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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED

Iman Geddy Omar Mohamed Victoria Jamieson

Heartbreak and hope exist together in this remarkable graphic novel about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.
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.


Victoria Jamieson is the creator of the graphic novels All's Faire in Middle School and Newbery Honor winner Roller Girl. She received her BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked as a children's book designer before becoming a freelance illustrator. She has also worked as a portrait artist aboard a cruise ship, and has lived in Australia, Italy, and Canada. Now she lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and son.

Omar Mohamed spent his childhood at the Dadaab camp, after his father was killed and he was separated from his mother in Somalia. He devoted everything to taking care of his younger brother, Hassan, and to pursuing his education. He now lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his wife and five children, and works at a center to help resettle other refugees. He is the founder of Refugee Strong, a non-profit organization that empowers students living in refugee camps.

Iman Geddy, the colorist for this book, is an Atlanta-based designer and illustrator who is passionate about using the graphic arts for social good. Inspired by the geometric harmony of Islamic architecture as well as the colorful equatorial landscapes of eastern Africa, she creates striking art that highlights the beauty of the world around us.
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Published 2020-04-14 by Dial Books

Comments

WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED is a Amazon Best Children's Book of 2020 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book TIME Best Book of the Year School Library Journal Best Book of 2020 Kirkus Best Children's Book of 2020 NYPL Best Book for Kids Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book

The December 6th Issue of the The New York Times Book Review (circ. 1.1 million) will include WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED in their NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2020!: "This riveting graphic novel chronicles the young Omar's real-life experience during the 15 years he and his little brother spent as Somali refugees in the U.N.-run Dabaab camp in Kenya."

School and Library Journal posted the article, "Reviews and Coverage of the 2021 Eisner Award Nominations," which highlighted When Stars Are Scattered. Read more...

Mohamed's experience is unfortunately not unique, but it is told with grace, humility, and forgiveness. This beautiful memoir is not to be missed.

WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED is nominated for the 2021 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards - for Best Publication for Teens and Best Graphic Memoir. Read more...

Tragedy is certainly present throughout the story, yet Mohamed and Jamieson's focus on deep familial love and education works to subvert many refugee stereotypes.

Over the next fifteen years chronicled in this moving, slightly fictionalized graphic novel, the boys grow to manhood in an overcrowded tent city... Jamieson's artwork, affectionately depicting resilient kids who manage to carve out lives in a community with few solid prospects, reprises the inviting ebullience readers will recognize from Roller Girl and All's Faire.

Jamieson's characteristically endearing art, warmly colored by Geddy, perfectly complements Omar's story, conjuring memorable and sympathetic characters who will stay with readers long after they close the book... This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some.

The graphic novel presentation and first person narration from the young narrator creates an immediacy and connection with the events of the story. Readers are quickly drawn into Omar's world and worry for him and his friends.

WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED is a Finalist for the National Book Award! Read more...

Jamieson and Mohamed together craft a cohesive, winding story that balances daily life and boredom, past traumas, and unforeseen outcomes alongside camp denizens' ingenuity and community... colorist Iman Geddy's deep purple skies drive home the title. The result of this team effort is a personal and poignant entry point for young readers trying to understand an unfair world.

UK: Faber ; China (cc): Commonwealth ; Hungarian: Desk ; Italian: Il Castoro ; Japanese: Godo Shuppan ; Korea: Prooni ; Spanish: Maeva ; Turkish: Timas Basim Ticaret ve Sanayi

With this sensitive and poignant tale, Jamieson and Mohamed express the power of the human spirit to persevere.

Book Trailer! Read more...

WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED is a Jane Addams Children's Book Award Finalist

WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED is a New York Times Bestseller! - #10 Graphic Books (Jul 12, 2021)