6 April 2020 PLANET OMAR: ACCIDENTAL TROUBLE MAGNET by Zanib Mian and Nasaya Mafaridik, ill., Putnam, February 2020, 224p., ISBN: 978-0-593-10921-2

“On my knees, one question please:

Will the real God please stand up?”

-- Todd Rundgren, “Eastern Intrigue” (1975)

This year, Ramadan begins the evening of April 23 and concludes the evening of May 23rd. 

“With Easter on the way, I became curious about what the Koran has to say about the crucifixion. I called an imam I know, İbrahim Sayar, and we got together over glasses of Turkish tea. Sayar does a lot of interfaith work, much of which involves getting people from different religions together to eat kebabs. In the company of Christians, he said, mentioning the status of Jesus in Islam can be a great icebreaker. ‘I always tell people, there are millions of Muslims named after Jesus and Mary—we call them Isa and Mariam,’ he said. ‘Nobody names their children after someone they don’t like.’”

-- Rollo Romig, in The New Yorker, “How Muslims View Easter” (4/6/12)

“At this point I realized that being smart with a bully wasn’t very smart at all. Charlie must have realized this, too, because he had been sensible enough not to laugh and now he looked like a frightened little lamb. 

I quickly muttered the protection dua under my breath.

Then there was a loud growling sound and Daniel was launching his head toward my stomach. I don’t know how, but I managed to throw myself on the floor out of his way. It was all very fast. Daniel’s head went into my empty chair, with his huge body following. The force sent the chair flying into the girls behind us, followed by a very big, very angry body that ended up on top of Sarah.

I probably don’t need to tell you that Daniel was in big fat trouble. He spent one hour in Mr. Barnes’s class as punishment. Mr. Barnes has a mustache. A big one. It looks like it could come alive on his face like a slithering slug. 

At the end of the day, Daniel was back. He still looked angry. As we lined up to leave the classroom, he stood behind me and breathed down my neck. 

‘Don’t think I don’t know the worst thing about you. You’re Muslim. I saw your mother the other day, looking like a witch, in black. You better go back to your country before we kick you all out.’

I didn’t say a word. I just gulped.”

When his family moves to a new town, and he begins attending a new school, Omar faces some interpersonal issues because his family is Muslim. Some people see his family as different, as others, rather than as neighbors and potential friends. Fortunately, those people seem to be in the minority in the community. 

The most significant moments in PLANET OMAR involve characters changing their attitudes after coming to know those whom they fear. These transformations include a change in perspective by Omar. 

Learning about Daniel’s home life, and seeing him at his most vulnerable, Omar comes to feel compassion for the bully which, in turn, leads to a budding friendship between Daniel, Omar, and Omar’s best friend Charlie. 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Rogers, the little old unfriendly lady next door to Omar’s new home, is similarly disarmed when she becomes injured.  Ignoring the neighbor’s previous slights, Omar’s mother goes out of her way to be kind and helpful to the neighbor. This kindness leads Mrs. Rogers to overcome her prejudice against “the Muslims” (as she’d been referring to her new neighbors), and to become Omar’s family’s biggest supporter. 

Along with frequent humor, there is a sweetness to this book, the first in a new series, that is set outside London and was originally published last year in Great Britain. At home, Omar is a middle child who periodically tangles in traditional sibling fashion with his pesky three-year-old brother and his bossy thirteen-year-old sister. At school, Omar’s new classroom teacher, and new friend Charlie are significant pluses in his life. 

On numerous instances, I’ve had great things to say about the first book in a new series, but haven’t particularly had a desire to read beyond the first book. This story is different. I am quite interested to learn what happens next in the life of this comical, super-imaginative, Every-Boy who happens to be Muslim.

Richie Partington, MLIS

Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com

https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/

richiepartington@gmail.com