Omar Rising

Ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 to 9

In this compelling companion to New York Times bestseller Amal Unbound, Omar contends with being treated like a second-class citizen when he gets a scholarship to an elite boarding school.

When Omar gets a scholarship to the prestigious Ghalib Academy, it’s a game changer. It will give him, the son of a servant, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a better future—and his whole village is cheering him on. Omar can’t wait to dive into his classes, play soccer, and sign up for astronomy club—but those hopes are dashed when he learns first-year scholarship students can’t join clubs or teams; instead, they must earn their keep by doing chores. Even worse, it turns out the school deliberately “weeds out” scholarship kids by requiring them to get grades that are nearly impossible. Omar is devastated to find such odds stacked against him, but the injustice of it all motivates him to try to do something else that seems impossible: change a rigged system.

Story Locale:Pakistan

About the Author

Aisha Saeed (aishasaeed.com) is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of books for children. Her middle grade novel Amal Unbound received multiple starred reviews and was a Global Read Aloud for 2018. Her picture book, Bilal Cooks Daal, received an APALA honor. Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books™.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her family.

Author Residence: Atlanta, GA