The Boy at the Back of the Class - Onjali Q. Raúf

This is a novel I had to read as part of my teaching primary English class at university and I absolutely devoured it way ahead of the time we were given.

I consider myself to read pretty widely within children’s and young adult literature, however a lot of my reading is not as up to date or diverse as I would like. Being in my mid-twenties, my favourite childhood books were the likes of Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, Jacqueline Wilson - not the most diverse bunch of people if we’re being totally honest.

I’m so excited to engage with contemporary and diverse texts which will broaden my knowledge and preparation for the classroom. The Boy at the Back of the Class is unlike any children’s book I’ve read before. It follows an unnamed (gender also unspecified) ten-year-old protagonist and their friends who are intrigued when a little boy joins their class one day.

Ahmet is from Syria and it transpires that he is a refugee who lost his family on the perilous crossing to the UK. Ahmet never speaks and has a translator to help him adjust to his new life, and the group of friends quickly take him under their wing to help him settle in and ultimately locate his missing parents.

This is such a heartwarming story and the perspective of the child, in all their naïvety and optimism, is such a joy to read. What I really loved about this book was the fact that Raúf does not reveal the gender, name or racial heritage of the protagonist until the end of the novel. When their identity is revealed, this makes the story even more poignant (I won’t spoil it!).

Just one novel in to reading children’s literature more broadly, and I’m already highly impressed with the quality and contents of what I’ve seen. If you fancy a heartwarming, eye-opening and touching children’s novel, this is a recommendation from me!