SYNOPSIS

A very young Omar and his baby brother, Hassan, lose their mom while fleeing violence in their Somali village.

They reach a refugee camp and are put in the care of a kind foster mother.

A temporary shelter becomes long-term home as the boys grow to young adulthood in one of Kenya’s numerous barbed-wire refugee settlements.

With help from friends, fellow refugees and UN reps, Omar succeeds in finishing middle and high school at the camp.

Hasan, who is nonverbal and suffers from seizures, learns to raise farm animals and helps with chores.

And when all hope of leaving the camp seems to have disappeared, the brothers get selected for resettlement in the United States – once again they will be alone in an unfamiliar world but this time equipped with resilience, education, and passion for helping others.

PERFECT AGE 7 – 14

We love

• Told from Omar’s perspective, the book is excellent at allowing readers to “see” and empathize with his deep emotions, observations and experiences.
• A number of important and complex topics – girls not allowed in school; forceful displacement; gruesome refugee camp conditions; cruelty toward people with disabilities, to name just a few – are handled with honesty and tact at the same time.
• The illustrations are magical.
• Hard not to fall in love with each and every character in this book.

WATCH OUT FOR (Language, Big / Sensitive Topics, Outdated Concepts):

There are some “biggies” here that should be previewed with your reader (of any age), such as:

• Ethnic violence, mass evacuation and the existence of refugee camps
• Violent death (young Omar sees his father shot to death by militia; a desperate refugee commits suicide)
• Cruelty toward and among children, including toward children with disabilities
• Grown-ups / parents using mind-altering substances
• Girls not being allowed to attend school

CONVERSATION STARTERS

• Can you give me some examples about the difference school made in Omar’s life? Why was Maryam angry at him for wanting to stop going to school?
• If you could meet Omar in person, what is one question you’d want to ask him?
• Give me some examples of when Omar was a good sibling to Hasan. How about some when he wasn’t?
• Do you know what the UN is and what role it plays? Do you want to learn more about it together?
• What questions do you have for me?
• Do you want to find a way to get engaged with Omar’s organization and help children like him?