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A review by katykelly
Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian
5.0
Refreshing and topical KS2-targeted story, with a warm and chatty Muslim protagonist.
It's a rather familiar story - of a boy moving house and trying to fit in at a new school, but with a Muslim family at its heart, the story takes on a perspective that many readers won't have considered before.
So every issue Omar faces - the school bully, an unfriendly neighbour, coping with family issues, has a new spin on it. The bully talks about Omar's family having to leave the country. The new neighbour appears to dislike the new family because of their religion and sees fault with everything. Omar tries to cope with tough Muslim traditions like the fasting of Ramadan.
But of course - Omar is just a regular boy. Wanting a best friend. Conjuring up imaginary dragons to help him best the class bully. Seeing Ramadan as a way of working towards the eternal reward he wants (by earning extra points towards the Ferrari of his dreams!). It's a very typical child but cloaked in the traditions and teachings of Islam, with a lot of information included for readers that will help make this religion a lot more familiar and understandable.
I liked the inclusion of small points that showed a Muslim family to be just as human as that of any other background - Omar's mum is a scientist. He and his sister laugh about the idea of her wearing her head covering in the shower.
With a lot of illustrations, even some built into the text, it's a read that flies by, and a primary-aged audience will quickly get through the short chapters. They will pick up a wealth of information about not only Islam but acceptance of differences and living in a multicultural society. The bullying storyline also contains a nicely-explained conclusion.
I wasn't sure about the title - 'Accidental Trouble Magnet' - this only makes sense near the end of the book, but I loved the protagonist and his family, and the whole idea for a series about this young Muslim boy. I hope to see his family featured again in future instalments.
One for ages 7-10 in particular. I expect my 8 year old can read this comfortably alone but I may read it to him to be able to discuss certain elements with him (about bigotry for example).
It's a rather familiar story - of a boy moving house and trying to fit in at a new school, but with a Muslim family at its heart, the story takes on a perspective that many readers won't have considered before.
So every issue Omar faces - the school bully, an unfriendly neighbour, coping with family issues, has a new spin on it. The bully talks about Omar's family having to leave the country. The new neighbour appears to dislike the new family because of their religion and sees fault with everything. Omar tries to cope with tough Muslim traditions like the fasting of Ramadan.
But of course - Omar is just a regular boy. Wanting a best friend. Conjuring up imaginary dragons to help him best the class bully. Seeing Ramadan as a way of working towards the eternal reward he wants (by earning extra points towards the Ferrari of his dreams!). It's a very typical child but cloaked in the traditions and teachings of Islam, with a lot of information included for readers that will help make this religion a lot more familiar and understandable.
I liked the inclusion of small points that showed a Muslim family to be just as human as that of any other background - Omar's mum is a scientist. He and his sister laugh about the idea of her wearing her head covering in the shower.
With a lot of illustrations, even some built into the text, it's a read that flies by, and a primary-aged audience will quickly get through the short chapters. They will pick up a wealth of information about not only Islam but acceptance of differences and living in a multicultural society. The bullying storyline also contains a nicely-explained conclusion.
I wasn't sure about the title - 'Accidental Trouble Magnet' - this only makes sense near the end of the book, but I loved the protagonist and his family, and the whole idea for a series about this young Muslim boy. I hope to see his family featured again in future instalments.
One for ages 7-10 in particular. I expect my 8 year old can read this comfortably alone but I may read it to him to be able to discuss certain elements with him (about bigotry for example).