Book: The Boy at the back of the Class
Author: Onjali Q Rauf
Genre: #Fiction
Summary:
Ahmet, the boy at the back of the class, arrives at the narrator’s school, three weeks after the start of the new session.
In Mrs. Khan's class, he does not ever participate, nor does he go to have lunch in the canteen with the other kids. No one knows where he goes during lunch break, so naturally all kinds of wild rumors abound. But when Alexa and her friends Josie, Tom, and Michael overhear teachers talking about Ahmet, they learn he is a refugee kid and that no one speaks his language.
Little by little, Ahmet's story comes out and the kids learn that his family had to escape Syria when the fighting there began, and that his baby sister had drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and that he had separated from his parents and does not know where they are.
Days later, and with the help of an assistant teacher, he gets additional support to learn English. He gradually adjusts to his new environment and shares his displacement story from Syria to the U.K.and what happened to his family, from whom he's been separated.
Review:
An inspiring and sweet tale that will help children think about what it is to be a good person whatever your circumstances.
This is a beautiful, open-hearted debut from Onjali Q Rauf that should help children be the best they can be and realize the power of kindness.
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