SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

August 5, 2020 by Esther Keller

Review: When Stars Are Scattered

August 5, 2020 by Esther Keller   Leave a Comment

When STars are Scattered Book Cover

Our 7th grade has been reading Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water for several years. I was always surprised at how well received the book was by students, because it’s about a land so far away. Yet students are continuously moved by Salva’s walk to the refugee camp and Nyla’s search for water. What students never necessarily learn about or find out is what happens in the refugee camps.

When Stars are Scattered
By Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed (writers) Iman Geddy (artist)
Dial Books for Young Readers. April 2020. $12.99
Ages 10 and up

Omar doesn’t remember the very early years of his arrival at Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. But he knows he once had a family and they were forced to flee when his village was invaded by soldiers. Omar is primarily responsible for Hassan, his younger brother, who has special needs. He is fostered by Fatuma. They all live in tents, waiting for a chance to emigrate to the United States. But the wait is long.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Omar doesn’t attend school, because he is responsible for Hassan, but when the opportunity to attend school comes, Omar chooses to go. Neither going to the school nor leaving Hassan behind is easy, but Omar perseveres, and he and his brother continue to wait for resettlement.

The chance to emigrate comes when Omar is nearly an adult, having spent his entire childhood in the camp.

Though Omar’s story ends happily, readers are left with a sense of despair realizing how many people are left behind in these camps. The writing is strong, and the short, easy sentences allow readers to focus on the weight of the story being told, from the revelation of what happened when the soldiers came and killed Omar’s father to how he was separated from his mother and ended up in the refugee camp with his brother.

The artwork, with its dark yet bright palette, offers a glimpse at how things look and allows readers to feel the emotions in the story. The camp is depicted as a bustling and busy place, where joy and sorrow and despair coexist. The artwork will give as much insight to Omar’s story as the text itself.

Although it’s very different from Jamieson’s previous graphic novels, this book is a window to a world far away. It will allow readers to view their own lives in a very different light and hopefully allow them to understand the sorrow and heartache that are experienced all over the world.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
realistic fictionrefugees

About Esther Keller

Esther Keller is the librarian at JHS 278, Marine Park in Brooklyn, NY. There she started the library's first graphic novel collection and strongly advocated for using comics in the classroom. She also curates the Graphic Novel collection for the NYC DOE Citywide Digital Library. She started her career at the Brooklyn Public Library and later jumped ship to the school system so she could have summer vacation and a job that would align with a growing family's schedule. On the side, she is a mother of 4 and regularly reviews for SLJ and School Library Connection (formerly LMC). In her past life, she served on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens Committee where she solidified her love and dedication to comics.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

July 2022

Review: Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?!

by Esther Keller

June 2022

Review | Mickey Mouse: Zombie Coffee

by Esther Keller

May 2022

Review: Red Scare

by Esther Keller

April 2022

How To Spot A Sasquatch | Review

by Esther Keller

April 2022

Review: Miss Quinces

by Esther Keller

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

The Snowman Retro Video Game

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

The Flamingo: An Interview with Guojing About Her Latest, Loveliest Creation

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Secret Reverse | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

And now there are 70 Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Suggestions

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

What if a Story Doesn’t End?: How My Eleven-Year-Old Character Changed My Mind about Traditional Narrative, a guest post by Louise Hawes

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

What’s New, Newbery Authors? Meg Medina and Christina Soontornvat

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

PEN America and Trust Project Release Newsroom Transparency Tracker | News Bites

Latinx Graphic Novels to the Fore | Stellar Panels

15 Returning Faces for Graphic Novels Shelves | Series Update

10 Standout Graphic Novels by AAPI Creators

12 Graphic Novel Series Updates for Young Readers

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022