49 pages • 1 hour read
The Boy at the Back of the Class
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Chapters 17-21Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes depictions of discrimination and racism. In particular, the section makes reference to anti-immigrant biases and xenophobia surrounding the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
Chapter 17 Summary: “The Emergency Plan”
That weekend, Alexa is distracted by her excitement over the letter. She wants to tell Mum, but decides to keep her plan a secret until something happens. On Monday, she and her friends continue talking about their plans. However, the week passes, and she, Tom, Josie, and Michael don’t hear anything from the Queen.
Worried that the border will close before Ahmet finds his parents, Alexa drafts an emergency plan. She and her friends pool their allowance money and decide to sneak out of school to visit the Queen themselves. They only have enough money to send two people to Buckingham Palace. They decide that Josie and Michael will cover for Alexa and Tom, who will take the train into the city instead of going to school. Then they’ll hand-deliver their letter to the Queen. Alexa imagines that her dad would be excited by her plan, too.
