The Gollywhopper Games

All's Faire in Middle School

Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

Juana & Lucas

Paper Wishes

Oranges in No Man's Land

Too Small Tola

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.

Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day.

Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

The Gollywhopper Games

Victoria Jamieson, Jody Feldman, 2008

All's Faire in Middle School

Victoria Jamieson, 2017

Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

Pablo Cartaya, 2018

Juana & Lucas

Juana Medina, 2016

Paper Wishes

Lois Sepahban, 2016

Oranges in No Man's Land

Elizabeth Laird, 2006

Too Small Tola

Onyinye Iwu, Atinuke, 2020

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna

Alda P. Dobbs, 2021