Wednesday 9 September 2020

Planet Omar: Incredible Rescue Mission, by Zanib Mian and Nasaya Mafaradik

When Omar and his friends come back after the school holidays, their lovely teacher seems to have been replaced by somebody much more grumpy.

Overhearing other teachers talking about her, Omar decides something terrible has happened. Could she possibly have been abducted by ... aliens?!

Omar persuades his friends to mount a rescue mission but what they find is very surprising!

Omar and his friends are back! This time around they're investigating why their lovely teacher, Mrs Hutchinson, has vanished into thin air and been replaced by a far more grumpy teacher. All the clues are pointing towards alien abduction. Are there really aliens? And what do they want with Mrs Hutchinson?

This series is great. Brilliant fun, really funny, and kids are learning something as well without realising it. In this book Omar and his family visit Pakistan for a family wedding, and readers get to follow along with the vivid descriptions. Omar is Muslim, but he's never singled out for it; an excellent way to show children that people of other faiths are just like us.

The illustrations really add to things. Every page has something, whether it's just a little doodle, a note written in handwriting, or a full page drawing. Kids will love picking out details in the illustrations to match what they're reading. My favourite is the drawing of Omar's cousins, Amber and Ambreen, although the alien in the toilet is a close runner up.

This series is perfect for a child who wants to try something a bit longer, but isn't quite ready for full novels yet. I hope it runs and runs. I'd love to see what other trouble Omar gets himself into.

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