Book Review - When Stars are Scattered



1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jamieson, Victoria, Mohamed, Omar, & Geddy, Iman (2020). WHEN STARS ARE
SCATTERED. Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780525553915

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This graphic novel was about two brothers who live in a refugee camp in Kenya after
having to flee Somalia. The older brother struggles with taking care of his younger
brother, who has a learning disability. He learns to balance school, his social life, and
chores while hoping that one day they are able to be one of the lucky few who get picked
to relocate in America or Canada.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The narrator is a young boy and the author does a good job of writing the story and
dialogue to match his age. Their complex lives involve hard topics such as marrying as a
teenager, war, drugs, and resettlement are all addressed and told in a way for teens who
may have never encountered these issues to understand. The author is also able to
show throughout the novel the bonds bound in blood such as Omar caring for Hassan
and those forged in hardships and duty such as Fatuma raising the two boys as her own.
The bonds grow stronger with each page and hope runs rampant; the hope that the boys
will one day be reunited with their mother and hope that one day they will leave the
camp for a better life.

The illustrations are colorful and detailed, helping tell the story through the panels. They
complement the narration well, and with their cartoonish nature, are able to add to the
emotions that the reader will feel. The afterword at the back of the book gives the reader
the closure that was missing at the end by telling the reader about the accomplishments
that Omar and Hassan made later in America such as starting their own non-profit and
reuniting with their mother.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
STARRED KIRKUS REVIEW: “This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one
can ask of a book, and then some.”
STARRED HORN BOOK REVIEW: “Tragedy is certainly present throughout the story,
yet Mohamed and Jamieson’s focus on deep familial love and education works to
subvert many refugee stereotypes.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Students could use this book as an exercise to learn and consider different perspectives
and struggles.
*Another graphic novel by Victoria Jamieson:
ROLLER GIRL. ISBN: 978-0698190603

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