“Sometimes words hang around longer than people, even when you don’t want them to.”
I fell off my horse. I went for a sad stretch without reading a book to the boys. Chaos hung around longer than expected, even when I didn’t want him to. The good news is I got back on with a real winner. It wasn’t Wonder, but it was in the same league. Like Palacio, Onjali Q. Rauf tackles a topic kids should learn to be sensitive to—we all should. The Boy at the Back of the Class introduced Luke and Jonah to a Syrian boy named Ahmet. From a child’s point of view, my children learned about refugees.
When a new boy comes to class, things change for a group of precocious 9-year-olds. Their collective eyes open to the lonely plight of a refugee. And with simple solutions (one labeled The Greatest Idea in the World), they proactively try to make a difference. “Told with heart and humor, The Boy at the Back of the Class is a child’s perspective on the refugee crisis, highlighting the importance of friendship and kindness in a world that doesn’t always make sense.” Rauf’s pages are replete with hope and warmth. In this instance, I pray her words hang around a lot longer than people.