When Stars Are Scattered [pb]
By Victoria Jamieson, Omar Mohamed & Iman Geddy
Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about the day-to-day life of growing up in a refugee camp, as told by Somali refugee, Omar Mohamed.
Omar and his little brother, Hassan, arrived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, seven years ago. Their father was killed the day they left home, and they haven’t seen their mother since they joined their neighbors who were fleeing to Dadaab. Now Omar is eleven and Hassan is nine, and Omar has quit school to look after his brother, who has an intellectual disability.
When Omar is given the opportunity to return to school and carve out a future for himself and Hassan, he feels torn. He loves school and could have the opportunity to earn a coveted scholarship to a North American university- and with it a visa for himself and Hassan. But is it worth the risk and heartache of leaving his vulnerable brother for hours each day? 264 pages
April 14, 2020
Starred reviews from Booklist, The Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly & School Library Journal
