The Boy At the Back of the Class

WINNER OF THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD (UK) 2019 WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN’S BOOK PRIZE (UK) 2019 WINNER OF THE SAKURA MEDAL (JAPAN) 2020 WINNER OF THE CHILDREN’S COWBELL AWARD (SWITZERLAND) 2021 WINNER OF THE PRIX JANUSZ KORCZAK PRIZE (FRANCE) 2022 ‘There used to be an empty chair at the back of my class, but now a new boy called Ahmet is sitting in it. He’s a refugee who’s run away from a War. A real one. With bombs and fires and bullies that hurt people. And the more I find out about him, the more I want to help … That’s where my best friends Josie, Michael and Tom come in. Because you see, together we’ve come up with a plan…’On a perfectly ordinary school day, something extraordinary happens: a boy with pale skin, lion eyes and a tattered red rucksack walks in. Unable to speak English and seated at the back of the class, Ahmet ‘the refugee kid’ becomes the perfect target for bullies and rumours alike.

But Ahmet has also captured the attention and empathy of a fellow classmate, who will do anything to help him find his family. Even if that involves a plan – or five, and the Queen herself!Told with heart and humour, 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.

With beautiful illustrations by Pippa Curnick*BEAUTIFUL GOLD FOIL ANNIVERSARY EDITION NOW AVAILABLE – FIND IT UNDER ‘ALL FORMATS AND EDITIONS’*