Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Inspiring story of students rising up to fight an injustice.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
What's the Story?
OMAR RISING begins in a small village in rural Pakistan. Omar Ali has just learned that he's received a scholarship to the elite Ghalib Academy for Boys, a remarkable opportunity for the son of a servant. It's an opportunity that can lead to a college education and a job that will allow him to buy a home for his widowed mother. When he arrives at Ghalib, he's surprised to see the letters "SB" on his student folder. He soon learns that any first-year student who's an SB (Scholarship Boy) won't be allowed to join any clubs or teams and that they'll be assigned "service hours" around the school, working in the kitchen, the laundry, or helping with grounds maintenance. Omar reluctantly puts aside his dreams of playing soccer and joining the astronomy club and soon settles in with a group of friends, some scholarship students and some, like Marwan, from rich families. But Aiden, the wealthy student in the room next door, is hostile and dismissive to Omar from the start and begins publicly calling him a "charity case." Omar does well in all his classes, except for the English class taught by the school's headmaster. No matter how hard he works, he can't get a good grade in the class. Faisal, an SB in his final year, shocks Omar by telling him about the school's "weed-out" system, designed to make certain any first-year SB with less than an A+ average won't be invited to return for a second year. The only hope for Omar and his two best SB friends is to call on their fellow students to rise up and help them change the system. But will wealthy and entitled students like Aiden agree to help them?
Is It Any Good?
This is a simply told and inspiring story with powerful messages about friendship, community, shared values, and coming together to challenge inequality. While author Aisha Saeed's Amal Unbound had a tough storyline about involuntary servitude, Omar Rising is a gentler story with easily relatable characters dealing with situations that will be familiar to many readers: being the new kid in school, feeling out of place, or trying your best in a class but still getting a disappointing grade.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how students from different backgrounds learn to work together in Omar Rising. What qualities do you look for when you choose someone for a team at school?
Have you ever had a teacher who inspired you? What's the most important thing you learned from them?
Is there an injustice in your school or community you believe people should speak out against?
Book Details
- Author: Aisha Saeed
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
- Publication date: February 1, 2022
- Number of pages: 216
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: February 25, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
What to Read Next
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate