45 pages • 1 hour read
Zanib MianPlanet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 6-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary
Omar is nervous about going to school, so he imagines that a dragon accompanies him. This makes Omar more confident. Mom does not relate to Omar’s imaginative flights. He does not tell her about the dragon, which he sees flying beside their car. Omar names the dragon H2O since the steam from its nostrils comes from water and Omar knows that H2O is the chemical symbol for water. Still nervous in class, Omar continues envisioning the dragon.
Omar likes his teacher, Mrs. Hutchinson, who has curly red hair that reflects her moods. Omar sits beside Charlie, a freckled redhead with thick glasses, and they quickly become friends. Charlie explains that school is mostly “OK” except for Daniel, whom Omar should avoid. Omar reflects that he is not good at keeping away from things he is told to avoid, like the time he opened and spilled Maryam’s bead box.
Chapter 7 Summary
At lunchtime, Daniel makes fun of Omar and Charlie, saying how “nice” it is that the “new kid” and the “weird kid” are sitting together. Omar has trouble recognizing sarcasm and is silent while he tries to figure out whether Daniel is being nice or insulting. Charlie is also silent for too long, and Daniel disgustedly calls them “idiots” and leaves. Omar comforts Charlie when he sadly says that Daniel always picks on him
Mom is relieved that Omar’s day went well. Mom wants to meet their new neighbor, the white-haired old lady who lives next door. Mom, Maryam, Omar, and Esa visit the lady’s house and ring the bell, but no one answers. Omar knocks loudly, upsetting Mom, and the door suddenly opens with horror movie-like creepiness. Omar, Mom, and Maryam say hello, but Esa uses a traditional Arabic greeting. The woman stares silently while Mom uncomfortably introduces them. Maryam and Omar feel awkward. When Mom asks the old lady’s name, the woman blurts out “Rogers” and slams the door on them. Mom looks defeated.
Chapter 8 Summary
Omar follows Mom’s insistence on routine and says his duas—a conversation with Allah, requesting Allah’s help—every morning. Omar now adds a dua for protection since Daniel’s bullying is a growing problem. Daniel follows Omar and Charlie at recess, making weird sounds and scaring them. Aside from Daniel, school is going well, and Omar and Charlie are great friends.
When making Picasso-like self-portraits in class, Daniel knocks water on Omar’s picture. Omar is upset, but imagines that the same thing happened to Picasso, who turned the insult into the unique works that made him famous. Omar turns his ruined painting around, earning Mrs. Hutchinson’s praise. Daniel gives Omar a threatening note, warning him to be on guard. When Daniel sees Omar with Mom, he looks disgusted. Omar does not tell Mom about Daniel’s bullying.
Mom senses Omar’s discomfort and makes his favorite dinner—biryani. She opens the patio doors to let the cooking smells out of the house. Omar hears Mrs. Rogers complaining on the phone to someone named John that “the Muslims” are frying food. Mom does not want to upset Mrs. Rogers, and makes Maryam and Omar take her some biryani. Mrs. Rogers refuses the food.
Chapter 9 Summary
Omar’s parents are glad school is going well. They allow Omar to invite Charlie over to visit. Omar does not tell them that each school day is 40-60% bad because of Daniel. Omar wonders why Daniel is so mean. He imagines that Daniel slips and falls on rotten apple peels, which puts him in a bad mood. Charlie is excited to visit, and is super-polite to Omar’s parents, who, “cheesily” Omar thinks, express how happy they are to meet him. Maryam hangs around with Omar and Charlie, which Charlie does not mind. The three of them play soccer in the backyard until they hear Mrs. Rogers on the phone, complaining to John how noisy “the Muslims” are being, and wondering why they cannot play quietly. Maryam, Omar, and Charlie are silent for a moment, then laugh and go inside for pizza.
Chapters 6-9 Analysis
Through Omar’s fictional dragon, H2O, Mian illustrates the power of creativity. Omar’s colorful imagination has real-life benefits. Nervous about school, Omar invents the dragon as a kind of emotional protector. H2O positively affects Omar’s outlook. The dragon reflects both Omar’s love of science and his wild creativity. Omar visualizes the colors of the dragon’s scales as he mentally makes the dragon do “silly” things that cheer him up. The dragon encourages and empowers Omar to cope with stressful situations. Omar says: “He made me feel better. About everything” (40). Similarly, Omar uses his imagination to ease his unhappiness when Daniel ruins his painting. Omar’s imaginative comparison of himself to a bullied young Picasso allows him to reassert his power. He not only reclaims control of the situation, but creates even better artwork, just as he imagines Picasso’s unique difference and weirdness stemmed from his response to a bully. Omar’s creative responses reveal his positivity and resilience.
In these chapters, Mian introduces the issue of Islamophobia. Although Omar finds an accepting friend in Charlie, he also gains an intolerant neighbor in Mrs. Rogers and an enemy in Daniel. Mrs. Rogers displays Islamophobia: hostility, intolerance, or fear of those who practice Islam. She focuses on the differences between herself and Omar’s family. She rejects Mom’s friendly overtures, refuses her gift of biryani, and repeatedly complains about the family. She pejoratively calls them “the Muslims,” stressing their otherness and mentally reinforcing her negative stereotypes. She freezes when Esa says “Assalamu alaikum,” a traditional greeting in Muslim communities wishing someone peace. Esa was raised to use this respectful greeting to his nani, but to fearful Mrs. Rogers it is another mark of their differences. Daniel’s look of revulsion when he sees Omar with Mom—like he had touched old chewing gum—foreshadows more prejudice toward Omar in the future.
Through Daniel, Mian portrays The Impact of Bullying. Daniel is antagonistic toward Omar and Charlie. He dehumanizes and others the boys on Omar’s first day, marginalizing them and excluding them from the rest of school society. Omar, in contrast, shows that he is non-judgmental and inclusive. Omar does not see Charlie with his thick glasses, freckles, and missing tooth as strange, but instead thinks he “looks cool” and initiates their friendship. He accepts Charlie for who he is inside. Similarly, Omar’s initial impulse is to give Daniel the benefit of the doubt. This shows Omar’s kind and somewhat ingenuous nature.
Daniel’s bullying affects Omar emotionally. He feels physically ill, and his school experience becomes “bad” a large portion of the time. At the same time, Omar searches for understanding, for a reason behind Daniel’s meanness. While it helps Omar to imagine Daniel slipping on slimy apple peels, it does not explain the real cause of Daniel’s aggression or remove it. Mian shows how bullying victims often don’t tell their families about being bullied. In Omar’s case, he does not want Mom to worry.
As Omar describes additional facets of his Islamic faith, readers learn more about how his beliefs inform his thoughts. Being Muslim influences Omar’s attitude and worldview. His informal explanation of duas shows that he sees his religion as an everyday part of his life. He dispels a misconception that non-Muslim people may have when they see Muslims speaking to themselves: They are not “secretly casting a spell” but addressing Allah, saying a dua and requesting Allah’s help (59). Through Omar, Mian aims to make the Muslim faith relatable to others, and to show non-Muslim people that Muslims are not different or “other.”
