approaches, their father has to travel for work while they are away. But when Leena forgets to turn in her permission slip, the girls end up staying home alone for a week. They think they’re prepared—until a blizzard hits, a tree crashes into their house, and they are forced out into the cold.
Even though they’ve been at odds since their mother’s death, their bond isn’t broken. They must rely on each other and their individual strengths to survive and find help.
If you love books in verse and all the feels, put this on your to-read list. I will definitely be purchasing this for my school library when it is published.
Sisters who lost their mother just six months ago are dealing with their grief in very different ways. Rama, the older sister, is in charge of Leena and feels the pressure of holding the family together. Shifa Saltagi Safadi does a great job of not shying away from mental health struggles, especially Rama’s “monster” that lives in her head. She is angry at everything that is changing and doesn’t know how to cope.
Leena, on the other hand, believes her mother’s death is her fault and pours herself into a scrapbook of “before” to keep her mother alive. She feels like she can’t do anything right, especially compared to her seemingly perfect sister.
When the annual school ski trip approaches, their father has to travel for work while they are away. But when Leena forgets to turn in her permission slip, the girls end up staying home alone for a week. They think they’re prepared—until a blizzard hits, a tree crashes into their house, and they are forced out into the cold.
Even though they’ve been at odds since their mother’s death, their bond isn’t broken. They must rely on each other and their individual strengths to survive and find help.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A MG novel-in-verse from the author who brought us Kareem Between.
❄️
When a fierce blizzard traps sisters Rama and Leena alone in their rural home, survival becomes their only focus. Rama struggles with overwhelming intrusive thoughts while trying to hold their family together, while Leena withdraws into quiet guilt over their mother’s death. As the storm destroys their home and cuts them off from help, the sisters must rely on each other to endure the night.
❄️
I thought this was such a powerful story about sibling bonds, grief, and resilience. The verse is beautifully done, and I especially loved the formatting choice of placing each sister’s point of view on opposite sides of the page. It visually reinforced how different their inner worlds are while showing how deeply connected they remain. I also appreciated that it includes intrusive thoughts, something I don’t often see addressed in middle grade. This is an emotional, impactful read and definitely a must-preorder for its September 8 release.
CW: parental death, hospitalization, medical content, hypothermia, grief, anxiety, panic attack
❄️
When a fierce blizzard traps sisters Rama and Leena alone in their rural home, survival becomes their only focus. Rama struggles with overwhelming intrusive thoughts while trying to hold their family together, while Leena withdraws into quiet guilt over their mother’s death. As the storm destroys their home and cuts them off from help, the sisters must rely on each other to endure the night.
❄️
I thought this was such a powerful story about sibling bonds, grief, and resilience. The verse is beautifully done, and I especially loved the formatting choice of placing each sister’s point of view on opposite sides of the page. It visually reinforced how different their inner worlds are while showing how deeply connected they remain. I also appreciated that it includes intrusive thoughts, something I don’t often see addressed in middle grade. This is an emotional, impactful read and definitely a must-preorder for its September 8 release.
CW: parental death, hospitalization, medical content, hypothermia, grief, anxiety, panic attack
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sisters Alone is a middle grade novel-in-verse for middle that tackles several big things at the same time: grief, anxiety and intrusive thoughts, fraught relationships (especially with sisters!), and survival in a blizzard.
Rama and Leena are sisters who couldn't be more different, and are both struggling with the recent loss of their mother. When they're caught alone at home in a blizzard while their father is traveling for work, the two girls are forced to confront their grief, their conflicts, and their love for each other in order to make it through.
This book does SUCH a good job of handling these big topics in a way that is first and foremost centered on Islam (without being preachy!!!) and gentle at the same time. Shifa does an incredible job of portraying the struggle with intrusive thoughts as well as the anger that comes with grief (and in the end, a healthy way to deal with them!), which is so important for young ones to see reflected.
Also, I had my heart in my throat during the blizzard bits!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pre-order now because this book releases in September!
Rama and Leena are sisters who couldn't be more different, and are both struggling with the recent loss of their mother. When they're caught alone at home in a blizzard while their father is traveling for work, the two girls are forced to confront their grief, their conflicts, and their love for each other in order to make it through.
This book does SUCH a good job of handling these big topics in a way that is first and foremost centered on Islam (without being preachy!!!) and gentle at the same time. Shifa does an incredible job of portraying the struggle with intrusive thoughts as well as the anger that comes with grief (and in the end, a healthy way to deal with them!), which is so important for young ones to see reflected.
Also, I had my heart in my throat during the blizzard bits!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pre-order now because this book releases in September!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Shifa Saltagi Safadi already blew me away with her first verse novel: Kareem Between. And this verse novel brings her same brilliance to the page. Two grieving sisters unexpectedly miss an overnight class trip while their dad is on a business trip, the same weekend that a blizzard hits. When a tree smashes their house, they must find a way through their differences (and different ways of grieving) to trust each other and survive.
I found Rama's persepective to feel especially compelling as she struggles to hold it all together--continuing her good grades and wonderful achievements while struggling with friends expanding friendships to other people, her sister's depression following the loss of their mom, and the intrusive thoughts she's battling.
Like Kareem Between the author has a compelling image system built that she transforms alongside the characters as they each face their own internal monsters.
I found Rama's persepective to feel especially compelling as she struggles to hold it all together--continuing her good grades and wonderful achievements while struggling with friends expanding friendships to other people, her sister's depression following the loss of their mom, and the intrusive thoughts she's battling.
Like Kareem Between the author has a compelling image system built that she transforms alongside the characters as they each face their own internal monsters.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This novel in verse is told through the two sister’s points of view Rama and Leena. Mama is gone and Leena blames herself, and Rama has anxiety and intrusive thoughts and seems angry much of the time. The girl’s plans to go on a trip don’t happen because of Leena, dad is gone on a trip, and a storm happens and a tree falls on the house. The girls take shelter in their shed, but when Leena gets mad at Rama she leaves. Rama falls through the ice and Leena has to save her. The storm ends, but there is still no electricity. Leena goes to a neighbor’s house but no one’s home. She goes to the road and hears a truck. What happens now? Great survival book about sisterhood and resilience. Quite suspenseful at times.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Galley read - full review to follow: This novel-in-verse is a beautifully written survival story, both in emotion as sisters Leena and Rama cope with the loss of their mother and in the very literal sense that they must support each other to survive alone in an action-packed and treacherous blizzard. It is like Frozen / Frozen 2 in the real world, and of course I cried at the end. I’ll post a full review closer to publication, but for now I want to say how thankful I am that Shifa Saltagi Safadi has once again used her powerful gifts for poetry and story to share such an extraordinary tale of family, friendship, and mental health that I know will make a difference in so many young readers’ lives. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love verse novels, and this one, written in alternating voices of two sisters, drew me in immediately. Rama and Leena are both mourning the death of their mother the previous year, and Leena is morbidly obsessed with the idea that she caused her mother's death. Rama is dealing with mental demons of her own which cause her to lash out at Leena, at her friends, at herself. When a dire emergency strands the girls in dire straits, both must find inner strength to survive.
Spoiler alert: There is one serious medical error here. One of the girls falls into an ice-covered lake, and is immersed for 15-20 minutes, blue when she comes out. It's almost 24 hours before she gets treatment, and she's fine afterwards There's no way she would have survived more than an hour in her state.
Spoiler alert: There is one serious medical error here. One of the girls falls into an ice-covered lake, and is immersed for 15-20 minutes, blue when she comes out. It's almost 24 hours before she gets treatment, and she's fine afterwards There's no way she would have survived more than an hour in her state.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I felt immersed in a culture and in the minds of two characters. Oftentimes creatives fail at capturing sibling energy and dynamics, but I felt like this came from an author who has a real loving relationship with their sister. I enjoyed how this story started of brooding then kept quickly building in intensity. I also learned dozens of words so that was great. And I can see myself recommending this book for intrusive thoughts, guilt, shame, grief, anxiety, siblings... the list will probably grow.
Thanks for the read NetGalley
Thanks for the read NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This captivating verse novel is absolutely perfect for middle grade readers, with an exciting storyline, engaging characters, and beautifully lyrical verse! Kids will be enthralled by the survival story that plays out as sisters Rama and Leena end up stranded in a blizzard together, but they'll also empathize with both sisters' emotional battles: Leena's self-blame and Rama's struggle against intrusive thoughts, which make her lash out against the people she loves. This is a page-turner that kids will absolutely not want to put down!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Welcome dear readers! I typically stay away from Goodreads out of respect for this reader space, but I wanted to drop a note and say thank you! Thank you for reading! Thank you for picking up this book! And I hope that this story of sisterhood and survival inspires you to cling to those you love in this whirlwind of life🩷
Review of advance copy received from Author
My almost 9-year-old read this before I did and she finished it in two sittings! Perfect for fans of Megan E. Freeman's Alone and survival stories in general with a strong emphasis on sisters. You're gonna want to settle in with a warm blanket for this one!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews