When Stars are Scattered

When Stars are Scattered
Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Dial, April, 2020 257 pages
Grades 4-Up
Graphic Novel

Omar and his younger brother Hassan fled war-torn Somalia in the early 90's as small children. Now they are living in a refugee camp in Kenya, where Omar constantly scans the faces looking for his lost mother. Hassan has a history of seizures, as well as other developmental issues and is non-verbal. Omar must care for his brother and try to keep them both fed, hydrated, clean, and safe, along with the help of an elderly foster mother/neighbor. When the opportunity to go to school arises, Omar takes advantage thanks to the help of friends and neighbors. He begins school at ten years old, quite behind the other children, but works as hard as he can to catch up. His efforts pay off and both Omar and two of his friends are promoted to secondary school. Another friend, the smartest young lady in the class, cannot continue with her education since she is forced by her family to marry. Omar continues to study, care for his brother, and survive camp life when an amazing development occurs, he is selected for an interview for possible resettlement in another country! After a grueling process and much waiting Omar's dreams come true and he and Hassan say goodbye to all they know and love, ready to begin the next chapter of their lives.

Graphic novelist, Jamieson, switches gears from the American tween experience to that of a Somalian refugee. The story is Mohamed's, who shared his narrative with Jamieson and offers family photographs and a personal letter at the end of the volume. American children will have no knowledge of what life is really like for an African refugee and this story brings perspective in an age-appropriate and relatable manner. Life of a refugee and the camp experience is the primary focus of the book, yet the authors also offer a plot, tracing Omar's journey and the struggles of caring for his special needs brother and basic survival. Some of Omar's problems are those that all readers can relate to (friendship troubles), yet some are inconceivable to American readers (sleeping on the dirt floor and not being able to go to school). The full color illustrations are attractive and the panels scan well. I sometimes had a hard time telling the boys apart as well as the girls, but always managed to figure it out through the dialogue. I am not sure if this will be more of a problem for young readers, though they love graphic novels so much, they will not let it slow them down. The photos at the end are a wonderful touch and remind readers that refugee's stories are real. An important topic told in a way that young people can understand and will read.