Welcome to Litsy!

As with many of the books we‘ve read so far, I have really enjoyed the authors‘ portrayal of characters‘ lives and circumstances. For example, in this book, the illustrations and dialogue helped the reader infer that Jeri‘s father was abusive. This, along with many other books we‘ve read, can be really helpful when teaching and discussing inferences.

Throughout the book, we can see Omar‘s heart of empathy. His emotions are incredibly shown- anger, sadness, frustration, joy, and longing. Mohamed and Jamieson do a great job at portraying these emotions. Omar is probably one of my favorite characters I‘ve ever read about.

The description of Omar being what I would describe as depressed after his interview is very interesting. I think the authors do a great job of describing this feeling in a way that readers who haven't felt this way before would be able to relate to. I think they do a great job of using language that middle schoolers could absorb/understand.

I felt bad for Omar when he found out he was on the resettlement list. I cannot imagine the amount of pressure he was under. He is just a child, but he was the person having to complete the interview and care for his special needs brother. He also describes how he was becoming retraumatized trying to remember everything that happened in his hometown. That is just a lot of pressure for anyone, especially a child.

On page 37 Omar talks about how “...the star makes [him] feel safe, like [his] mom and dad are nearby“ which made me think about the title of the book and if the authors are foreshadowing. If the stars represent his family, I think the book will probably be about getting separated from his family.

I really liked how the authors framed the first couple of pages of the book. I thought it was interesting how they not only introduced Hassan and Omar but also demonstrated some of their dynamic before letting the readers know Hassan has a disability. I feel like it was extremely intentional to show the readers that they still had “typical“ sibling interactions before sharing information about Hassan's disability.

If anyone in interested in another graphic novel about a boy's experience in a refugee camp, I highly recommend checking out Baddawi by Leila Abdelrazaq. It tells the story of Ahmad, a Palestinian refugee who, along with thousands of other Palestinians, was forced out of his home due to conflicts in the mid 1900s in their homeland. Both stories portray the lives of growing boys as they navigate their uncertain circumstances as refugees.

This was an amazing story! Omar and Hassan's childhood may look a lot different from a lot of young readers' lives, and I think that's the beauty of turning this story into a children's graphic novel; kids can read about Omar and Hassan's story--can look through all of the colorful drawings of the boys' lives--and get a better understanding of the world around them. I can't wait to recommend this novel to readers both young and old.

This page of the novel is so touching, in my opinion. I think it's really beautiful that amidst all of the struggles, conflicts, hardships, and uncertainties the boys faced on a daily basis, they still found home within each other. No matter what came their way, they still had each other. They were brothers above all else, and that's a really special bond to have in such an uncertain environment as a refugee camp.

I love how the authors drop nuggets of information throughout this novel. Now, we know of different motivations Omar has, and it‘s done in a very clever and impactful way.

This part of the book is sad because as children we believe everything will be ok, but as we get older reality hits.

This is such a valuable conversation in this novel. Differences don't equal incapabilities. Hassan is different than the other refugee kids because he can't speak, but his inability to speak doesn't make him helpless, as Jeri states. He is still valued and loved as a person, especially by Omar, because his differences shouldn't make him feel less than. I just think this is a special lesson for young readers to learn!

I was so excited when I found out we were reading a graphic novel! As an English major, I've had to opportunity to read a few graphic novels for some of my classes and they always turn out to be my favorite stories from the course. Already, I'm loving how this graphic novel is capturing the expressions of the refugees and the landscape of the camp; having a visual representation of these things makes the story so much more immersive and personal.

Family means everything to Omar in this book. He is dedicated to his brother Hassan, and though he and Hassan‘s lives are tragic, they are able to make it through hard times because of their love and care for one another. When Omar considers going to school, he is afraid to leave Hassan even briefly because he is traumatized by losing his mother and father. The picture of his old town being burned and the nightmares displayed in the image of the…

I like how this book is a graphic novel cause readers see everything from the characters, facial expressions, settings, etc.. Readers won‘t have to try to imagine what happens. Also it‘s easier to see the characters‘ personalities.

When Stars are Scattered is about two young boys who live in a refugee camp after escaping the war in Somalia. They have to grow up in the camp separated from their family and are awaiting being chosen to relocate safely to North America. I would recommend reading this story to upper elementary grades. It was published in 2020 and won the National Book Award.

Just finished this book! I‘ve been planning to teach it since the beginning of the school year so I‘m super excited to start TODAY w/ my 7th graders ☀️When Stars Are Scattered is a touching, intimidate graphic semi-autobiography of Omar Mohamed, a Somali refugee who grew up in Dadaab camp in Kenya (fun fact: the same camp Rep. Ilhan Omar grew up in!) Beautiful, heartwarming and relatable, this book is perfect for all readers middle grades and up!!

This book was so powerful! Jamie son does an amazing job of capturing the ups and downs, the emotional roller coaster, experienced by Omar.

I love this!

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBt3jb4les

Enjoy!

Wonderful graphic novel about a Somali child growing up in a refugee camp in Kenya. V Jamison‘s illustrations are spot-on.

A story of Somali people stuck in the no-man‘s land of a refugee camp in Kenya. It is good but probably geared more to the late Middle-grade age group.