Chat with us, powered by LiveChat

Omar Rising



by
Aisha Saeed

Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Imprint
Nancy Paulsen
ISBN
9780593108581
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
$20.16   $16.80
SEE MEMBER PRICE
QTY

JLG Category

Advanced Readers

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.

POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None

Details

Format

Print

Page Count

224

Trim Size

8 3/10" x 5 1/2"

Dewey

F

AR

3.8: points 5

Genre

Fic

Scholastic Reading Counts

0

JLG Release

Jun 2022

Book Genres

Realistic Fiction

Topics

Boarding schools. Scholarships. Pakistan. Friendship. Conduct of life. Class-based discrimination. School protests. Determination (personality trait). 

Standard MARC Records

Download Standard MARC Records

Cover Art

Download Cover Art

Praise & 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

Praise & 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

Grades 6-9
Advanced Readers
For Grades 6-9

Your pre-teen and teen readers won't be able to get enough of these selections. The 12 books here are a bit longer than our B category titles, with more challenging storylines and a wealth of thought-provoking nonfiction.

12 books per Year
$243.96 per Year
Interests
Clean Books,Diversity,Fiction,High Interest/Reluctant Reader,Struggling Readers,Novels,Funny/Humorous,Realistic Fiction
Like this book?
Get more like this every month.
LEARN MORE
Grades 6-9
Advanced Readers
12 books per Year
$243.96 per Year

Other Recommended Titles From Advanced Readers

Advanced Readers

February 2023

The Bluest Sky

by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Advanced Readers

January 2023

Advanced Readers

December 2022

Unfadeable

by Maurice Broaddus

Advanced Readers

November 2022
Copyright © 2017 Magento, Inc. All rights reserved.