The Boy At the Back of the Class

The Boy At The Back Of The Class by Onjali Q Rauf is a marvellous debut novel. It is a book that I just could not put down. It is suitable for ages ten years and over. In fact, it is a perfect book for anyone as it highlights the plight of refugees. The book is written in the first person through the eyes of a nine year old living in London. Her school is a cosmopolitan one where children of all nations welcome the boy at the back of the class. The only blot on the school landscape is that of the school bullies. We see them through the eyes of a child. We totally understand her thoughts and find her feelings easy to empathise with. This is a tale of friendship that will go the extra mile in order to help improve a life. Onjali Q Rauf writes through the eyes of a child, explaining her fears and her questions. There is humor in her words and sometimes well known phrases are heard and misquoted wrongly. “We didn’t say anything after that because sometimes you can tell grown-ups won’t listen to you anymore. Usually they say… ‘I’ve said my peas.’ “ All the characters were well drawn and believable. They were easy to empathise with. As an adult reader, I ‘travelled’ through the book in a dual aspect – as a nine year old, and as an adult looking in. This is a powerful book that all children (and adults) should read in order to help them to understand there are those who have travelled roads that we know nothing about. I will leave you with my favourite quote: “The entire world is full of hearts searching for a place to call home. But refugees … look for peace too.”

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

my son loves it

Review by James Usually, I wouldn't read a book like this but I am glad I did. I really liked this because it was told well and the story line was good too. The main character was really brave and kind to his refugee friend; it was quite extraordinary what he did for him. Review by Erinn Wonderful book about friendship and kindness. Its formal side was exquisite,for example the letter from the queen. But then it had very hard-warming moments. I liked it because of its kind mannered characters and its polite policeman. My favourite part was when Alexa`s mum read out the letter about where Ahmet's family was because it really enjoyable to know that after all of what they'd been through it had worked. Alexa would appeal to most readers because of what extent she went to just to help a refugee boy who had only just settled into the classroom. Readers who like friendship and fight books would like this because of its couple of fall outs with Brendan-the-bullies gang but in other ways it was very kind and shows what extent people go to, to make others happy. Review by Ellie-May This is an amazing book full of adventures. Meet Alexa: she is a very warm hearted girl who has three friends named Tom, Michael and Josie. Strangely, there was an empty seat at the back of the class. Then, a new boy joins the class named Ahmet. Ahmet was with his foster mum but could they find his real parents? Follow Alex on her journey. Onjali Q. Rauf is a brilliant author who makes lots of children happy reading this book. Her books are for any age. It's a very detailed book and is good for people who have an imagination. It is also a very meaningful book which makes children and adults dive into it. Review by Amber This is an excellent book full of surprises. The main character, Alexa (we only find this out at the end of the book) has the mind of a soldier ready to help anybody who needs it and accepts any challenge she is given. She goes to meet the queen so that the new boy in her class, Ahmet, can find his parents. Since he and his family come from Syria, they have to run away from a deadly war. Alexa and her friends, Tom, Michael and Josie, think it is extremely important that he is reunited with his loved ones and they go through many obstacles blocking their path. Onjali Q. Rauf is a great author who always makes her books come to life with the swipe of a pen. Her books are good for any age, especially those with an imagination. It is very unlikely you will not read the whole book without falling in love with these meaningful words. You will never regret reading this book. Jake T A new boy comes to a new school but doesn't say anything but who could he be? The children at school learn that he is a refugee and have to think of an ingenious plan to help him. I enjoyed the book because at the start it was mysterious because the new boy didn't do anything but later on we learn all sorts of new things about him and the other characters. I would recommend this book for anyone between the age of 8 and 101. Watch out for the unexpected twist at the end!

I've just finished reading this as I will be reading it with my class after Christmas. I found the main character very likeable and relatable and I enjoyed the fact that you don't find out who the main character is until the last chapter. Great for discussion with children about stereotypes and using the clues they have been given along the way. Having the topic of refugees feature heavily in this book I felt was important due to it being very relevant to children's lives at the moment. There are multiple different points of views shown on refugees and I feel this is a great starting point for children to discuss and understand alternative viewpoints. The author brought the characters to life very vividly and enjoyed the fact that they thought and acted like children throughout the story. Some people may think that the storyline is far fetched with their solution but I enjoyed the naieveity and child-like nature of it all. A great read for children to build empathy and understanding of those around them by tackling a difficult topic. There are a few sad parts such as bereavement of various kinds and bullying but I feel that knowing your children will help you judge if it's appropriate for their age. Looking forward to sharing with my class after the holidays and hope I can hold it together for the last chapter as it almost made me cry at home!

Wow. Just, wow! I'm not really sure if I can add anything else of value in all honesty but I'll give it a go! I'm a teaching assistant and have read many, many books aimed at children of all ages. This particular book was recommended to me by a 10 year old pupil; any book that engages a young child so much that they spend a whole lunch break telling their class adults all about a story that has inspired them instead of heading straight out to the playground to run amok with their friends has to be a winner in my eyes. I bought the book instantly and when it arrived, excitedly presented it to my 9 year old boy. He's an incredibly capable reader but often finds it hard to engage in stories; he's far too analytical for his age and pulls text apart rather than enjoys a story just for the sake of it (you can imagine my horror!) so inevitably I end up reading to him instead. This book, for the first time in a long while, captivated him from the very first chapter and he was completely hooked, asking me to share the story with him each night. The writing is completely compelling - I was on the verge of tears at times and bursting with pride at others . It triggered so many questions and enriching discussions between my son and I, invoking a new-found compassion and empathy in him that I have been trying to instill from birth! The characters are a force to be reckoned with but they are also just, well, nice - children that any parent (read also: teacher / teaching assistant etc) would be proud of given their efforts to help their new friend. They are friendly, welcoming, open, considerate and mindful - standing up to the bullies, the preconceptions and the prejudices. I have waffled a lot but feel a genuine affinity with this book that is rare and now recommend it to anyone who will listen! An absolute gem of a book. Every child deserves a copy.

I am a Year 5 teacher and have just finished reading this book with my class. They have absolutely loved this book, I struggled to hold back tears close to the end and the whole class said they felt the same. A wonderful tale of friendship and a super story to challenge stereotypes relating to refugees - we had many insightful discussionsn and the children's maturity, compassion and understanding amazed me. They loved it so much they have written reviews for me to share: This book is amazing! My class loved it. I rate this book 5 out of 5, if I could I would rate it more. This book is about a refugee boy that did not know any English and a group of friends try to help him. By Dragos age 9. This book is about friendship friendship, learning about refugees and what they have to go through. I liked this book because it tells you about refugees, so you know what they have to go through and understand refugees lives and what happens to them. By Alfie ag 9. This book is about a boy that sits at the back of the class. I loved this because it is interesting and it makes me want to read it more. It would be good for age 9 because the characters are age 9. I think this book is good for children from another country so they know they there's someone for them. I also helped me to know about refugees. By Emily age 9.

I am writing this on kindle so sorry if any mistakes What I want to know is how onjali rauf wrote this? put it like this. It was FANTASTIC. best read of my eleven years alive. My dad reccommended this to me after I had finished the boy who grew dragons series. And my thoughts were "nah sounds boring, who would want to read a book about a boy who sat at the back of a class." So I told him not to buy it for me. Which was a mistake . I could not get to sleep for the next few nights and I was doing badly at school. I had a exam coming up, and I needed sleep. so then I was desparate for this book. so I told my dad I wanted to get the boy at the back of the class. I read It and I was just like ' how on earth did I say no to this book?' I told my dad that it was the best read ever and asked for the star outside my window. After that I was struggling to wait for the night bus hero to come out. so I pre ordered it like most exited people would do. This is about the boy at the back of the class not the night bus hero. I like to do an activity called LAMDA and I had to a public speaking and I chose to do it on this book. If you are thinking about reading this book let me just give you a small explain about whatvit is about. ( sorry if any spoilers.) There is a new boy in the class and every one thinks he is weird for example he doesnt like sweets. The main character ( i cant remember his name) tries to be friends with him. He finds out that he is a rufugee who has lost his parents. The boarders are closing so his lost parents will not be able to be found so the boys try to go to the queen ty try to keep them open. You try and find out the rest when you read it. Thats all for now ( actually rather a lot for now I have never wrote a review so long before it has taken me forty minuits to write but it was worth it as it was a good book) plus im only eleven a child who has only learned gow to read write and type one year ago.

Good book to read. It arrived in good condition and good price during sale.

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

"The Boy at the Back of the Class" is a heartwarming and touching story about a group of children who befriend a new boy, Ahmet, who is a refugee. They want to help him find his lost family, and their kindness shows the importance of friendship and empathy. The book teaches us that small acts of kindness can make a big difference in someone's life. Overall, it's an inspiring and beautifully written book that promotes compassion and understanding.

Easy to read and funny too