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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was read for my Reading Challenge Around the World in 80+ Books
A simple book with a complex story. Aref is an Omani boy preparing for the most monumental change in his young life…a move to the United States. The Turtle of Oman captures Aref’s last week in Oman, as he wrestles with the all emotions of leaving his homeland, saying goodbye to his pet cat and beloved grandfather. He’s a boy who likes lists, and he continually collects lists of his life in Oman and how to prepare for his life in Michigan. We as readers journey with Aref through his fear, uncertainty and finally acceptance of his upcoming move. Although Aref and his family are not refugees, but immigrants, I felt like reading this book was timely given the state of America these days. So much fear and misunderstanding surrounds Muslim immigrants. If I were an elementary school teacher, this would be required reading. A chance for American kids to see the world from an immigrant’s point of view is simply brilliant. I hope more stories are written like this one. I hope these stories are shared around dinner tables, classrooms, offices, and even into the White House. Share this one with a friend, won’t you?
A simple book with a complex story. Aref is an Omani boy preparing for the most monumental change in his young life…a move to the United States. The Turtle of Oman captures Aref’s last week in Oman, as he wrestles with the all emotions of leaving his homeland, saying goodbye to his pet cat and beloved grandfather. He’s a boy who likes lists, and he continually collects lists of his life in Oman and how to prepare for his life in Michigan. We as readers journey with Aref through his fear, uncertainty and finally acceptance of his upcoming move. Although Aref and his family are not refugees, but immigrants, I felt like reading this book was timely given the state of America these days. So much fear and misunderstanding surrounds Muslim immigrants. If I were an elementary school teacher, this would be required reading. A chance for American kids to see the world from an immigrant’s point of view is simply brilliant. I hope more stories are written like this one. I hope these stories are shared around dinner tables, classrooms, offices, and even into the White House. Share this one with a friend, won’t you?
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Aref is already homesick for Muscat and he hasn't even left yet. Forced by his parents to relocate to the foreign world of Ann Arbor, Michigan from Oman, Aref can't help but fixate on all the things he must leave behind: his friends, his grandfather, and the sights and smells of Oman. The one small thing that brings him comfort is a pamphlet detailing the turtles native to Michigan, different, yet the same as the giant sea turtles he has come to love in Oman. With the help of his grandfather, Aref prepares to leave the comfort of Oman behind and embrace the adventure that awaits him in Michigan.
The Turtle of Oman is a smart little novel that successfully illustrates that differences in culture and location are no match for universal feelings of fear, familial love, and the anxiety of starting over in a new place.
Though it takes him some time to admit it, one of Aref's biggest fears is that he will not be accepted in Michigan; that the way he speaks, dresses, and acts will set him apart and prevent him from making friends. Eventually, he realizes that, in Oman, he is used to meeting and accepting Americans who are far from home and it has never once prevented him from welcoming them and embracing them. Also helpful is easing his fears are messages from his father, who has already left for Michigan, detailing the excitement and cultural diversity he's been enjoying in Ann Arbor.
In order to process and accept the move, Aref researches Michigan, attempting to connect with the place that will soon be his home. He makes lists with details about the customs and wildlife and, little by little, he finds that Michigan might not be such a horrible place after all; different, he realizes, does not equal bad.
Though there are many things Aref is loathe to leave behind, his grandfather is perhaps the most difficult. No one understands and listens to Aref like Sidi and he cannot fathom being separated from him for three whole years. It is Sidi who Aref spends his final days in Oman with, making memories that he can carry with him to Michigan, bouyed by the promise that Sidi will hone his email skills so that he and Aref can always be close, even when they are separated by oceans. I adored Aref's grandfather, a wise old man who recognized the adventure that awaited Aref, as well as the importance of experiencing different cultures and places.
Recommended!
The Turtle of Oman is a smart little novel that successfully illustrates that differences in culture and location are no match for universal feelings of fear, familial love, and the anxiety of starting over in a new place.
Though it takes him some time to admit it, one of Aref's biggest fears is that he will not be accepted in Michigan; that the way he speaks, dresses, and acts will set him apart and prevent him from making friends. Eventually, he realizes that, in Oman, he is used to meeting and accepting Americans who are far from home and it has never once prevented him from welcoming them and embracing them. Also helpful is easing his fears are messages from his father, who has already left for Michigan, detailing the excitement and cultural diversity he's been enjoying in Ann Arbor.
In order to process and accept the move, Aref researches Michigan, attempting to connect with the place that will soon be his home. He makes lists with details about the customs and wildlife and, little by little, he finds that Michigan might not be such a horrible place after all; different, he realizes, does not equal bad.
Though there are many things Aref is loathe to leave behind, his grandfather is perhaps the most difficult. No one understands and listens to Aref like Sidi and he cannot fathom being separated from him for three whole years. It is Sidi who Aref spends his final days in Oman with, making memories that he can carry with him to Michigan, bouyed by the promise that Sidi will hone his email skills so that he and Aref can always be close, even when they are separated by oceans. I adored Aref's grandfather, a wise old man who recognized the adventure that awaited Aref, as well as the importance of experiencing different cultures and places.
Recommended!
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I felt like the writing was a little choppy, this is a beautiful story of a child learning to appreciate his home country's beauty one last time before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan. I love the emphasis on looking at something three times: looking toward it, at it, and as you walk away.
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Juvenile fiction about an 8-year-old preparing to move from Muscat, Oman to Ann Arbor, Michigan with his family. I picked this up as a bedtime book after the one I was reading made me cry, and I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a lot of her other books in feel, and it was cool to see some of the same themes tackled for a younger audience. (And I loved the relationship between Aref and his grandfather, as well as how perfectly 8 Aref seemed.) It also reminded me that there are so many countries I know very little about--and I'd like to change that!