When Stars Are Scattered book cover
6 - 8
Scroll down to read the first three chapters, watch the book trailer, and download the educator guide!

When Stars Are Scattered

By Omar Mohamed

Illustrator: Victoria Jamieson with coloring by Iman Geddy

**START READING THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS HERE**

 

Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It’s an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.

Educator Resources

  • Educator Guide for When Stars Are Scattered

    Download

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Colorado
    • Colorado Children's Book Award
  • Connecticut
    • Nutmeg Book Award
  • Florida
    • Sunshine State Young Readers Award
  • Georgia
    • Georgia Children's Book Award
  • Illinois
    • Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
  • Indiana
    • Young Hoosier Book Award
  • Kansas
    • William Allen White Book Award
  • Kentucky
    • Bluegrass Book Award
  • Maine
    • Maine Student Book Award
  • Maryland
    • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award
  • Michigan
    • Great Lakes Great Books Award
    • YouPer Award
    • MISelf in Books
  • Missouri
    • Dogwood Book Award
    • Mark Twain Readers Book Award
  • Nebraska
    • Golden Sower Book Award
  • New Hampshire
    • Great Stone Face Book Award
  • Oklahoma
    • Sequoyah Intermediate
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
    • Keystone to Reading Book Award
  • South Carolina
    • South Carolina Book Award
  • Texas
    • Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List
    • Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List
    • Lectio Book Award
  • Vermont
    • Golden Dome Book Award
  • Virginia
    • Virginia Readers' Choice Award
  • Washington
    • Evergreen Teen Book Award
  • Washington D.C.
    • Capitol Choices
  • Wisconsin
    • Just One More Page!
  • Tennessee
    • Volunteer State Book Award
  • South Dakota
    • South Dakota Teen Choice Book Award
  • Minnesota
    • Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award
  • Delaware
    • Blue Hen Book Award
  • Massachusetts
    • Massachusetts Book Award
  • Arizona
    • Grand Canyon Readers Award
  • North Carolina
    • North Carolina Children's Book Award
  • Arkansas
    • Arkansas Teen Book Award
    • Charlie May Simon Book Award
  • New Mexico
    • Land of Enchantment Book Award
  • Louisiana
    • Louisiana Readers' Choice Award
  • New Jersey
    • Garden State Children's Book Award
  • Mississippi
    • Magnolia Book Award
  • Wyoming
    • Indian Paintbrush Book Award
  • More Awards
    • Pacific Northwest Young Readers Book Award

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