When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered

by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Dial, 2020. 264 pages. Graphic Novel

Omar and his little brother, Hassan, arrived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, seven years ago. Their father was killed the day they left home, and they haven't seen their mother since they joined their neighbors who were fleeing to Dadaab. Now Omar is eleven and Hassan is nine, and Omar has quit school to look after his brother, who has an intellectual disability. When Omar is given the opportunity to return to school and carve out a future for himself and Hassan, he feels torn. He loves school and could have the opportunity to earn a coveted scholarship to a North American university--and with it a visa for himself and Hassan. But is it worth the risk and heartache of leaving his vulnerable brother for hours each day?

This is an important story to read, especially for young readers. Many in the Western world (myself included) don't truly understand what refugees experience. This story, told in a graphic novel format, is at times hopeful, frustrating, depressing, and moving. Mohamed's experiences are portrayed in a realistic and relatable way, with bits of humor here and there and with candor throughout. This work and stories like it can help readers achieve a level of deeper understanding of lives dissimilar to their own, which in turn can help the rising generation live lives filled with empathy while inspiring them to achieve their highest potential.

The Last Fallen Star

The Last Fallen Star

by Graci Kim
Rick Riordan Presents, 2021. 336 pages. Fantasy

Book #1 in the "Gifted Clans" series

Riley Oh can't wait to see her sister earn her Gi bracelet and finally be able to cast spells without adult supervision, even though Riley herself has no magic. Then Hattie gets an idea: what if the two of them could cast a spell that would allow Riley to share Hattie's magic? They decide to perform a forbidden incantation from the family's old spell book, but in so doing, they violate the laws of the Godrealm. With Hattie's life hanging in the balance, Riley has to fulfill an impossible task: find the last fallen star. But what even is the star, and how can she find it? Riley finds herself meeting fantastic creatures, collaborating with her worst enemies, and uncovering secrets that challenge everything she has been taught to believe. Now she must decide what it means to be a witch, what it means to be family, and what it really means to belong.

I love the way in which Kim has seamlessly incorporated Korean mythology (about which I know very little) into modern life without info-dumping tons and tons of backstory. She deftly addresses the struggles of immigrants' descendants to connect with their roots while keeping the story entertaining and the plot moving. This work is definitely set up for a sequel (or multiple), of which there are already two published.

Hello, Universe

Hello, Universe
by Erin Estrada Kelly
Greenwillow, 2017. 320 pages. Realistic Fiction

In a single day, the lives of four children are woven together in unexpected ways. The shy Virgil Salinas  feels out of place in his loud and boisterous family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always following her around. When the school bully pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well, it's up to Kaori, Gen, and Valencia to find him. Using luck, smarts, and bravery, a rescue is performed and friendship blooms.

Kelly's diverse characters surpass tokenism; their varying ethnic backgrounds (and Valencia’s disability) affect the characters’ lives without defining them. They are not diverse for diversity’s sake; their life experiences color their perceptions, as occurs in reality.

In her Newbery acceptance speech for Hello, Universe, Kelly said, “[T]he truth is, I write books for my characters…. Because I was – and still am – all of them.” She continues, “You have given me a tremendous honor tonight. And it’s my hope that you will remember, each day, how you honor the dreams of underdogs everywhere.” Kelly’s authenticity is born of lived experience, and she conveys it in a format that is easily digestible by tween readers.