“Irresistiblyappealingandgenuinelyinspiring--astorythathelpsustoseetheworldmoreclearly,andtoseeourselvesaspowerfulenoughtochangeit.“--RebeccaStead,authorofNewberyAwardWinnerWhenYouReachMeInthiscompellingcompaniontoNewYorkTimesbestsellerAmalUnbound,Amal’sfriendOmarmustcontendwithbeingtreatedlikeasecond-classcitizenwhenhegetsascholarshiptoaneliteboardingschool.OmarknowshisscholarshiptoGhalibAcademyBoardingSchoolisagamechanger,providinghim--thesonofaservant--withanopportunitytoimprovehisstationinlife.Hecan’twaittoexperiencealltheschoolhastooffer,especiallyscienceclubandhopefullythesoccerteam;butwhenhearrives,hishopesaredashed.First-yearscholarshipstudentsaren’tallowedtojoinclubsorteams--andnotonlythat,theyhavetoearntheirkeepdoingmenialchores.AtfirstOmarisdejected--butthenhegetsangrywhenhelearnssomethingevenworse--theschooldeliberately“weedsout“kidslikehimbyrequiringthemtogetsignificantlyhighergradesthankidswhocanpaytuition,makingitnearlyimpossibleforscholarshipstudentstograduate.It’sagoodthingthatinhisfavoriteclass,he’slearnedtheimportanceofbeingstubbornlyoptimistic.Sowiththehelpofhistightknitnewgroupoffriends--andwiththethreatofexpulsionloomingoverhim--hesetsouttodowhatseemsimpossible:changeariggedsystem.
