Author of Middle Grade novels about friendship, family, and figuring out where you fit in.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Spotlight on THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS

Today, I'm happy to feature Medeia Sharif's middle grade novel, THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS! Check it out if you have the chance. I absolutely loved mysteries as a kid, and reading this brought me right back to being a 10-year-old wannabe detective. It's awesome!

In THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS, the main character, Lily, has a learning disability. Her
mother has been kidnapped and she plays the sleuth, meanwhile many doubt her. She even doubts herself.

This is a quote from the book regarding her disability: “[Although] she was average in intelligence, she significantly lagged behind others in reading and math skills with her poor memory and short attention span.”

Here are her weaknesses in the beginning of the book:
*Reading frustrates her.
*She believes in “dummy” comments people hurl her way.
*She feels bad when comparing herself to others and their abilities.

Here are some ways in which she grows:
*She sticks to books, even when the text is hard, because the material helps her piece clues together.
*She starts to make connections between things.
*She’s empowered when she gets closer to finding her mother and the person who kidnapped her.

It was a pleasure creating this character. I have met young people like Lily, and they should never believe that a label or other people’s opinions define who they are. They are capable of doing so much.  

THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS 

by Medeia Sharif



Middle Grade Historical and Fantasy, Featherweight Press, November 2014

Lily, a learning
disabled girl, attempts to unravel the mystery of her abducted mother using
supernatural clues from an ancient stranger, even when it means posing a danger
to herself.

Learning-disabled Lily desires
to prove herself, although her mind freezes when presented with big problems -
such as her mother's abduction. With a French father and Egyptian mother, Lily
worries that her mother hid her ethnicity from her French in-laws. However,
there's something deeper going on. Lily finds a way into an attic that's
normally locked and encounters a mysterious, moonlit Egyptian night world.
There she finds Khadijah, an ancient stranger who guides her to finding clues
about her mother's whereabouts. Lily becomes a sleuth in both the real world
and magical desert, endangering herself as she gets closer to the kidnapper.

Find Medeia – Multi-published
YA and MG Author

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16 comments:

Julie Dao said...

Ah, congrats to Medeia! This book sounds wonderful and I love that the MC is disabled but doesn't let that stop her or limit her.

Tiana Smith said...

I love the premise behind this book!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Sounds like a winner for Media. There's an audience for a book like that.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Congrats to Medeia! I love that her novel focuses on empowering a disabled teen!

Nick Wilford said...

This sounds great and the attic sounds like great fun. Good to see a book with an MC with a disability!

Stephanie Faris said...

It was an awesome book. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Jemi Fraser said...

Sounds like an awesome read - I've loved Media's other books and I'm sure this one will be as good :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for featuring my book.

Thank you for the lovely comments.

Kelly Steel said...

Sounds like a great story. Congrats to Medeia.

Heather R. Holden said...

This book sounds great! I especially love how the protagonist has a learning disability. There aren't enough characters like that out there!

betty said...

Thanks for visiting my blog (A Bench with a View) and your comment :) This sounds like an interesting book! Wishing the author much success with it!

betty

Shelley Sly said...

Thank you everyone for reading about Medeia's book! Sorry I'm unable to respond personally today, but I appreciate each of your comments!

Karen Jones Gowen said...

Congrats to Medeia on her new release. It sounds like a really powerful book.

Sherry Ellis said...

I read the book. It's really good!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I still need to read this one! Love Medeia's books.

S.P. Bowers said...

Congrats on the book! I've enjoyed your other books and this one sounds great, too.

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