Noted as “Word Artist” by critics, Shaila Abdullah is an award-winning author and designer based in Austin, Texas. Her 2005 debut book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall is a collection of short stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society. Her award-winning novel Saffron Dreams explores the tragedy of 9/11 from the perspective of a Muslim widow. She has also written four children’s books–The Doll Whisperer, My Friend Suhana, Rani in Search of a Rainbow, and A Manual for Marco.

My Friend Suhana, coauthored with Abdullah’s daughter Aanyah discusses cerebral palsy and uncommon friendships, while A Manual for Marco is about sibling relationships when dealing with autism. Rani in Search of a Rainbow discusses the 2010 Pakistan floods and provides a tool for children to make sense of natural disasters. The Doll Whisperer is one of 10 books in the Scholastic series Our Voices: School & Friends.

The author has received several awards for her work including the Patras Bukhari Award for English Language, Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award, Golden Quill Award, Norumbega Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction, Reader Views Award, Written Art Award, and a grant from Hobson Foundation.

Learn more about Shaila and her books here: Shaila Abdullah: Author, Novelist, Designer, Writer.