When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

 

At the beginning of Thanksgiving Break, I read When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. This graphic memoir is about Omar Mohamed and his brother Hassan, who are living in a Kenyan refugee camp to escape the war in Somalia. Although they were separated from their mother when the war came to their hometown and their father was killed, Omar still has hope that they will find her. In the meantime, Omar and Hassan have to cope with the challenges of living in a refugee camp. They don't have enough food or access to the medical care that Hassan, who is nonverbal and has seizures, needs. One day, Omar has the opportunity to go to school even though it means leaving Hassan every day. Their foster mother, Fatuma, steps up in looking after Hassan for Omar while he goes to school, and Omar passes his exam to begin middle school months later. A few years later, Omar and Hassan are invited to be interviewed to be resettled in North America. When they don't receive a second interview right away, the two brothers continue waiting for their lives to change.

This book was riveting and I nearly read it in one sitting. At the beginning of the book, I was very excited when Omar could start going to school even though he was reluctant at first and loved how Hassan showed how capable he was by helping to take care of goats and playing with the younger children. I also thought the relationship between the two brothers was very sweet. Once in a while, Omar would get annoyed with Hassan, but at the end of the day it was clear that Hassan was the most important person in Omar's life. He showed so much concern for his brother when he would run away. One time, he even searched for Hassan at night. It definitely amazed me how resilient Omar and Hassan were. Despite the fact that they live in a refugee camp, they never lost hope for the future. I was also moved by how supportive the community was, especially Fatuma, Omar's best friend Jeri, and two of his classmates, Maryam and Nimo. When Stars Are Scattered is an unforgettable true story of hope and resilience that anyone should read.

Wink by Rob Harrell

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Wink by Rob Harrell. This realistic fiction novel is about Ross Maloy, a twelve-year-old boy who is diagnosed with a rare eye cancer during the summer before he starts seventh grade. All he wants is to be normal, but it's challenging when he has medical treatments everyday and someone at his school is making cruel memes about him. He even has to wear a hat to school for protection and smear goop around his eye, which doesn't make fitting in any easier. Although one of his friends, Isaac, stopped hanging out with Ross when he found out the news about Ross's diagnosis, his other friend, Abby, stands by his side faithfully even though she's moving to Minnesota over winter break. After his first few treatments, Ross begins taking guitar lessons with his radiation tech, Frank, and decides that he wants to play in the school talent show in part to impress the girl he has a crush on. For Ross, playing guitar is an outlet for his struggles, along with drawing comics that feature his original character, Batpig. Unfortunately, as his hair begins to fall out and he dreads the day he'll lose his vision, he has a falling out with Abby. With the burdens building up, Ross has to decide if he should let go and embrace what makes him unique.

I really enjoyed this book because it wasn't your typical book about someone who has cancer. While there are parts that are heartbreaking, it was also hilarious and fun, making me laugh and smile. I definitely loved how the book combined both art and music. It was cool how the Batpig comics linked to whatever was going on in Ross's life and they really expressed his emotions well. At first, I thought Frank was very pretentious about music, but as he spent more time with Ross, I got to know his empathic side, which was nice. I especially liked Ross and Abby's friendship because Abby would let Ross know that it's okay to stand out. Even though they get into an argument when they're both dealing with a lot, I had faith that they would make up before the end of the book. Wink is an unforgettable novel and it's an exceptional choice for anyone to read about surviving not only cancer, but middle school.

A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi

 

The last few days, I read A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi. In this realistic fiction novel, eleven-year-old Mimi goes on a vacation to Karachi, Pakistan to visit her grandparents when her mom gets a new job as an art teacher at a private school. Although she wishes she was in Italy instead, like her best friend Zoe, she begins writing to the journalist father that left her and her mom when she was five in the journal her mom gave her before the trip. While staying at her grandparents' house, Mimi meets the cook's daughter, Sakina. Despite the fact that she hasn't told her parents and doesn't know how her family will afford losing the money she earns them, Sakina dreams of going to school and asks Mimi to teach her English so that she can pass the English portion of her admission test to get into New Haven School. When Mimi's grandfather reveals that her father has been in Karachi for the past year, Sakina agrees to help Mimi find him by bringing her newspapers in English. While helping each other get what they want most, Mimi and Sakina discover they have more in common than they first thought and form a friendship, but the secrets they're keeping weigh heavily on them.

A Thousand Questions was such a wholesome and heartwarming novel. Although there were several tense moments because Mimi's mom had no desire to see her ex-husband, Sakina's dad had diabetes, and Pakistan's election was coming up, the two girls' friendship was lovely. I really enjoyed the kindness that they showed each other and especially loved when they went sightseeing in Karachi because it showed the best parts of the city and allowed the two girls to take a break from their worries. At different parts of the story, Mimi was shown to be jealous of Sakina and vice versa, but by the end, they both came to appreciate what they have and I thought that was nice. Additionally, I could understand why Mimi wanted to see her father again so badly even though her mom had moved on. It was heartbreaking when she believed her father left because of her and I didn't blame her for needing to hear the truth from him about why he left. I also felt bad that Sakina might not be able to go to school because her family needed her to work to earn money. Even though I was sad when Mimi had to go back home to Houston, it was satisfying to read that the girls' big dreams would come true. Anyone should read this beautifully wonderful story of empathy, friendship, and family.

Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie

 

On Friday, I finished reading Scritch Scratch by Lindsay Currie. This horror novel is about Claire, a girl who prefers science to the paranormal. When the bus driver of her dad's ghost-themed Chicago bus tours gets sick and has to cancel, Claire is roped into helping her dad despite her reluctance. During the tour, Claire notices unexplainable things happening and eventually sees a young boy at the back of the bus who is mysteriously gone when she checks for him at the very end of the tour. The only thing she finds in his place is a wet piece of paper with the number 396 on it. Soon, she begins to hear scratching and voices whispering in the dark. Then, she sees 396 again written on the wall of her shower and decides to tell her brother, Sam, that she's being haunted, leading them to investigate the history of haunted locations in Chicago. When the sad, dark-eyed boy follows her to school, she has to figure out what he wants before it's too late, even if it means asking her best friend, Casley, and Casley's new friend, Emily, for help.

This novel was very creepy and I enjoyed it so much. I had my suspicions about what had happened to the ghost boy who followed Claire after the bus tour because I saw an episode of the Disney Channel show, So Weird, about the same tragedy when I was a kid, but the story was no less suspenseful and compelling because of my previous knowledge. I didn't know exactly what the boy wanted or how Claire could help him. It was definitely quite the mystery as to why he chose her, but I thought it was pretty cool how Claire used the scientific method to solve it. I also really liked Claire's relationship with her brother, Sam, because not only is he the first one to believe her about being haunted, he also decides to help her when she agrees to help him with math. On the other hand, sometimes I just wanted to shake Claire when she kept pushing Casley away just because Casley befriended Emily, a girl with different interests, but I was really happy when they decided to all work together. It was nice seeing Claire open up instead of closing herself off to others and actually getting to know Emily. If you want to read a spooky tale that gives you the shivers, I highly recommend Scritch Scratch.