Sisters Alone by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Sisters Alone by Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Publisher:  GP Putnam's Sons Book for Young Readers
Publishing:  September 8th, 2026
Format Read:  E-book via NetGalley
Number of pages:   336 pages
Source: Egypt Street PR

Opening Lines:  "i cut carefully, scissors snipping, slicing."

Sixth-grader Leena is working on a scrapbook filled with happy memories of her mom, who died six months earlier in a tragic accident.  Creating the album is the only way that she feels she can keep her mom's memory alive.  Since the loss, both Leena and her older sister, Rama, have changed in ways they don't fully understand.  Rama has become angrier and struggles with intrusive thoughts.  She feels like Leena can't do anything right and that she's constantly cleaning up her messes.   She gets easily irritated and has alienated her best friend Madiha too.  Leena, meanwhile, is the only one who secretly blames herself for their mom's death.

The sisters have been preparing for a school ski trip, but Leena is worried she won't pass one of her classes and won't be allowed to go.  Rama is desperate to fix things with Madiha, who seems to be drifting toward the new girl at school, and she hopes the ski trip will be able to repair things.  With her dad traveling to Japan for work, Rama is put in charge of Leena.  

On the morning of the ski trip, everything falls apart.   Leena is turned away from the bus because she forgot to turn in her permission slip.  Suddenly, both girls are stuck at home for the entire week.  They decide not to tell their dad, afraid that he will cut his trip short and risk losing his job.  At first, they try to manage with what little food that is left in the house, but things quickly become dire when a snowstorm knocks out the power, and a falling tree causes structural damage to the house.  Forced to take shelter in a shed, the girls face escalating hardships, and a painful misunderstanding puts them both at risk.

Sisters Alone is from the author of Kareen Between and the Amina Banana series, and is a verse novel that explores sadness, deep frustration, grief after losing a family member, shifting friendships, and evolving sibling relationships.  It portrays how trauma impacts people in different ways.  It's a beautifully emotional story rooted in the bond between these two sisters.

I loved the variety of writing styles for the verse, from cascading words to the conversational back-and-forth between Leena and Rema.  Switching between their perspectives allowed me to understand each girl's grief and anxieties.  The vivid winter setting came alive through detailed descriptions like, "salt crunches beneath the tires.  Ice covered evergreens line our way."  I also really appreciated how their culture shone through in the moments of them completing their five daily prayers.  This is a great read if you enjoy books in verse, survival stories or heartwarming sibling stories.  The author's note at the end shares her personal experiences with anxiety and intrusive thoughts, along with helpful links for further exploration.

 I hope you'll check out all the other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge's blog HERE