The Boy at the Back of the Class

When Ahmet joins their 4th-grade classroom, many kids are inquisitive about the new boy who speaks little English and spends recess and lunch in another room. The rumors fly, which makes the children more curious about their new classmate. London and his three close friends take it upon themselves to make friends with Ahmet, yet they have few opportunities to interact with him initially. Over time, London learns that Ahmet is a refugee but doesn't understand the significance of the word. London's mother helps him to realize in simplistic terms how refugees leave their homes because of their violent and dangerous situations in their native countries. Eventually, the kids learn that Ahmet's life has been turned upside down. His parents may or may not be alive back in Syria, his younger sister has died, and he's come to live in a new country with a foster parent (the UK), where he knows little of the language. London plans to visit the Queen of England to help Ahmet reunite with his parents. It's naive but also demonstrates his kind heart. Though I still gave the book five stars, my only complaint is that nearly every character is stereotypical regarding being good or bad. It would have been more beneficial to have multi-dimensional characters, I did appreciate that author Onjati Rauf is courageous enough to take on essential themes like acceptance, perseverance, tenacity, bullying, and prejudice.

My son love this book. I also love it. It has too many descriptions sentence to learn.

The story captures the innocence of children who recognize the plight of their newly found friend who is a refugee and has been separated from his family. Their secret journey to notify the Queen captures your investment in their journey. It is well told and a pleasure to read.

I did not know this was a young adult book - and I enjoyed every minute of it f it! The 9 year old perspective was innocent and often profound in clarity. There were many gems of phrases from the good writing of the author. It makes you wish children could help us solve more of the world’s challenges.

I read this story following a recommendation from one of my fifth grade students and I was so moved. The way the author tells the story from the language and perspective of a nine year old gives even more authenticity to this powerful story. Its important for children to have a happy ending in this story, however I appreciate the authors note at the end to remind us that not all stories have a happy ending. I don't know if it was intentional nut throughout the story its impossible to know if the main character and narrator is a girl or a boy. Even the reporters say child when covering the palace event. On the last page it seems to be revealed but I would love to hear from the author about this. I strongly recommend this book to all, adults and children especially given the current refugee crisis in Ukraine. What we learn and read can help us be empathetic and helpful.

This is an extremely well written and touching book. The author paints personalities that are cute, comical, and insightful. Very appropriate to read as a family and we read it to our 9 years old and 3 year old. Some solid lessons delivered in avery cute way. Highly recommend this book.

I read this book with my 9 years old boy and 5 years old girl, and my husband. We laughed and cried and reflected as we went through the chapters. It is the best children’s book I have ever read. Very honestly and intelligently brings on a challenging topic, and expose it, in a frank yet gentle way to hearts and minds of children, and adults. Bravo!

We read this book as a family. We laughed so much at some part, and we cried. Amazing book. Well written, very informative and best way to introduce kids about different culture and the world. We even bought the second book which was short but funny.

My son started reading this book the day it arrived. He's not really into reading but was hooked from the very first chapter and asked for more books. Needless to say there's a handful of Onjali books on its way to me.

Buena historia. El libro llega intacto y en buen estado

Loved it

The boy at the back of the class by Onjali Rauf is an adventurous, heartwarming and emotional story. I loved reading this book because it is excellently well written which takes you on an emotional journey and constantly hoping for a positive ending. The book teaches you the value of friendships, and the importance of kindness. It also makes you reflect on appreciating your own family and helps you understand the sad realities of the refugee crisis in Syria. The protagonists are a small group of nine year old friends who try to befriend a new boy called Ahmet who they discover is a refugee from Syria and has been separated from his family while travelling to England to escape the war. Alexa, Tom, Josie and Michael have lot of empathy for Ahmet when they find out about his heart breaking experiences and make him feel welcome while fighting off bullies and ignorance .When they discover Ahmet's lost his family somewhere in Europe they embark on a plan to reunite him with his family. The strengths of this book are that it really motivates the reader to think about issues that affect many children, such as bullying and accepting people for who they are. The characters in the story encourage the reader to be more kinder to people and have more empathy, especially to those who feel vulnerable and isolated .The book teaches you that kindness and friendship can really improve someone's life in many ways. The main theme of the book is highlighting the refugee crisis and the traumas refugees experience in a sensitive way. The author tackles people's attitudes towards refugees through the characters that befriend Ahmet. Even though the refugee crisis is frequently in the news, I often could not fully understand the impact of war on the lives of refugees, and the difficulties they face adapting in a new country until I read this book. The book takes you on an journey which teaches you important life lessons; to accept people for who they are , the importance of kindness and friendships and the impact it has on people .The character's in the book formed a wonderful friendship went to extreme lengths to make him feel welcome and happy in the school. I recommend this book as it keeps you intrigued to keep on reading, and constantly hoping for a positive ending for all the characters. I recommend this book to all ages to young people and adults as refugee crisis is constantly in the news and helps young people to understand the experiences of refugees. Sara - Year 6

Easy to read and funny too