Omar Rising (Amal Unbound #2)
by Aisha Saeed (Author)
"Irresistibly appealing and genuinely inspiring--a story that helps us to see the world more clearly, and to see ourselves as powerful enough to change it." --Rebecca Stead, author of Newbery Award Winner When You Reach Me
In this compelling companion to New York Times bestseller Amal Unbound, Amal's friend Omar must contend with being treated like a second-class citizen when he gets a scholarship to an elite boarding school.
Omar knows his scholarship to Ghalib Academy Boarding School is a game changer, providing him--the son of a servant--with an opportunity to improve his station in life. He can't wait to experience all the school has to offer, especially science club and hopefully the soccer team; but when he arrives, his hopes are dashed. First-year scholarship students aren't allowed to join clubs or teams--and not only that, they have to earn their keep doing menial chores.
At first Omar is dejected--but then he gets angry when he learns something even worse--the school deliberately weeds out kids like him by requiring them to get significantly higher grades than kids who can pay tuition, making it nearly impossible for scholarship students to graduate.
It's a good thing that in his favorite class, he's learned the importance of being stubbornly optimistic. So with the help of his tightknit new group of friends--and with the threat of expulsion looming over him--he sets out to do what seems impossible: change a rigged system.
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Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
Gr 5 Up--When 12-year-old Omar gets accepted into Ghalib Academy for Boys, he knows it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In this companion novel to Saeed's Amal Unbound, Omar's Pakistani village is all rooting for him. Omar's mom works as a servant for Amal's family, and Omar and Amal have been lifelong friends. While Omar is excited for this opportunity, he hates how beginnings are always tied to endings, but he realizes he has to leave behind all he knows to create a better life for himself. When he arrives, Omar's roommate is fellow scholarship student, Kareem. Across the hall, wealthy Aiden arrives with servants in tow, declaring their new school a dump. Omar observes that he and Aiden are at the same school but somehow see it so differently. Initially unbenownst to them, scholarship students face different unspoken criteria. Unofficially, they are in a "weed out" year their first year, and have to get a nearly impossible A+ average to keep their scholarship. Omar works diligently, doing everything possible to stay at Ghalib. As the year progresses and the other students learn of the inequities, the students band together to help. Omar learns many lessons along the way about people not being who he thinks they are, including Aiden and Headmaster Moiz. Saeed has successfully created multi-layered characters who are rich in their culture, their drive to succeed, and their family values. VERDICT A richly woven tale with characters all will root for; readers will be outraged at life's unfairness, and cheer for Omar's success. A stellar novel which may open eyes to the inequities many young people face in their lives.--Michele Shaw
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Praise for Omar Rising
Irresistibly appealing and genuinely inspiring—a story that helps us to see the world more clearly, and to see ourselves as powerful enough to change it. —Rebecca Stead, author of Newbery Award Winner When You Reach MeHuda Al-Marashi is the author of the bestselling memoir First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story. Her other writing has appeared in various anthologies and news outlets, such as the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, and al Jazeera. She is currently a fellow with the Highlights Foundation Muslim Storytellers Program, and Grounded is her first novel for young readers. She lives in San Diego with her family.
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a Philadelphia-based bestselling children's book author. Her books, which center around Black and Muslim kids, have been recognized by many, including TIME and NPR, and she is an Irma Black Award silver medalist. A former teacher and forever an educator-at-heart, she is probably most proud that her picture book Your Name Is a Song was named the December 2021 NEA Read Across America book and that it is included in the curriculums of major school districts throughout the United States.
S. K. Ali is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of several books, including the Morris Award finalist Saints and Misfits and Love from A to Z, both named as a top 10 YA title of the year by various media, including Entertainment Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Her novel Misfit in Love is on People magazine's Best Books of Summer 2021 list. Her other books include the critically acclaimed middle-grade anthology Once Upon an Eid and the New York Times bestselling picture book The Proudest Blue.
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
JUV030110 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | Middle East
Boarding schools
Pakistan
Youth protest movements
