The Boy At The Back Of The Class
Author: Onjali Q Rauf @OnjaliRauf
Published by: Orion Books @orionbooks
Published on: July 2018
Price: £7.99
ISBN: 978 1510105010
First line: There used to be an empty chair at the back of my classroom.
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Age: 9+
What’s it all about? A girl in an average class goes out of her way to try and make friends with a new boy who joins her class. There is something different about him, and it’s not just his lion eyes. Her three best friends: Tom, Josie and Michael, all help her to make the boy feel special and welcomed and this takes them on a very special journey to the highest point in the land. Gradually they start to find out more about Ahmet, the war that he was fleeing, his missing family and how good he is at football and protecting them from school bullies.
Why should I read it? Written in the first person, you really hear the child’s voice and I love the way the explanations are from her own point of view. For example, when she says, ‘She always ruffles my hair when she wants me to think she’s happier than she really is.’ This is a story which truly teach empathy, friendliness, standing up for the right things in life and doing something about them no matter how scary it might seem. I like the unexpected adventures that the girl and her mum go on and how the pomegranate is described as having millions of little jewels in it.
Kinkajousreadtoo 
Leave a comment