It takes years for people to get their first book published, but Ritaj Hussain Alhazmi has not one but three of her books published.
With three novels in print, Alhazmi, 13, has been named the world’s “youngest person to publish a book series (female)” by Guinness World Records.
While talking to the Guinness World Records Alhazmi said, “Being a Guinness World Records holder is a big achievement that I want to share with young writers. I want to motivate and encourage young writers to take challenges and face obstacles.”
الثاني من مايو يصادف اليوم الذي شهدتُ فيه محاولة تحقيق لقب ‘أصغر كاتبة سلسلة كتب’ في #غينيس للأرقام القياسية
May 2nd marks the day where I witnessed the attempt of achieving a record titled ‘youngest series writer’ in #Guinness World Records#ريتاج_الحازمي pic.twitter.com/LjQZAsCxvn— Ritaj Alhazmi | ريتــاج الحازمي (@ritajalhazmi) May 3, 2022
Alhazmi, born in Dhahran city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, is fluent in Arabic and English and credits her writing inspiration to authors like J K Rowling and Joanne Rendell.
From the age of seven, Alhazmi frequently visited libraries in Saudi Arabia which inspired her to write short stories.
Alhazmi’s first novel titled Treasure of the Lost Sea was published in 2019. Her second book, Portal of the Hidden World, was also published in the same year. While her third novel of the series titled Beyond the Future World came out in 2020. She is currently working on the fourth book of the series, The Passage to the Unknown.
أكملت كتابي الجديد ‘العبور الى المجهول’ وسيتم نشره قريبا
Completed my new book ‘The Passage to the Unknown’ and will be published soon. #ريتاج_الحازمي pic.twitter.com/7NZbG6kSZm— Ritaj Alhazmi | ريتــاج الحازمي (@ritajalhazmi) June 10, 2022
After Alhazmi’s second novel came out in 2019, she qualified for the world record for the “youngest person to publish a book series (female)”. When her record was verified, she was just 12 years 295 days old.
Britain’s Bella J Dark holds the record for the “youngest person to publish a book (female)”, after having her book The Lost Cat published when she was just 5 years 211 days old. The Lost Cat was published on January 31, 2022, by Ginger Fyre Press.
