Sajidah "S.K." Ali is a Canadian author. She is best known debut young adult novel Saints & Misfits, about Janna Yousuf, an Indian-American hijabi who grapples with being sexually assaulted by a friend's cousin from her local mosque.
Ali was born in South India and immigrated to Canada when she was three. The first language she learned in school was French. She wrote her first story in seventh grade.
She has a degree in Creative Writing from York University. Aside from writing, Ali also works as a teacher and has written articles for the Toronto Star. She mentions Judy Blume as one of her biggest inspirations for her writing career. Ali is a practicing Muslim. In January 2017, she created the hashtag #MuslimShelfSpace as a way to shine light on books by other Muslim authors.
She lives with her family in Toronto.
Ali is friends with fellow writers Ausma Zehanat Khan and Uzma Jalaluddin. The three of them hold an informal writing circle with each other, sharing career advice and comments on early drafts of their work.
Awards Several of Ali's works have received commendations. Saints & Misfits was included on Booklist's 2017 "Top 10 Religion & Spirituality Books for Youth" and 2018 "Top 10 Diverse Fiction for Older and Middle Readers" lists. The same year, the American Library Association included it on their lists of the Best Fiction for Young Adults and Rise: A Feminist Book Project.
The Proudest Blue was also included on Booklist's "Top 10 Religion & Spirituality for Youth" list, as well as their 2019 Booklist Editors' Choice list of best books for youth. The following year, the Association for Library Service to Children named it among the year's Notable Children's Books (2020), and the American Library Association included it as a top-ten selection for the Rise: A Feminist Book Project.
Also in 2019, Shelf Awareness named Love from A to Z one of the best young adult books of 2019. The following year, the American Library Association included it on their list of Best Fiction for Young Adults and their Rise: A Feminist Book Project list.
In 2021, the Association for Library Service to Children included Once Upon an Eid on their annual list of Notable Children's Books. +Awards for Ali's worksYearWorkAwardResult2017Saints and MisfitsAsian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult LiteratureHonor2018William C. Morris AwardFinalist2019Love from A to ZGoodreads Choice Award for Young AdultFinalistGoodreads Choice Award for Picture BooksNominee2020Love from A to ZAmy Mathers Teen Book AwardFinalistCharlotte Huck AwardNominee2021Blue Spruce AwardFinalist2022Misfit in LoveAmy Mathers Teen Book AwardFinalist2024GroundedWalter Dean Myers Award for Younger ReadersHonorBlue Spruce AwardFinalist2025FledglingAmy Mathers Teen Book AwardFinalistArlene Barlin Award for Science Fiction and FantasyFinalistRuth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book AwardFinalist
Works Novels
The Keeper's Records of Revolution
Love from A to Z
Saints & Misfits
Picture books
Collections
References
External links