About This Book
When would a parent reach for this book? Reach for this when your child is starting to ask big questions about global events, fairness, or what it means to be a global citizen. This graphic memoir follows Omar and his brother Hassan through their daily lives in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. While the setting involves hardship and food insecurity, the heart of the story is the deep bond between brothers and the agonizing choice between personal opportunity and family responsibility. It is a masterclass in empathy that manages to be informative without being overwhelming. The graphic novel format makes the heavy themes of displacement and waiting accessible for middle grade readers, offering a hopeful perspective on human resilience and the power of education.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
DISTRESS: The book contains flashbacks to the brothers fleeing Somalia, including the traumatic separation from their mother and mentions of their father being killed, though these are handled with age-appropriate restraint. The book depicts a secondary character being forced into an early marriage, which may be distressing for some readers. The persistent reality of hunger and the visual of long lines for meager rations may be upsetting to sensitive children. CONVERSATION: Parents should be prepared to discuss the reality of refugee camps: that people can live there for decades, not just weeks. You may need to explain the basics of the Somali Civil War and the role of the UN (UNHCR) in the resettlement process.
Ideal Reader
A 10 to 12 year old who loves soccer and school, but is starting to realize that not every child in the world has the same safety net they do. It is perfect for a child who feels a strong protective instinct toward siblings.
Parent Prep
Read the 'Afterword' and 'Author's Note' first. They provide the real-life context of Omar Mohamed's life today, which helps ground the reading experience in a successful outcome. A child expressing guilt over their own privileges or asking, 'Why can't we just bring them all here?'
Age Experience
Younger readers (9-10) will focus on the brothers' relationship and the day-to-day details of camp life like soccer and chores. Older readers (12-14) will better grasp the systemic frustrations of the resettlement process and the gendered expectations placed on Omar's female classmates.
What Makes It Special
Unlike many books about refugees that focus solely on the 'journey' or the 'arrival,' this book focuses on the 'waiting.' It humanizes the years spent in limbo, making the refugee experience relatable through the lens of ordinary childhood desires.
Read plot summary
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya after fleeing the civil war in Somalia. The story tracks several years of their lives, focusing on the monotony of waiting for resettlement, the struggle for adequate food and medical care, and Omar's difficult decision to attend school while Hassan, who is nonverbal and experiences seizures, stays behind with their kind neighbor, Fatuma. The narrative culminates in the rigorous UN interview process and their eventual relocation to America.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Omar feels a lot of pressure to succeed in school for both himself and Hassan. How does that pressure help him, and how does it hurt him?
2
Fatuma is not the boys' biological mother, but she cares for them deeply. How does this story show us that family can be made of the people who choose to love us?
3
In the camp, Omar and his friends spend a lot of time waiting. How do they find ways to stay hopeful and keep their spirits up during those long years?
4
When Omar finally gets his interview with the UN, he is both excited and terrified. Why is the resettlement process so difficult for him emotionally?
5
How did the graphic novel format (the pictures and the words together) help you understand what life in Dadaab looked and felt like?
