When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade graphic novel
• Originally Published: 2020
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 5-9
• Structure/Length: 3 parts; 3 introductions; 17 chapters; approx. 264 pages; approx. 3 hours, 42 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a Somali refugee camp in Kenya, where there is never enough food, hope, or medical care. Hassan is nonverbal and has seizures, and Omar is constantly worried for him. When Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he must choose between leaving his brother every day and grasping a chance for a better future for them both.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Implied wartime violence; parental loss; allusions to drug use and domestic violence

Omar Mohamed, Author

• Bio: Co-authored When Stars Are Scattered for publication in 2020; worked closely with Jamieson to convey his childhood in Dadaab and his process toward resettlement; now helps other refugees worldwide and in Dadaab through his work as a resettlement case manager and as the founder of Refugee Strong, an organization of volunteers who gather and send needed supplies to those living as refugees

Victoria Jamieson, Author

• Bio: Born and lives in Pennsylvania; wanted to be an animator after seeing them work during the Backstage Tour at Disney World; attended the Rhode Island School of Design and focused on illustration; once played on a roller derby team in Portland, Oregon; was a portrait artist on a cruise ship before working as a book designer with Harper Collins Children’s Books; books are based on her real-life experiences
• Other Works: Roller Girl (2015); The Great Pet Escape (2016); All’s Faire in Middle School (2017); The Great Art Caper (2017)

Awards: Jane Addams Children’s Book Award finalist (2020); National Book Award for Young People’s Literature finalist (2020); Walter Dean Myers Award for Young Readers winner (2021); Josette Frank Award winner (2021)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Balancing Belief in Dreams, Faith, and Hard Work
• Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardship
• Recognizing and Utilizing One’s Gifts

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts that incite Omar’s conflict as a refugee.
• Study paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Balancing Belief in Dreams, Faith, and Hard Work, Maintaining Empathy Despite Personal Hardship, and Recognizing and Utilizing One’s Gifts.
• Plan and construct a care package for Somalian refugees based on textual details.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding influential figures, empathy, and other topics.