Shaila Abdullah

Shaila Abdullah Hailed as “Word Artist” by critics, Shaila Abdullah is an award-winning Pakistani-American author, writer, and designer. Shaila Abdullah is the author of six books, Saffron Dreams, Beyond the Cayenne Wall and four children’s books The Doll Whisperer, My Friend Suhana, Rani in Search of a Rainbow, and A Manual for Marco. Abdullah has received many awards for her work including the Patras Bukhari Award for English Language, the Golden Quill Award, Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award, and the Norumbega Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction. Several academic institutions have adopted her books as course study or recommended reading.

Books for Adults

Saffron Dreams Beyond the Cayenne Wall

Books for Children

The Doll Whisperer My Friend Suhana A Manual for Marco

News & announcements

A Manual for Marco Released

A Manual for Marco  is now available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle. An 8-year old girl decides to make a list of all the things she likes and dislikes about dealing with her autistic brother, and in doing so realizes that she has created A Manual for Marco. Learn more and buy your copy

Rani in Search of a Rainbow Released

Rani in Search of a Rainbow is now available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle. Displaced by the Pakistan floods, Rani’s family has taken refuge at a relief camp where they are doing their part to help other flood victims. Heeding the advice of her father to help in a way only children can, Rani embarks on a journey to bring true joy to a dear friend on the occasion of Eid. Learn more and buy your copy

Recent Posts

  • Not a Sack of Potatoes

    Passage from Saffron Dreams, relevant to current times: The ringing of the phone broke through the silence at the dinner table. I had had enough of answering pestering reporters and funneling my way in and out of the building through them. They were all looking for one story because they
    Read more

  • Throwback Friday: A Moving Review of Saffron Dreams

    I came across this insightful review of Saffron Dreams from 2010 which I feel is pertinent to read in today’s political climate. Shaila Abdullah’s Saffron Dreams Reviewed by Deborah Hall, Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies Vol. 2, No. 3 (2010) Shaila Abdullah’s novel, Saffron Dreams, chronicles the journey of Arissa from
    Read more