Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed, Victoria Jamieson

12 reviews

bloomingbookworm's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

5.0


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kelly_e's review against another edition

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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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kshertz's review against another edition

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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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waterviolite's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0


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shea_proulx's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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krys_kilz's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.5

This was a moving graphic novel and memoir. The artwork and coloring really complimented the storytelling.

In my opinion, it veered a little towards inspiration porn, which is common with stories about disabled folks as well as with refugee experiences written for a western audience. I don't want to judge too harshly though because from the author's note at the end it seems like it was a collaborative writing process and that Omar was satisfied with how his story was told.

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morganperks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

5.0


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laurao's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.5


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schaarzy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0


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faranae's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad slow-paced

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