Medeia Sharif author page

Medeia Sharif biography

Medeia Sharif is a Kurdish-American author of children’s picture books, middle-grade fiction and young adult novels. She has a master’s degree in psychology from Florida Atlantic University and has worked as a public school English teacher. Her published fiction includes contemporary stories addressing cultural identity, family relationships, grief and self-acceptance.

Her debut young adult novel, Bestest. Ramadan. Ever., was published by Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide, in July 2011. Set in Miami, the story follows Almira Abdul, a Muslim American teenager attempting to complete her first successful Ramadan fast while navigating friendships, family expectations and romantic interests. The novel was included in the American Library Association’s 2013 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults selection.

Sharif subsequently published several novels for young readers, including Snip, Snip Revenge (2014), The Attic of Sand and Secrets (2014), Vitamins and Death (2014), 52 Likes (2015), The Haunted Stepsister (2016) and Girl Without a Face (2017).

Her picture book Remembering Mom’s Kubbat Halab, illustrated by Paran Kim, was published by Albert Whitman & Company in October 2022. It follows Bushra and her brother Sherzat as they remember their deceased mother through kubbat halab, a traditional Iraqi Kurdish dish she used to prepare. The story explores bereavement, family memories and cooking together. Sharif includes an author’s note discussing her Iraqi Kurdish background and the dish’s cultural significance.

In October 2023, Magination Press, the children’s publishing imprint of the American Psychological Association, published Frizzy Haired Zuzu, illustrated by Basma Hosam. The picture book follows a girl who struggles to accept her curly red hair and experiments with different ways of changing its appearance. Sharif drew inspiration from her mother’s childhood experiences for the story.

Frizzy Haired Zuzu won the Gold Medal for Young Children’s Literature at the 2023 Florida Book Awards. Sharif received the Gwen P. Reichert Gold Medal at the awards ceremony in April 2024.