Reviews tagging 'Death'

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed, Victoria Jamieson

22 reviews

midnightverde's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Absolutely beautiful. I read this with my 7 and 9 year old daughters and it was a perfect introduction to the refugee experience. I was drawn into the story and became very invested in the characters, so much so that the notes at the end are not to be missed. I wish I could find out more about what happened with each person in the story. Maryam’s story in the book really moved me as well as Fatuma’s. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief

joanna_banana's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

We saw this featured at KRL and I’ve enjoyed graphic novel memoirs and my daughter recognized the style from Roller Girl. I’m glad we picked it up! It is sweet and sad, really focusing on love, family, and faith in the face of the horrible violence and war that create refugees. I’m glad they decided to write it as a middle grade graphic novel, my daughter tore through it. So many important reminders and commentary tucked within the story. Would highly recommend!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism

Minor: Animal death, Suicide, and Pregnancy

bloomingbookworm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Addiction and Drug use

kelly_e's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

5.0

Title: When Stars Are Scattered
Author: Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
Genre: Graphic Memoir
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: April 14, 2020

T H R E E • W O R D S

Intimate • Heartbreaking • Compelling

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was looking for moving graphic novel with depth and after doing a little research I managed to compile a short list of options. List in hand I made a trip to my local library and surprisingly they had a copy of When Stars Are Scattered on the shelf, which made my choice easy.

This graphic novel is based on Omar Mohamed and his brother's time spent in a refugee camp in Kenya. It details the day-to-day life of a child refugee through direct dialogue and thought and stunning artwork. Intended for younger readers, this is an important read for readers of all ages. While this is one single story out of millions of stories, it is brought to light in a sensitive manner without shying away from the difficult truths.

Overall, When Stars Are Scattered opened my eyes to everyday life in refugee camps. Omar story is one of resiliency and hope, while I know this isn't always the case. It is also a reminder life isn't all bad even in the most harsh of circumstances. For instance, Omar found hope through friendship, education, and responsibility.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers of all ages
• social studies teachers

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Be like a star. Shine your light. Shine your story. For stories will lead us home."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Drug use, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

parasihir's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0

My heart breaks when I read this book. The part about stars really took my breath away and I would never see them the same ever again. When the Stars are Scattered is the best title for this book. Please read it to understand more about refugee's life, hope, education, and dreams. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexism, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Suicide

kshertz's review against another edition

emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Wow. This book just reminds you of life happening worlds away and helps to understand others lives. It puts into perspective refugee camps and stories. The things that people have been through even while being in these large camps. It’s even more amazing to remember this is a true story. There’s so much to take away from this book. I hope everyone reads it.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars
Art: 4 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Abandonment, and War

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

4.0

A beautiful story of two young men and their hope for a better life, this graphic novel captures the essence of what it means to live in a refugee camp. These two young boys were torn from their parents because of the violence in Somalia and sent to a refugee camp in Kenya. After many years of hardship, they’re able to resettle in the United States. This young adult book gives us insights into how refugees experience life and life and the ways that we might focus our energies to help them have better experiences. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism

stories's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

3.5

Engaging and accessible retelling of co-author Omar Mohamed’s experience growing up in a refugee camp. 

Certainly worth watching for a copy for the classroom, because it does a lovely job of telling the bare bones while leaving darker tragedies between the lines. 

Make sure you read the after notes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism

Moderate: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

Minor forced arranged marriage

morganperks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Gun violence, Violence, and War

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Suicide