Sisters Alone

Intro to Sisters Alone VIDEO from Author Book Trailer Educator Guide Book Club guide Team Rama/Leena Bookmarks After Reading Kahoot Game

Summary:

From 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.

Praise:

PW Fall 2026 Preview: Top 10 Middle Grade

★ “A Must Purchase Title for all libraries serving Young Readers."
—School Library Journal, starred review

★ “A moving, emotionally resonant novel about grief, sisterhood, and survival . . . Safadi skillfully intertwines the external dangers of the blizzard with the sisters’ internal battles.”
—Booklist, starred review

★ “A thrilling tale teeming with richly wrought details....Equal parts survival story and homage to sisterhood, it’s a standout."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The sister's hard-won victories remind us that the challenges of being human are best faced with trust, love, and the comfort of family.”
—Megan E. Freeman, New York Times bestselling author of Alone and Away

“Punchy verse, high emotions, and a terrifying blizzard make this gripping tale of sisterhood a must-read for any survival fans.”
—Andrea Beatriz Arango, Newbery Honor author of Iveliz Explains It All

"An absolutely thrilling story, gorgeously written."
-Christina Soontornvat, three-time Newbery Honoree

“This story reminds us how we cannot forgive and love others fully until we first forgive and love ourselves.”
—Allan Wolf, author of The Watch that Ends the Night and Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom.

“An action-packed novel in verse seeped in narrative tension.”
—Cordelia Jensen, author of Lilac and the Switchback

“A thoughtful depiction of sisterhood and loss, elevated by its deliberate use of form.”
—Kirkus

“A powerful tale of being broken by grief and healed through love.”
—Horn Book