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Planet Omar – Ultimate Rocket Blast by Zanib Mian
The Blurb On The Back:
Prepare to blast off into space with Omar!
Omar and his friends need to make the best rocket* to win a competition - but someone is out to sabotage them …
This operation contains:
- Eight fish in puddles (the fish are really unlucky at Omar’s school!)
- Fizzy drink EXPLOSIONS
- A rocket scientist with the BIGGEST smile you’ve ever seen
- A set of VERY confusing triplets
- And one or two SUPERSPY MISSIONS
* 100% not powered by farts, well, maybe a little bit
Omar and his best friends Charlie and Daniel are absolutely thrilled when Mrs Hutchinson tells their class that there will be holding a competition to decide which team will represent the school in a rocket competition sponsored by the company MFX Labs. Not even the fact that the boring but shouty IT teacher, Mr Philpot, will be helping the teams to work on their designs dampens their spirits.
As the trio try to work out the best way of making a rocket, they have to see off the nasty teasing of classmates Sarah and Ellie, set experiments with fizzy drinks and fart-producing foods, an actual rocket scientist with a dazzling smile, really mean boys and some incredibly confusing triplets …
The 5th in Zanib Mian’s PLANET OMAR series for readers aged 9+ is another fun read that combines humour with science and faith and is energetically illustrated by Kyan Cheng. Although the story is predictable, I like the way Mian incorporates Omar’s Muslim faith and how Daniel tries to control his anger issues/low self esteem with themes about the importance of friendship over winning plus there are enough fart jokes to keep readers entertained.
I picked this up because I’d read and enjoyed the first book in this series PLANET OMAR: ACCIDENTAL TROUBLE MAGNET so was keen to read more of his adventures. I had not read the intervening books but you don’t need to in order to follow the story as each one appears to be fairly self-contained. The only real change in the books is that Omar was previously only friends with Charlie but is now friends with Daniel as well. I have to say that I don’t remember Daniel from the first book, but I do like the way Mian shows that he has problems controlling his temper and seems to suffer from low self esteem but has been given ways of trying to manage it like affirmations and the fact that he does this without anyone teasing him for it is really refreshing.
There is a fair amount of science in the book as Mian sets out different ways to make a rocket at home. All of it is done in a very fun way and there are a lot of fart jokes, which the target age group will love. The various experiments and exploits are illustrated with energy by Kyan Cheng, who also adds to the humour. What really stands out for me though is how Omar’s Muslim faith is a part of him without defining him and he has two scientist Muslim parents who are very supportive of him without being overbearing.
If I have a criticism it’s that the storyline is pretty predictable - it is very clear very early on that there is no way that Omar, Charlie and Daniel are not going to make it to the national competition - and I wasn’t fully convinced by some of the revelations in the final quarter because it was all a bit contrived. That said there’s plenty here to enjoy and I think this is a brilliant series for younger readers who are into science.
The Verdict:
The 5th in Zanib Mian’s PLANET OMAR series for readers aged 9+ is another fun read that combines humour with science and faith and is energetically illustrated by Kyan Cheng. Although the story is predictable, I like the way Mian incorporates Omar’s Muslim faith and how Daniel tries to control his anger issues/low self esteem with themes about the importance of friendship over winning plus there are enough fart jokes to keep readers entertained.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Omar and his friends need to make the best rocket* to win a competition - but someone is out to sabotage them …
This operation contains:
- Eight fish in puddles (the fish are really unlucky at Omar’s school!)
- Fizzy drink EXPLOSIONS
- A rocket scientist with the BIGGEST smile you’ve ever seen
- A set of VERY confusing triplets
- And one or two SUPERSPY MISSIONS
* 100% not powered by farts, well, maybe a little bit
Omar and his best friends Charlie and Daniel are absolutely thrilled when Mrs Hutchinson tells their class that there will be holding a competition to decide which team will represent the school in a rocket competition sponsored by the company MFX Labs. Not even the fact that the boring but shouty IT teacher, Mr Philpot, will be helping the teams to work on their designs dampens their spirits.
As the trio try to work out the best way of making a rocket, they have to see off the nasty teasing of classmates Sarah and Ellie, set experiments with fizzy drinks and fart-producing foods, an actual rocket scientist with a dazzling smile, really mean boys and some incredibly confusing triplets …
The 5th in Zanib Mian’s PLANET OMAR series for readers aged 9+ is another fun read that combines humour with science and faith and is energetically illustrated by Kyan Cheng. Although the story is predictable, I like the way Mian incorporates Omar’s Muslim faith and how Daniel tries to control his anger issues/low self esteem with themes about the importance of friendship over winning plus there are enough fart jokes to keep readers entertained.
I picked this up because I’d read and enjoyed the first book in this series PLANET OMAR: ACCIDENTAL TROUBLE MAGNET so was keen to read more of his adventures. I had not read the intervening books but you don’t need to in order to follow the story as each one appears to be fairly self-contained. The only real change in the books is that Omar was previously only friends with Charlie but is now friends with Daniel as well. I have to say that I don’t remember Daniel from the first book, but I do like the way Mian shows that he has problems controlling his temper and seems to suffer from low self esteem but has been given ways of trying to manage it like affirmations and the fact that he does this without anyone teasing him for it is really refreshing.
There is a fair amount of science in the book as Mian sets out different ways to make a rocket at home. All of it is done in a very fun way and there are a lot of fart jokes, which the target age group will love. The various experiments and exploits are illustrated with energy by Kyan Cheng, who also adds to the humour. What really stands out for me though is how Omar’s Muslim faith is a part of him without defining him and he has two scientist Muslim parents who are very supportive of him without being overbearing.
If I have a criticism it’s that the storyline is pretty predictable - it is very clear very early on that there is no way that Omar, Charlie and Daniel are not going to make it to the national competition - and I wasn’t fully convinced by some of the revelations in the final quarter because it was all a bit contrived. That said there’s plenty here to enjoy and I think this is a brilliant series for younger readers who are into science.
The Verdict:
The 5th in Zanib Mian’s PLANET OMAR series for readers aged 9+ is another fun read that combines humour with science and faith and is energetically illustrated by Kyan Cheng. Although the story is predictable, I like the way Mian incorporates Omar’s Muslim faith and how Daniel tries to control his anger issues/low self esteem with themes about the importance of friendship over winning plus there are enough fart jokes to keep readers entertained.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.