When Stars Are Scattered is a true story based on the childhood of Omar Mohamed. The book follows Omar and his nonverbal brother Hassan through their childhoods in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. 

While When Stars Are Scattered is a hopeful story of perserverence, the situation it depicts is a very difficult one. Omar and Hassan's father was murdered in the civil war in Somalia and they aren't sure if their mother or other siblings are alive. There isn't enough food. The boys play soccer with a ball made of plastic bags, and Hassan is bullied for his disabilities. Omar at first doesn't go to school because there would be no one to watch Hassan, but eventually he is persuaded that only through an education can he help himself and his brother. 

At the end of the book, Omar and Hassan are selected for resettlement to America after years of interviews; they depart Dadaab on a plane, hoping for a better future. An afterword explains that Omar and Hassan now live in Lancaster, PA with Omar's wife and children. As an adult he founded Refugee Strong, an organization that sends supplies to refugee families, and works as a resettlement case manager for Church World Service. 

When Stars Are Scattered has no onscreen violence, but it discusses the repercussions of wartime violence and loss, and a friend of Omar's has a marriage arranged for her while she is still underage. You can read more about the book's handling of sensitive topics at its Common Sense Media page.