When Stars Are Scattered

A finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, When Stars Are Scattered is the story of Omar Mohamed and his younger brother Hassan, two refugees from Somalia. Uprooted by war and separated from their parents, they walked a long, treacherous way to be eventually resettled in the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. They are placed in the care of a foster mother, Fatuma, an older Somalian woman whose four sons were killed. 

While in the camp, they are safe from imminent danger, but they have to deal with a number of other obstacles, like a scarcity of food, meager housing, opportunistic older kids, and a lot of waiting. They are also on a constant search for their mother, who told them to run for safety as she would follow them. In many ways they feel like they are in a prison, even though they are supposed to be free. They spend a lot of time wishing for their names to be placed on a list for interviews so they can be relocated to places like the US, Canada, or Australia, but their situation seems hopeless. Add to the mix that Hassan suffers from seizures and can only say one word ("Hooyo"), and Omar has much on his plate taking care of himself and his brother.

Omar finds refuge from many of his worries in education, and going to school is a welcome escape from his daily troubles and boredom. Encouraged by a couple of UN caseworkers, he begins to focus on his learning as a possible escape from his circumstances. Still, all of this takes a very long time, and over the years, Omar becomes frustrated and occasionally angry at his plight. 

Even from the above description, I have left out so much from this book. For instance, it also touches on many political realities like the need to educate female students and the stretched resources of the UN. It is a very well detailed account of this refugee experience, replete with lots of heartache, longing, and frustration. The characters here are fully realized, complicated people who display a range of emotions and beliefs. I can see why this book has been as honored as it has, because it is profoundly moving. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Omar Mohamed shared his story with multi-award winning graphic novelist Victoria Jamieson, who adapted it here. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization Refugee Strong. Jamieson is a picture book creator and YA graphic novel rock star known for her books Roller Girl and All's Faire in Middle School. Both creators speak about When Stars Are Scattered in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book has been glowing. Kirkus Reviews concluded their starred review, "This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some." Esther Keller called it "a window to a world far away" that "will allow readers to view their own lives in a very different light and hopefully allow them to understand the sorrow and heartache that are experienced all over the world." In another starred review, Publishers Weekly wrote that it is "a personal and poignant entry point for young readers trying to understand an unfair world."

When Stars Are Scattered was published by Dial Books for Young Readers, and they offer a preview and more here.

Roller Girl

I have had this book on my shelf for a little while now. I bought it at my local independent book store after I had read Comics Squad: Detention and thought that Victoria Jamieson's entry in that anthology was the best part of the book. Roller Girl was a 2016 Newbery Honor book and has a slew of other honors as well. The story here follows a girl named Astrid who is at a crossroads, growing up and becoming more at odds with her mother as well as tenuous with her best friend Nicole. One day the trio attend a roller derby match, and Astrid is completely blown away.

 

Soon after, they learn that there will be a roller derby camp that summer, and Astrid cannot wait to sign up. Nicole is not so keen on joining and opts instead to attend dance camp, where she has a different set of friends, one of which is very much at odds with Astrid. Complicating matters, she lies to her mother that Nicole is at camp with her, so she does not worry about her getting a ride home everyday. And adding even more to this drama is Astrid's realization that roller derby is very challenging, taxing, and tiring.

What I loved about this book was how it approached all of the physical and emotional adversity Astrid has to face in very real and relatable manner. Over the course of the book, she learns much about friendship, stamina, and herself. I felt that the characters and relationships were complex and nuanced, and that this book was done in a smart way that would appeal both to young people and adults, without insulting either audience. The ending, which focuses around Astrid's first competitive match, does not go exactly as she intended but it's a great learning experience. The conclusion was mostly sweet and just a little bitter, and I'm not going to lie but it made me tear up. I am a total sucker for a story told this well, where all the disparate narrative threads come together in such an artful manner. This book deserves all the accolades it has received (and then some!).

This book's creator Victoria Jamieson is a children's book illustrator and graphic novelist who has since published a few others since this debut. One is the stand-alone volume All's Faire in Middle School,  the other two entries in her Pets on the Loose! series The Great Pet Escape, and The Great Art Caper. She speaks more about her work on Roller Girl in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been celebratory. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and stated that "readers will want to stand up and cheer." Kirkus Reviews also gave it a starred review and wrote that it was "Full of charm and moxie." Esther Keller summed up, "This is a great summer or all-year read that will thoroughly be enjoyed by middle-grade readers."

Roller Girl was published by Penguin Random House, and they have more info about it here.

Comics Squad: Detention!

I recently read this third installment of the Comics Squad series (see my reviews for Lunch! and Recess!), and I loved the range of stories focused on that time of day reserved for atoning for misdeeds, detention. Some of these stories seem autobiographical, some are more fictional, one recasts classic Greek mythology, and another follows some microscopic organisms. And the creators involved are some of the tops in comics, including a number of prominent award winners and best-sellers.

I don't think there is one bad story in the bunch here, but I did have my favorites. Victoria Jamieson told an fun and unexpectedly touching story about a new girl in school whose unconventional detention is to help out in a kindergarten classroom. There she has a few encounters with a rambunctious and unruly student who gives her a couple of runs for her money but also teaches her something interesting. I also very much enjoyed George O'Connor's Greek mythology-infused tale of Sisyphus. It was chock full of mythological references and pad puns (two of my favorite things).

The rest of the stories are mostly in the humorous vein, and some also had some inventive touches. I really liked Ben Hatke's short exploration of imagination in his tale about a boy getting in trouble for having a cell phone in school and then having to invent ways to pass the time without it. I have also liked his art style, but here it is looser, which was a nice change of pace. I also thought Jarrett Krosoczka's Lunch Lady comic featuring the Breakfast Bunch was thrilling and fun, though I was bummed to find out it ended on a cliffhanger. Hopefully, that story gets picked up in the next volume of this series.

With all of the great things going on in this book I should also write about two things that may put people off: 1. There is an agenda to sell more graphic novels to younger readers. They are clearly cross-promoting other series they publish (Lunch Lady, Babymouse, and Squish). Personally, I feel this volume would make an excellent "gateway book" to further reading, and I like much of what I have read from those particular series. So the commercial push does not bother me much, and I feel introducing readers to other tales they might like is actually one of the book's strengths. 2. A lot of the stories share the theme of going to detention for drawing in class. I know I had my own run-ins with teachers about when and when not to draw and can relate, but I feel like the joke gets a little stale by the end of the book.

Still, I very much liked the range of tales here as well as the variety of topics and art styles. This collection is a fantastic anthology for young readers, and I think it would be an excellent classroom library book.

I had a difficult time finding reviews for this book, but the one I did find, written by Heidi Grange, who stated that "all the stories are quite absurd, but thoroughly engaging and entertaining and bound to be enjoyed by many young readers."

Comics Squad: Detention was published by Random House, and they have a preview and more available here.