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About the Author

“Be someone who’ll make me proud.”

Following the words of her late grandmother, 16 years old Jannah Ismail had set her mind on becoming a medical doctor, much to the scepticism and disbelief of those around her. To prove her worth, Average Jane-nah must first gain admission to the prestigious science stream in her school, despite her C in Mathematics.

Jannah’s next course of actions resulted in her getting transferred to another school, grouped in the same class with the carefree, troublemaking art stream students of 4-D, who had, for unjustifiable reasons, been banished by the principal to a spooky and mysterious old house located at the back of the school for more than a year.

Miss Eleanor Yee, a young teacher aspiring to change the world, had tasked herself with several missions; to help Jannah become Doctor Jannah, and to bring 4-D back to their old classroom. For these to happen, she would need all the help she could get from the all-rounder ‘superior’ science streamers of 4-A, aka the school’s own Marie Curies and Isaac Newtons, without the imperious principal meddling in their ways.
Sarah Kushairi is a clinical pharmacist and lecturer, born and raised in Malaysia, with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours) from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and an MSc in Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy from University College London (UCL).

At 12, Sarah dreamed of becoming a published author and ambitiously began writing her first Harry Potter-inspired novel. She made it through two whole chapters before deciding that maybe she’d come back to it later—she didn’t.

Still, her love for writing never faded. Her articles on health and beauty have been featured in various Malaysian newspapers, and she’s even popped up on TV and radio to share her insights.

Her personal anecdote “Tudung Mana?” found a home in the anthology Hijab: Everyday Stories of Muslim Women from Singapore and Beyond (Helang Books, 2023). When her Master’s coursework got too intense, Sarah channeled the chaos into self-publishing her first travelogue, Snippets of Travels: Musings and Travelogues across 5 Countries (Amazon KDP, 2024)—proving that stress can be a surprisingly effective creative fuel. Her upcoming non-fiction book, The Art of Embracing Failure (Karangkraf, 2025), dives into the messy, honest truths about finding strength in setbacks.

Jannah is ^NOT Average is her debut novel, inspired by two true stories from her days as a science stream student in 2006-2007 Malaysia.

Authors

Jannah is ^NOT Average