Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Shifa Saltagi Safadi!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Shifa Saltagi Safadi
SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the National Book Award winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former English teacher, and is passionate about spreading her love of reading and writing through school visits and story-times. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.
Website * Facebook * Instagram
About the Book: AMINA BANANA AND THE FORMULA FOR FRIENDSHIP
Meet Amina Banana! She’s a determined and clever third grader, and star of a new chapter book series with a STEM twist. Perfect for readers of The Questioneers and Junie B. Jones!
Amina loves bananas, science, and all things yellow! Her family recently arrived from Syria to Indiana, and she’s starting at a brand-new school in a brand-new country. She’s excited but also nervous, especially about making friends! But she develops the perfect formula to get everything just right:
Speak English + wear a perfect outfit + be a good student + eat American food = Make American Friends!
When the first few days are harder than Amina imagined, she’s left worrying: why doesn’t her formula add up?
Meet Amina Banana! This clever third grader is back in book two of this new chapter book series, determined to win her school’s spelling bee. Perfect for readers of The Questioneers and Junie B. Jones!
Amina Banana’s third grade class is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming spelling bee. But spelling in English is tough for Amina. Still, she’s going to prove to her classmates that even if English is an additional language for her, she can take home the gold medal.
If only the formula for winning wasn’t so complicated!
Make more duaa + study spelling words every day until the spelling bee + write down each word ten times so my hand memorizes it + spell each word out loud ten times + don’t get distracted by anything else! + don’t share your secrets with anyone = WINNER!
Amina is determined to win, but with a formula that long, how will Amina be able to study, keep up with tasks at home and stay true to her friends – who are also her biggest competition at the bee?
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I started off with the idea to write the series Amina Banana because I realized how very little Arab and Muslim rep there was in chapter book series. Growing up, I was a huge fan of Amelia Bedelia, Judy Moody, and Junie B Jones. But I never saw my identity reflected in these books- and I thought it would be a really awesome series to show a young Syrian Muslim girl with just as much sass and smart attitude as those popular series, taking charge of her life and amusing little readers.
YABC: Is your main character like you?
Haha, not really. Amina loves science- and I am a liberal arts gal. She’s also really into cooking recipes and the kitchen at this point is not my favorite thing to do. (That would be reading)
But in some ways, she also does reflect me. She loves her Muslim faith, misses Syria a lot, and reflects my own experiences trying to adjust to growing up in America as a Syrian young girl.
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
When my editor tells me so!
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I read!! I read SO MANY chapter books before writing Amina Banana. Some of my favorite ones were Jasmine Toguchi, Jada Jones, and Clementine! I adore sassy little characters with a huge heart!
YABC: What type of scene do you love to write the most?
I really like writing dramatic scenes- because the more dramatic a scene, the more fun it is to write.
Sibling fights, school arguments, shocking moments- the more gasp-moments for the reader, the better!
YABC: What word do you have trouble overusing?
That has to be the word heart. (ask my editor lol!!)
Hearts seem to just drop and fall, and fill with sadness or burst with happiness constantly in my stories! I need to find a new emotional description…
YABC: If your character could meet a character from another book, who would it be?
Amina would adore Jameelah in the book Kareem Between. Jameelah would be a great role model for her to be fierce and strong, and proud of her identity no matter how the world looks at her.
YABC: How do you plan to celebrate the launch of your book?
Naps and chocolate.
And lots of cuddles with my babies.
YABC: What hobbies do you enjoy?
I really love coloring with my kids (although crafts or board games are torture for me). I also love going on walks outside, exploring nature- and making memories on vacations with my family.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
My favorite tradition is making goody bags. It’s not the actual candy in them, but the fun moments when me and my kids put on Eid songs and put the bags together before Eid. It helps spread all the happy vibes in the house.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I have two more Amina Banana books coming in early 2026 and my second Middle Grade novel in verse in Fall 2026, titled Sisters Alone- which is pitched as Home Alone the movie meets Frozen- and I cannot wait to share this sibling survival story with everyone!
Title: AMINA BANANA AND THE FORMULA FOR FRIENDSHIP; AMINA BANANA AND THE FORMULA FOR WINNING
Author: Shifa Saltagi Safadi
Illustrator: Aaliya Jaleel
Release Date: May 20, 2025 (simultaneous pub)
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Genre: Juvenile Chapter Book
Age Range: 6-9
