When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

 

-from Picture Book Perfect blog, by Rachael Davis

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamieson, Victoria and Omar Mohamed. 2020. WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED.  New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-72548-313-2.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Omar and Hassan are two young brothers.  They play soccer with their friends, do their chores, and go to school, but their lives are anything but normal.  They live in a refugee camp in Kenya, Africa. This story brings the harsh reality of refugee life to the middle grade reader’s level.  The boys confront the realities of hunger, loss, loneliness, and despair. However, hope, kindness, joy, and inspiring determination are intertwined throughout their life story. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Unlike many graphic novels, this is a biographical account of the very challenging and unique lives of two young brothers.  The content and setting of this story make it stand out from other graphic novels. It is weighty and more serious than most other books in its genre.  This is not another Dog Man.

Truly, there are heartbreaking moments in this book.  Jamieson gives brief, but poignant descriptions of relevant issues like the violence in Somalia, the premature loss of loved ones, the reality of food scarcity, the difficulties of disability, and the heartbreak and hope of immigration. At one point, Omar says, “It was nice talking like this. Pretending we were normal kids, with normal futures to look forward to.” 

Typical of the genre, most of Maieson’s writing is conversational, alternating between character dialogue and the narrator’s thoughts. So much of this book feels didactic, at least for the typical, American reader. The story is rich with cultural context, from explanations of the Muslim Ramadan to the perspective of privileged education. 

This is a book that all of us should read, to better understand life experiences that are different from our own. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

ALA Notable Children's Books, 2021

Booklist starred, (March 2020)

Horn Book Magazine starred, (March 2020)

Kirkus Reviews starred, (February 2020) “This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some.”

Publishers Weekly starred, (March 2020)

Schneider Family Book Honor, 2021

School Library Journal starred, (February 2020) “ Heavier on text compared with Jamieson's usual fare, this title still features the expressive, gentle style of Roller Girl or All's Faire in Middle School-the language of cartoons makes the subject matter accessible to a middle grade audience.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*This book would pair beautifully with another Refugee fiction graphic novel, like Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang or Illegal by Eoin Colfer. 

*To accompany a broader study on Africa or African life, one could add books such as Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate, or The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney.