The young writer already counts Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling among her fans.
“Dear world. My name is Bana, I am 7 years old Syrian girl. My people are dying every day as you watch. This is the end of humanity.”
Described as Syria’s Anne Frank, little Bana Alabed has shone a light on a conflict which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, including children.
Since September, the seven-year-old – with the help of her mother, Fatemah – has been courageously live-tweeting her experience living in the war-torn city of Aleppo.
In November, Fatemah posted that their family home had been destroyed in an airstrike. In December, the family revealed they had been safely evacuated to Turkey.
But the story does not end there for Bana, who has secured a book deal with American publishing company Simon & Schuster. The book, titled Dear World, will be published later this year.
Read more:
Lindsay Lohan Back On Social Media After Meeting Turkish President
JK Rowling Makes The Dreams Of A Young Girl In War-Torn Syria Come True
“I am so happy to have this opportunity to tell my story and the story of what has happened in Aleppo to the world,” Bana said in a statement.
“I hope my book will make the world do something for the children and people of Syria and bring peace to children all over the world who are living in war.”
I am happy to announce my book will be published by Simon & schuster. The world must end all the wars now in every part of the world. pic.twitter.com/OPJ1tpl5MI
— Bana Alabed (@AlabedBana) April 12, 2017
Christine Pride, a senior for the publisher, compared Bana to Malala Yousafzai, the 19-year-old Pakistani activist who nearly died after being shot in the head for speaking out about girls’ rights to attend school.
“Like so many others, I was completely captivated by Bana’s tweets from Syria, which were harrowing and heartbreaking and put a human face to this terrible quagmire,” Pride said.
“Recalling iconic young heroines such as Malala Yousafzai, Bana’s experiences and message transcend the headlines and pierce through the political noise and debates to remind us of the human cost of war and displacement.”
Last year Bana, an avid reader, reached out to J.K. Rowling on Twitter, saying she would love to read the Harry Potter books but couldn’t get her hands on them in Syria.
Rowling was only too happy to oblige, sending the family a set of e-books. The author has since shared a number of Bana’s Twitter posts, and retweeted the news of the young writer’s book deal.
Image: @AlabedBana/Twitter
