Tweens seem to really have an affinity for narratives that pit relatable young protagonists against villains or forces of nature that seem insurmountable. Picture the perennial popularity of Home Alone. Shifa Saltagi Safadi's Sisters Alone, written in eloquent free verse, will prove quite appealing to youngsters who enjoy suspenseful stories.
Leena and Rami, Safadi's narrators, have recently lost their beloved mother. Baba, their father, must travel to Japan for work. Fortunately while he's gone the girls are scheduled to be on a school vacation trip. He wouldn't want them to be home alone, especially with a major blizzard predicted.
To be eligible to go on the trip students must have passing grades in all subjects and have turned in their signed permission slip..
...Guess what's riding around in the bottom of Leena's backpack.
When Leena isn't allowed on the bus Rama stays with her. Their father is on the way to Japan. The sisters will be home alone for a week. Rama thinks it's no big deal.
"We have books, Wi-Fi, warmth, and
before we know it, Baba will be back."
She's not counting on the blizzard taking out the power and sending a huge tree crashing through the roof and walls, making the house unsafe. And the girls have no way to call for help. Rama's phone is broken; Leena's isn't charged.
Their only shelter is an unheated, drafty shed.
"How do we warm ourselves
without a fire,
without a heater,
without a blanket?
What do we eat when there is no food?"
Besides the truly engaging and suspenseful plot there is a lot to love about Sisters Alone.
One thing is the way Safadi brings both sisters to life as complex individuals with a difficult relationship. Little sister Leena believes that she caused their mother's death. Her grief is complicated by guilt. She spends as much time as she can scrapbooking the family's happy past, letting stuff like grades slide. She sees Rama as a demanding perfectionist. Rama is the more organized sister. But she has her own struggles. She can't get rid of the Monster that lives in her, causing her to catastrophize:
"Drops of hot sweat prickle on my skin,
My breath comes out in pants
as I feel myself start to
spiral in a
Monster Attack.
What if we run out of food? What if
Baba never comes back?"
Although she loves Leena, she resents her carelessness and irresponsibility and how she gets away with it.
Another thing is the way anxiety and intrusive thoughts are woven into the narrative through the portrayal of Rama and discussed nonjudgementally in the author's note. Mental health issues are very important for tweens to understand and much too little talked about.
Finally there is the portrayal of the sisters as Muslims. The practices of their religion are woven into the dailiness of their lives. It's hard to explain. I feel the way I felt when I discovered Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day in which a little Black boy experiences joy when his neighborhood is blanketed with the white stuff.
In short, Sisters Alone is a suspenseful, engaging narrative that will be enjoyed by its target demographic and way beyond. A good purchase for school, public, and home libraries.
I lived a large part of my life with undiagnosed anxiety. It was such a relief to see a counselor and learn how to diminish it. I know many people who live with it. It's incidence is increasing among people who went through key development stages during the pandemic, making this fine book even more relevant.
On a purrrsonal note, with a couple of frost free nights and some beneficial rain my garden is looking really good. I'm spending as much time as possible reading outside near it. I'm keeping a close eye on forecasts with an eye on covering my flowers when frost is predicted. Last night I had dinner with Bailey and Cam and their three cats 🐈 😻 🐈⬛️ who are purrrfect hosts. They have a new second floor apartment right in downtown Bangor. Their living room has these incredible arched floor to ceiling windows that afford quite a view. We had a really good time. When I got home Tobago was quite excited to smell the other cats on me. I am feline Facebook.
A great big shout out goes out to Bailey, Cam, and their precious cat companions.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my Galaxy
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