When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered is a powerful and heartwarming graphic novel based on the true story of Omar Mohamed, a Somali refugee. It chronicles his childhood in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, where he cares for his nonverbal younger brother, Hassan, after they are orphaned. The book explores Omar's difficult decision to attend school, which offers a path to a better future but means leaving Hassan daily. This intimate memoir beautifully portrays themes of resilience, family love, and the search for belonging amidst hardship, making it an important read for middle schoolers and up.

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. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.