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bardicbramley 's review for:
The Boy At the Back of the Class
by Onjali Q. Raúf
An absolutely beautiful book, filled with emotion, honesty, humour, and love.
You can really tell that the author of this book took the time and care to understand both the subject matter, and the minds of children.
It is a perfect read for a primary class, balancing the darker and more upsetting topics well, with honesty and clarity, but also in words that a 7-11 year old will easily understand and empathise with.
A special mention to the fact that the narrator is not given a name (besides Me) or gender until the very last stages of the book. I have never experienced this before, and I love it. It allowed me to fully engage with the narrator, and I can imagine is a great tool to help children put themselves in the narrators shoes. It also made me consider my own personal views and assumptions on what the narrator was like, what gender I assumed they were from their actions, and how their interactions with others influenced my assumptions.
You can really tell that the author of this book took the time and care to understand both the subject matter, and the minds of children.
It is a perfect read for a primary class, balancing the darker and more upsetting topics well, with honesty and clarity, but also in words that a 7-11 year old will easily understand and empathise with.
A special mention to the fact that the narrator is not given a name (besides Me) or gender until the very last stages of the book. I have never experienced this before, and I love it. It allowed me to fully engage with the narrator, and I can imagine is a great tool to help children put themselves in the narrators shoes. It also made me consider my own personal views and assumptions on what the narrator was like, what gender I assumed they were from their actions, and how their interactions with others influenced my assumptions.