Reviews

The Boy At the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

sairythefairy's review against another edition

0.25

Starts off okay but then becomes very unrealistic and ends up focus more on the other characters rather than the refugee themself and becomes quite saviour like. I think it’s a good idea for the story from what i read on the blurb but was executed very badly. I wouldn’t recommend it at all. 

bcat0124's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

5.0

misskk's review against another edition

3.0

A sweet and adventurous tale that manages to balance the fantasy of a child's mind and the reality of the world whilst handling heavy topics such as war, oppression, bullying and racism in a delicate and sophisticated manner.

It was a delight to read this story and the ending left me feeling warm.

Of course not everything that happened in this story is realistic but it was eye opening.

I believe this a story that every child and maybe adult should read once.

Edit: I've just found out that the author is Transphobic and I want to say that the message of this story is important. We shouldn't support the author but the art instead but I in no way shape or form condone Transphobia.

your_true_shelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

saphiraas's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

3 stars!
A very sweet story about a girl who befriends the boy at the back of her class who just so happens to be a refugee from Syria.  I love how this book addresses difficult topics in a way that children can understand and digest. Describing Ahmet having to run away from "bullies" in Syria I think was a good metaphor that many children would understand. 

I really enjoyed reading from Alexa's perspective. As a 9 year old child, she sees the world in a completely different way than I do. She's much more optimistic and innocent to the world around her. Watching her learn about war and refugees and immediately want to help her friend find his family was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

I liked the “The Greatest Idea in the World,” Alexa, Josie, Michael, and Tom came up with in order to help Ahmet find his family. I mean hand delivering a letter to the queen of England is pretty freaking bold and it speaks to the lengths that these kids were willing to go to in order to help Ahmet find his family.

This definitely reads as a middle grade book which is why I put it at 3 stars. I always crave a little more emotional depth in my stories that middle grade rarely provides due to the age group, but I still enjoyed this and I would recommend it to kids in the 9-12 age range!  

“That the entire world is full of hearts searching for a place to call home. But refugees are different, because they don’t just look for a home. They look for peace too. And because of that, they possess the most special hearts anyone could ever have.”

char_reads_'s review against another edition

4.0

There are two reasons I read children’s books - to discover new worlds and fantastic stories I can share with my pupils to help foster their love of reading, and to start up important conversations in a way my pupils could understand - this book hits the second reason straight on the head! It’s a heartwarming (if a bit unrealistic) story that touches on a really important topic and is one I would love to read with my students someday ❤️

bexbooksandstuff's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Absolutely gorgeous book, I loved the themes of kindness and helping refugees. The childish hope and innocence was beautiful and just shows us that we should all be more accepting and kind to each other. I cried and laughed. Onjali has done it again! 

sophiadasilva's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

bickie's review against another edition

1.0

I am still struggling with what I think of this book in terms of what it teaches kids about privilege and activism. Anti-refugee and, to a small extent, anti-immigrant, feelings of other people are addressed primarily by the MC's mother (along the lines of, people are afraid of people who don't look like them, and people can be silly). MC's grandmother escaped the Nazis and helped others escape. Overall, I am disturbed by the kids' taking action without telling Ahmet; it feels very savior-ish. One key concept of activism is "nothing about us without us." I'm also disturbed a bit by the excitement about getting famous and meeting the queen engendered by the Idea, though the MC talks about feeling that Ahmet and his reunion with his parents is the most important goal.

I didn't realize the MC was a girl until the conversation with Mr. Greggs near the end.

cedardleland's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0