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 14-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary
Ramadan begins. For the first time, Maryam will join the fasting. Omar is still too young, but Mom and Dad say he can practice fasting on weekends. Omar is glad because he wants spiritual reward points. At school, Mrs. Hutchinson surprises Omar by wishing him a happy Ramadan. This makes Daniel livid. Omar wonders if he is jealous. Daniel calls Omar a teacher’s pet, says Mrs. Hutchinson is his girlfriend, and scuffs out Omar and Charlie’s chalk drawings. Omar imagines H2O hitting Daniel with his tail. He tells Daniel to go away. Daniel looks like he is going to charge them again, but a teacher’s aide walks by and Daniel leaves. Charlie suggests telling Mrs. Hutchinson about Daniel’s bullying, but Omar thinks it will make things worse. Still, Omar knows he must do something: He does not like the sick feeling he gets when Daniel bullies him. Omar imagines H2O living in a cottony cloud, visiting friends, buying snacks, and taking a shower.
Chapter 15 Summary
Mrs. Rogers joins Omar’s family for the first iftar, the meal that breaks their daily fast at sundown. It is the first time she has dined in their home. Mrs. Rogers happily observes their traditions. She calls John—whom everyone learns is her son—to tell him about the wonderful food. Now, when Mrs. Rogers mentions “[t]he Muslims” they all see it as a funny comment. The family continues fasting. By mid-week, the family is hungry and getting short-tempered. Maryam does poorly on a science test, which upsets her scientist parents. Mom offers to tutor Maryam, and Dad tells her she can do better. Maryam explodes like a “gorilla,” blaming the family for moving to a “stupid” new school and house.
Omar escorts Mrs. Rogers over for another iftar. Mrs. Rogers tells them to turn on the Islam Channel so they can hear the nice song, which Dad explains is the call to prayer that opens the fast. To break the fast everyone eats a date, but Omar has a piece of the chocolates that Mrs. Rogers brought over. The chocolate has a terrible taste, and they realize it is an alcohol-filled chocolate. Omar rushes to spit it out—alcohol is forbidden—and everyone laughs, especially Mrs. Rogers, when he worries that he will get drunk.
Chapter 16 Summary
Omar looks forward to the weekend when he can try fasting and earn reward points with Allah for his Ferrari. The family gets up at 2:00 am for the pre-sunrise meal. Maryam wakes Omar by calling him “brat face,” poking him and blowing in his face. Omar thinks perhaps Shaytan is still telling her to do mean things. Omar is energetic for the meal, while Maryam and his parents are tired and sluggish. Omar eats heartily and goes back to bed. He handles the fast well until noon the next day when his stomach begins to rumble. He distracts himself with Legos, but when he and Dad go to the grocery store and Omar sees all the delicious food, he asks if he can break his fast. Dad agrees: Allah says that children do not have to fast. Dad knows Allah will not mind, and will be pleased that Omar tried. Omar can try again the following weekend. Omar does try again and succeeds at keeping the fast, getting him closer to his Ferrari.
Chapter 17 Summary
Omar feels comfortable in his new home, new room, and at school. He gets along well with other kids. He and Charlie play soccer with others, and Omar helps some girls during science. Daniel, however, keeps “ruining everything.” When Mrs. Hutchinson asks the class questions about DNA and genes, Omar holds back at first, not wanting to showboat, but finally answers. Mrs. Hutchinson praises his knowledge, but Daniel glares at him. Seeing Daniel’s anger makes Omar continue to fear being forced out of his home and country.
The family settles into the Ramadan routine and begins to plan for Eid al-Fitr, the celebration after Ramadan, during which Omar gets lots of presents. There is another Eid during the year, Eid al-Adha, which celebrates the holy journey to Mecca (the prophet Muhammad’s birthplace). Mom does a lot of online shopping for Eid presents, but often comically forgets where she puts her headscarves when the delivery man arrives. She must rush to find one before opening the door. Maryam thinks that non-Muslims must believe that Muslim women wear their headscarves all day. She pictures Mom showering in her headscarf, which makes Omar laugh. When Maryam is not being mean, Omar thinks she is funny.
Chapter 18 Summary
Omar’s class plans a trip to the science museum, which Omar is excited about—until he discovers that he and Daniel are in the same small group, led by a parent chaperone rather than a teacher who knows about the class troublemakers. Omar regrets not asking Allah to put Daniel in a different group, though Mom later says Allah may or may not have answered his request, as Allah “works in mysterious ways” (154).
The class takes the London Underground. When they switch trains, Daniel seizes the opportunity to bully Omar, grabbing him by his belt and holding him back. Omar, thinking Daniel is going to hit him, breaks into nervous laughter and notes that the rest of their class has vanished. He and Daniel are alone on the train platform. Daniel immediately starts to cry, exclaiming that they are lost and going to die. He wets himself. Omar is also scared. He has been in the Underground before, but never alone. Now it seems big, dark, and loud. Omar knows, however, that he needs to take charge.
Chapters 14-18 Analysis
The family’s observance of Ramadan is central to this section and illustrates how Omar’s Islamic faith informs his and his family’s lives. The family’s observance of Ramadan teaches readers both how difficult and rewarding the month of fasting and prayer can be. Omar humorously describes the family’s daily life and changes in routine during Ramadan, such as his parents acting like “half-zombies” wading through slime during the 2:00 am meal and the challenges of maintaining his first fast. This removes any potential mystery or misconceptions around the holiday. By detailing Omar’s personal feelings and observations about Ramadan, Mian aims to make Ramadan understandable and unintimidating to non-Muslim readers.
Omar notes that while the first day of Ramadan is important in his home, at school, it is just another day. He comments: “Nobody in my class was talking about it” (117). Mrs. Hutchinson shows her cultural sensitivity when she wishes Omar a happy Ramadan. Daniel’s anger at Mrs. Hutchinson’s comment prompts him to call Omar a “teacher’s pet,” suggesting that Omar is right: Daniel is jealous of the attention that Omar receives.
Mrs. Rogers has made a complete turnaround and whole-heartedly approves of the family. This reveals how learning about others’ cultural practices combats intolerance and prejudice. Once hostile and fearful, Mrs. Rogers now appreciates their beliefs and customs. The family’s kindness helped Mrs. Rogers see them as fellow humans, rather than as the embodiment of negative stereotypes. She is now open to learning more about their traditions. When the family includes Mrs. Rogers in their sundown iftar meals—traditionally shared with family, friends, and the Muslim community—Omar notes that Mrs. Rogers “kept saying ‘I see!’ and nodding her head” (124). Her change of heart and new regard for Omar’s family illustrate The Power of Acceptance Through Understanding. However, Mrs. Rogers reveals that she still has more to learn when her gift of chocolates comically backfires: Muslims do not consume alcohol.
Maryam is increasingly grumpy, and is angry about moving and changing schools. This suggests that she is having difficulty adjusting to their new life. By contrast, Omar adjusts quickly to his new home and school, making friends with the rest of his classmates. Daniel’s escalating bullying, however, takes an emotional toll, illustrating The Impact of Bullying. Omar continues to feel insecure and troubled by Daniel’s Islamophobic comments, and at the thought of being kicked out of the country. Daniel also continues to harass Omar and Charlie on the playground, making Omar “feel miserable about a million pointless things” (144). When Omar does stand up to Daniel, the act makes him feel “shaky and sick” (121), and he realizes he needs a better solution. Omar continues to believe, however, that telling an adult would make the problem worse.
The conflict between Daniel and Omar reaches a climactic boiling point. When Daniel aggressively seizes his chance to attack Omar on the train platform, Omar fully believes he is “about to get hit by the worst bully [he’d] ever met” (157). Daniel, though physically strong, reveals his weakness: a fear of being lost and alone. Daniel’s fear incapacitates him. He cries and wets himself. Omar, though also fearful, takes a leadership position that allows him to showcase his strength—his mind—and puts him in a position to save the day. Getting separated from his class creates an opportunity to turn things around.
