Book Posts - When Stars Are Scattered
Cathy G. Johnson
Cathy G.'s Book Posts
Book recommendations for young readers, educators + caregivers!
When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson and Iman Geddy, 264 pages, Dial Books, 2020
Age Recommendation: Middle-grade. All-ages appropriate with guidance; middle grade and older audiences will do best with the denser text.
Intro: “Refugee camps are supposed to be a temporary place to stay until it’s safe to go back home. I guess no one expected the war to last so long, though, because Hassan and I have been here for 7 years.” (from the back of the book)
Theme 1: The Refugee Camp Experience. When Stars Are Scattered shares the childhood experience of what unfortunately many people go through — growing up in a refugee camp. There are many refugees in the world: By the end of 2019, “79.5 million individuals have been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations,” according to the USA for UNHCR (link). This is a story that should be shared widely.
Theme 2: #OwnVoices. A benefit of this wonderful graphic novel is that it was made in collaboration with a person whose story its telling. #OwnVoices means the author and the protagonist of the book both share a marginalized identity, making a narrative more authentic. This is the story of Omar Mohamed, as told by Omar Mohamed.
Theme 3: Community Value. Omar and his younger brother Hassan are taken care of by the community surrounding them. Omar is encouraged to attend school by neighborhood adults. Community members support and uplift each other through very difficult times. The value of community is an important lesson for all readers.
Should I Read It?: When Stars Are Scattered is a must-have in all middle school libraries. It contains a very valuable and important story that everyone should learn in order to help — the refugee experience.