Omar Rising

Juvenile fiction 

     "The son of a servant getting a scholarship to a place like Ghalib?  It would open up my world in ways I  could only begin to imagine.  Now better things are actually within reach like college and a job that earns enough money to buy a home for my mother and me."

     Omar's scholarship to boarding school seems like it will be a real game changer for his family.  It's also an achievement to be celebrated by his village.  He's the first from there to be accepted into a really prestigious school.  He carries their hopes and dreams as he heads off to the start of his first semester.

     Omar is in for a rude awakening.  Scholarship students are treated entirely differently from their peers whose parents pay tuition.  They must do chores.  In their first year they aren't allowed to participate in extracurricular activities.

     Even worse is that scholarship students must achieve a much higher, almost impossible, grade point average to stay enrolled.  Omar is told he can't come back after his first year.  But he isn't going down without a fight.

     If rooting for the underdog is your cup of tea you're going to love Omar Rising.

On a purrrsonal note, we're in exam week.  Having no exams, I just have to keep the Commuter Lounge a good place to study and chill.  I had a wonderful surprise Monday.  I saw a piece of mine electronically published in the Maine Public Radio newsletter.  They had put out a prompt asking how readers remain optimistic and hopeful in today's world.  (Jules)

Of course she wrote about me.  How loving me gives her hope.  BTW there are lots of reasons for hope and optimism all ready for adoption in your local animal shelter.  You can be their dream come true.  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to animal adopters and the shelters that make adoption possible.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone