When Stars are Scattered
By: Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
I’ve been teaching at a newcomer school since the beginning of my career, watching brand new refugee students make their way in their new home. Somehow I had never fully grasped the reality of where they were coming from. A coworker sent me off with this book in my hand months ago and I am so thankful I finally got a chance to devour this graphic novel (my first ever!).
Starting off with the format, I have spent my whole life avoiding graphic novels because I found comic books overwhelming. I was pleasantly surprised at how the pictures drove the story and did not distract from them. The order of the pictures always made sense and was never confusing for me, a graphic novel novice. I appreciated the < > symbols around tet to denote that the characters were speaking in english.
You really can’t get the full reality of refugee camps without the pictures amplifying the words your brain is hearing. When I read “we lived in a tent” I picture the large spacious tents I’ve grown up with campling, not the make-shift series of tarps shown. The illustrations are simple but effective and certainly help the reader immerse themselves into the reality of life in a refugee camp.
Waiting is a persistent theme in the story. My heart shattered every time I’d turn a page to find “two years later.” It didn’t feel fair to the characters to go through so much for so long. I was reminded throughout that this was one true story of many just like it, most not having as happy an ending.
Overall I am so glad that I read this book to better understand the life and struggles of refugee families. It gave me a whole new understanding of my students’ lives, and would be beneficial even to those who do not personally know a refugee. The perseverance shown in the story is a lesson for everyone.
Jamieson, V., & Mohamed, O. (2020). When Stars are Scattered. Penguin Group USA.
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