Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet: 1

Product Information

I really enjoyed reading this book as I feel like it is very educational as it explains quite a lot about the Islam religion which can be useful when teaching children about Islam. Especially as it tells the reader about the different prayers that they do everyday, tells the reader about Ramadan and why they do it and also about the two different Eid's that Muslims celebrate throughout the year. Also, this book can teach children how they can stand up to bullies and what should do if they are being bullied in school. This book has excellent illustrations that go alongside the text and they are illustrations that make you feel like you are inside Omar's head and following him through every emotion that he feels. There’s a school trip to the science museum, which Omar’s parents are thrilled about! Except, Omar ends up in a group with Daniel, not Charlie. Whilst on the London Underground the pair lose the rest of their class. Which unexpectedly leads to Daniel bursting into tears and wetting himself. Omar takes charge and gets the pair to Baker Street where he ends up praying to Allah for help. As it happens the pair end up at a Mosque where they manage to get help. Daniel is so grateful. Omar’s mother insists that they introduce themselves to their new neighbour, Mrs Rodgers, who is very rude to the family and is later overheard on the phone to her son referring to Omar’s family as they Muslims’ in a negative way. A lot of Pakistani food is mentioned throughout the story so if the reader has some idea of what these foods are it would help them to visualise what is being discussed (however, taste testing would make a fun lesson!) Previously published as 'The Muslims', this was the winner of the Little Rebels Award in June 2018. The text has been revised, expanded with new scenes and re-illustrated. About This Edition ISBN:

Muslim British Pakistani Omar is an elementary aged boy with a huge imagination. As the middle child with a bossy older sister, Mayram, and a messy three-year old brother, Esa, Omar stands out because of his imaginative ideas and daydreams which sometimes gets him into trouble, but also helps him deal with his worries. With his family moving to a new home in London, Omar has been worrying a lot. This book could be used really nicely as a class text because it offers many opportunities for discussions to be held around some difficult and emotional topics such as bullying and feeling accepted. Also this book could be placed in the book corner providing children with opportunities to quietly engage with the book alongside friends or independently.I liked the character of Omar and how we were given some information and an image of each character at the beginning of the book before the story began. This is because I was therefore able to create a more visual image throughout the story. As mentioned above, I also liked the way the story was presented and the fonts and images used to help understand the story. I liked the character of Daniel in the story and how the character changed throughout the book, giving reasons for his behaviour and treatment of others when him and Omar are lost. This really helped me to connect to the character and may be relatable to some children who may read the book. I also think that children would be able to relate to this story due to the age of Omar and his friends - it would be similar to children in key stage 2.

In their debut, Mian and Mafaridik create a relatable and hilarious story . . . Exploding with personality and imagination, Omar is an easy character to love.”— Booklist, starred review I think most children would be able to make some connection with this book from their home life, as it talks about the use of modern technology, Xbox and iPhones, which most children have heard about. I think this book would be good for children in upper KS2 and could help them and understand the transition between schools and it may help them feel less nervous about their transition to secondary school.Use the example of Omar getting lost and encourage the children to write a first-person narrative to describe the emotions and feelings that Daniel and Omar may be experiencing.

All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog |We komen er ook achter waar de titel op slaat, en ik moest wel lachen. Omar toch. Wat een problemenmagneet ben je! The issue of inclusion is present in many, if not all classrooms in some form or another, and literature is the perfect way to make children aware of some of the things that are happening around them, in a more subtle way. Not only could this be used in a fictional way during English lessons but also as a way of introducing citizenship for example in PSHE to older children who can relate and empathise with the themes of the book. My parents decided it would be a good idea to move house AND move me to a new school at the same time. As if I didn’t have a hard enough time staying out of trouble at home, now I’ve also got to try and make new friends. What’s worse, the class bully seems to think I’m the perfect target. I have to be honest, upon seeing the cover of this book I definitely wasn't pulled towards reading it. It looked too -comic like' for me. However, as the saying goes 'don't judge a book by it's cover', well that couldn't be more true in this case. I ended up loving it!! Firstly, the book is written in first person from the POV of Omar, a young muslim boy who has had to leave his old life behind and come and start a new one in England. I like this style of writing because it is almost childlike and very simplistic; therefore making it so much easier and accessible for any child to relate too. My favourite parts of the book were when Omar educated us as readers about his family traditions as Muslim's such as Ramadan and fasting and the different types of prayer. I think this would be a great book to use as a cross curricular link between RE and literacy, and I cannot wait to use it in my classroom.Previously published as The Muslims, which won the Little Rebels book prize in 2018, this newly illustrated and reworked version of Zanib Mian's hilarious, sweet story is an absolute delight. One day after school, Charlie comes over to Omar’s house for dinner and once again Mrs Rodgers is overheard referring to her neighbours as ‘the Muslims’ in a negative manner.