Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Friday, June 28, 2019

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf

How I Heard About It:  A friend of mine from Penguin Random House sent me a collection of upcoming books for me to read this summer.  I grabbed this novel and brought with me on my summer vacation.  The book will be released in August of 2019.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  
1.  *This is a story about four students that are best friends and in the same class.  

2.  *When a new student arrives, the four of them have many questions and wonderings about the boy.  


3.  *He doesn't look like everyone else.  He doesn't say a whole lot.  He isn't able to attend all the school activities.  He has an adult with him most of the day.  

4.  *After some investigation, the children find out he is a "refuge".  This is a new term for these kids and they set out to learn all they can not only about the new student, but what it means to be a refuge.  

5.  *They find out the boy has been separated from his parents and sisters.  The four of them take it upon themselves to see if there is a way to reunite this family.


What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *I just loved the cover of this book.  The title was also intriguing.  

2.  *As I got into the story, I appreciated that the children were in the lower elementary grades and dealing with issues of refugees and being new to a country.  The story was told on a level that young readers could understand.  

3.  *The main character was endearing and such a sweet child.  It was wonderful to read about someone who so wanted to include and get to know another person.  

4.  *Even though the focus of refugees and being separated from loved ones was a serious one, the author did a wonderful job of including humor and light moments throughout the story.  

5.  *The themes of friendship, survival, acceptance, and countless others are spread out on each and every page of this important story.  


Who Should Read It:    What I appreciate about this book is that it could be shared with students in grade two through six.  The plot unfolds in a way that all of these readers/listeners could understand the importance of understanding what it is truly like to be a refugee.  Happy Reading!  


Rating:   4 STARS out of 5 Stars!

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