Status
Available
Publication
Dial Books (2020), Edition: Illustrated, 264 pages
Library's review
ASomali boy living in a refugee camp in Kenya tries to make a future for himself and his brother in this near memoir interpreted as a graphic novel by collaborator Jamieson.
Omar Mohamed lives in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya with his younger brother, Hassan, who has a seizure disorder, and Fatuma,
This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some. (Graphic memoir. 9-13)
-Kirkus Review
Omar Mohamed lives in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya with his younger brother, Hassan, who has a seizure disorder, and Fatuma,
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an elderly woman assigned to foster them in their parents’ absence. The boys’ father was killed in Somalia’s civil war, prompting them to flee on foot when they were separated from their mother. They desperately hope she is still alive and looking for them, as they are for her. The book covers six years, during which Omar struggles with decisions about attending school and how much hope to have about opportunities to resettle in a new land, like the United States. Through Omar’s journey, and those of his friends and family members, readers get a close, powerful view of the trauma and uncertainty that attend life as a refugee as well as the faith, love, and support from unexpected quarters that get people through it. 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. Photographs of the brothers and an afterword provide historical context; Mohamed and Jamieson each contribute an author’s note.This engaging, heartwarming story does everything one can ask of a book, and then some. (Graphic memoir. 9-13)
-Kirkus Review
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Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Young People's Literature — 2020)
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 2023)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2 — 2023)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2022)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — 2022)
Great Stone Face Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2022)
Eisner Award (Nominee — 2021)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2022)
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Junior — 2023)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2023)
Great Lakes Great Books Award (Nominee — 2022)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee — 2023)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2022)
Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature (Honor Book — 2021)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Honor — 2022)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2023)
Arkansas Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2021)
Blue Hen Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Nominee — 2023)
North Carolina Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Land Of Enchantment Book Award (Winner — 2023)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Middle School — 2023)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration (Nominee — 2021)
Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Finalist — 2020)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Elementary — 2022)
Kids' Book Choice Awards (Finalist — 2021)
Josette Frank Award (Winner — 2021)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
UKLA Book Award (Shortlist — 2022)
Children's Africana Book Award (Honor Book — Older Readers — 2021)
Odyssey Award (Honor — 2021)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2022)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2023)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2022)
Lectio Book Award (Nominee — 2023)
YouPer Award (Honor — Honor — 2021)
Lewisham Book Awards (2022)
Three Stars Book Award (Nominee — 2021)
CYBILS Awards (Winner — 2020)
Rhode Island Middle School Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Charlotte Huck Award (Honor — 2021)
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction (Nominee — 2021)
Schneider Family Book Award (Honor — Middle Grades — 2021)
Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature (Winner — Younger Readers — 2021)
NPR: Books We Love (2020)
CCBC Choices (2021)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2021)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Top Ten — 2020)
Notable Children's Book (2021)
Nerdy Book Award (Graphic Novels — 2020)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Graphic Novels — 2020)
Idaho Battle of the Books (2023)
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (Top Ten — 2021)
Just One More Page Recommendation List (Young Adult — 2021)
Read for Empathy Collections (2021)
Project LIT Book Selection (Middle Grade — 2021)
OYAN Graphic Rave (Middle Grade — 2021)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2020)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-04-14
ISBN
0525553908 / 9780525553908