The Boy at the Back of the Class

“After all, having four new friends would be much better than having none. Especially for a boy who looked as scared and as sad as the one now sitting at the back of our class.”

Alexa’s reflections on Ahmet’s situation capture The Importance of Compassion and Empathy. Alexa can see that Ahmet looks “scared” and “sad,” and therefore wants to help him feel safe. She is demonstrating empathy by imagining what it might be like to be Ahmet, and is showing compassion by planning to befriend him.

“Sometimes I think people like to believe a lie even when they know it’s a lie because it’s more exciting than the truth. And they especially like to believe it if it’s printed in a newspaper. I know that now. I also know why Mum says politicians are liars and always shouts at them whenever they come on TV. Maybe Jennie will be a politician when she grows up.”

Alexa’s internal monologue captures her character’s ability to think deeply. Alexa doesn’t accept her classmate Jennie’s rumors about Ahmet as true simply because she doesn’t know Ahmet. Instead, she reflects on the lessons she’s learned from her mom and applies them to this new social situation. She is refusing to bully and alienate Ahmet simply because others are spreading stories about him.

“I knew that I wanted to be friends with Ahmet. I didn’t really know why; I just did. I gave up trying to speak to him during the day—because of all the Seclusion he needed—but I figured after school was okay, because Mrs. Khan had smiled at me and winked that first time. So every day for two whole weeks, I waited by the school gates at dismissal.”

The way that Alexa sees Ahmet illustrates The Transformative Power of Friendship and Community. Alexa knows that she wants to connect with Ahmet and puts all of her energy into doing so. She doesn’t know what Ahmet is going through, but she’s confident that smiling and winking at him might help him feel seen. This passage captures her innocence and purity of heart; she is pursuing friendship despite the challenges she faces.

“Exactly, my love. They were what people call refugees. And children like the new boy in your class are called refugee kids, because they’ve had to leave their homes and travel very far to try to find a new house to live in.”

Mum’s character is an archetypal guide for Alexa. When Alexa begins to ask about Ahmet’s situation, Mum does her best to explain in a way that Alexa will understand. She doesn’t condescend to Alexa or hide the truth from her. Instead, she gives Alexa access to this information so she can understand her new friend better. In turn, this dialogue helps the reader to learn about the refugee experience along with Alexa.

“‘What fruits do people from Syria like the most?’ I crossed my fingers and toes, hoping that she would know the answer, because if she did, then I would know the answers to three of my original eleven questions! I had found out where the new boy was from and what language he spoke—and as a bonus had seen what his country looked like on a map and learned that he was good at soccer.”

The language and punctuation that Alexa uses in this passage create an excited, energetic tone. Alexa has finally thought of a way to connect with Ahmet. She shows her enthusiasm in her narration by using run-on sentences, exclamation points, em dashes, and italics. These stylistic choices give the passage the same sense of urgency and enthusiasm that Alexa feels when she invests in Ahmet.

“I looked up. Everything had suddenly turned dark and the sky was filled with large gray clouds that were so low you could hear them rumbling. But I didn’t care, because I had two of the best presents I could ever have in my bag, given to me by a man with the heart of a king.”

Alexa’s mood contrasts with the weather. Archetypally, weather patterns can echo a character’s internal state; for Alexa, even the dark sky, “gray clouds” and “rumbling” thunder can’t dampen her positivity. Her ability to remain happy in spite of the storm illustrates how important finding the pomegranates is to her. The pomegranates also become a symbol of The Importance of Compassion and Empathy.

“But it turned out Michael was wrong […] Because Ahmet never stopped being our friend. Not even after he became the most popular boy in school for beating up Brendan the Bully. And not even when all the newspapers in the world made him the Most Famous Refugee Boy on the planet.”

Alexa’s reflections on her friendship with Ahmet foreshadow the challenges the characters will overcome together. When Ahmet stands up to Brendan the Bully, Alexa and her friends worry that Ahmet will become popular and stop being their friend. This passage uses a retrospective stance, as Alexa is recalling what actually happened after the fight; this formal technique creates a bridge from this conflict to the next one. The allusions to the “newspapers” and Ahmet becoming “famous” foreshadow coming events and sustain the narrative tension.

“In the picture, Ahmet had drawn himself carrying a red backpack with a black stripe on it, just like the one he had now. That was when I knew why he loved it so much and why he cried when it had been filled with Brendan the Bully’s horrible baked beans. He had carried it all the way from his house and over a mountain, which meant it was lots more important and lots more special than any of our bags.”

Ahmet’s class presentation helps Alexa to understand her new friend better. Before the presentation, Alexa couldn’t understand why Ahmet would keep his old stinky backpack after Brendan filled it with “horrible baked beans.” However, when she hears Ahmet’s presentation, she gains insight into his experience and his attachment to the backpack, which symbolizes his refugee experiences and connections to Syria. The passage suggests that listening to someone tell their story in their own words can create understanding.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that running away from a war and leaving your home is a very hard thing to do. And it’s especially hard when you have to try to put all the missing pieces of your life back together again, in a place that’s new and strange to you.”

Mrs. Khan’s lesson to her class helps Alexa and her friends understand Ahmet better. Mrs. Khan is another guide figure in Alexa’s story. She is addressing her students in a direct way, but she isn’t scolding or threatening them. She is rather encouraging them to sympathize with Ahmet and to treat him with respect—these lessons facilitate kindness, empathy, and community.

“When Dad died, I remember [Uncle Lenny] being at the hospital with us and hugging Mum and me a lot. That was when he started calling me his ‘brave little tiger.’ I don’t know why, because I didn’t feel even the tiniest bit brave. But I didn’t mind. Because after the Funeral, he was the only person who stayed behind and helped Mum sort everything out.”

Alexa’s reflections on her dad’s death further the novel’s exploration of Self-Discovery Amid Life’s Challenges. Alexa is remembering the experience of losing her dad in order to understand herself and her relationships in the present. At this point in the novel, she still doesn’t understand why her uncle called her “brave” because she didn’t feel brave; the passage thus foreshadows the risks Alexa will soon take in trying to help Ahmet, which ultimately helps her understand her own strength.

“I don’t think you can really focus on playing a game when you’ve just found out that your grandma was a refugee, who had helped lots of other refugees run away from a war too. Even if you’re playing a game that’s as fun as Scrabble.”

Alexa learns about herself from the stories her mom and uncle tell her. Alexa is a curious, deep-thinking character, which is why Mum and Uncle Lenny tell her about Grandma Jo. This information surprises and overwhelms Alexa—an internal dynamic illustrated by Alexa’s inability to focus on “a game that’s as fun as Scrabble.” At the same time, her desire to think about her grandmother shows her desire to understand Ahmet and her role in his story.

“‘Oh,’ I said. I felt strange—as if something had just hit me on the inside of my chest. It was the same feeling I had in the hospital when Mum and Uncle Lenny told me that Dad had died.”

Alexa’s response to Ahmet’s revelation about his sister’s death creates a melancholy mood. Alexa also describes her surprise and sadness as the feeling of being hit “on the inside of her chest.” This sensation suggests that her sadness is weighty and feels painful. She is empathizing with Ahmet’s story—she can feel the pain that he feels. At the same time, the passage shows how Alexa is learning to relate her experiences of loss to Ahmet’s—an emotional skill that strengthens their bond and shows Alexa’s Self-Discovery Amid Life’s Challenges.

“I quickly told them everything that the man and woman on the bus had said, about no more refugees being allowed into the country, and then what Ahmet had told me about his mum and dad being left behind. I had to tell them about his sister Syrah too. I felt bad about breaking my promise, but I knew that Ahmet wouldn’t mind me telling Josie and Michael about it, because this was a real emergency and they were his friends too.”

Alexa’s concern for Ahmet’s safety inspires her to seek help from her friends, reflecting The Transformative Power of Friendship and Community. Alexa is determined to help Ahmet find and reunite with his parents, but she also knows that she can’t do so on her own. The image of her going to Tom, Josie, and Michael and telling them about “the man and woman on the bus” and “what Ahmet told her about his family” represents the community that Alexa is fostering with her close friends.

“I had it! An idea! And it was without a doubt, quite possibly, the Greatest Idea in the World! It leaped right into my head, just like a giant frog, and jumped around until I knew it had to work. It just had to!”

Alexa’s use of punctuation and language in this passage creates an energetic and hopeful tone. She uses short sentences, fragments, exclamation points, capitalization, and metaphors to capture her excitement. The happy mood of the passage echoes Alexa’s happy state of mind after discovering a way to help her new friend. The passage, therefore, reiterates how invested Alexa is in Ahmet’s situation.

“After I mailed the letter, I felt as if a thousand worms and butterflies and frogs had all jumped into my tummy and were wriggling and squirming and hopping around together. I was even too excited to finish my chocolate chip cookies and glass of milk, which are my favorite Friday treats.”

Alexa’s emotional response to mailing the letter to the Queen underscores her determination to help Ahmet reunite with his family. She describes her emotions as the feeling of a “thousand worms and butterflies and frogs” moving inside of her—a simile that captures Alexa’s simultaneous anxiety and excitement. Alexa also says that she can’t finish her “favorite Friday treats” because of how she’s feeling; this detail shows that Alexa is more concerned with her friend’s needs than her own.

“The road ahead of us was filled with hundreds of people, lots of them with cameras around their necks. Some were talking and waving to the policemen, others were climbing the giant fountain and sitting on its short walls, and yet more were leaning against the gray barriers that had been placed all along the sides of the sidewalks […] and huge helicopters that looked like giant dragonflies hummed in the sky above and made the air shake.”

Alexa uses descriptive language to capture the vibrancy and activity she and Tom encounter outside Buckingham Palace. She and her friend are surrounded by “people,” “cameras,” “policemen,” “walls,” “barriers,” and “helicopters.” These environmental details depict a vivid and active world that contrasts with Alexa’s usually predictable life at home. She is therefore in a new place and will have to face her fears to accomplish her goal.

“But it was okay. Because even not being able to have any chocolate ever again would be worth it if the Queen could help Ahmet find his mum and dad. That was all that really mattered.”

Alexa lapses into reflection on her way home from Buckingham Palace. Although she’s worried about being punished for sneaking out of school, lying to her teachers, and getting into trouble with the Queen’s guards, Alexa knows that her adventure was “worth it.” She is proud of herself because she’s made an attempt to “help Ahmet find his mum and dad.” Alexa’s reflective state of mind reiterates The Importance of Compassion and Empathy—she is willing to take risks if it means making Ahmet feel safe.

“You were so brave. Now the Queen herself can’t ignore what’s happening to those families! I haven’t slept for months, thinking about it. Months! It makes me so angry. All those poor people with their little babies, trying to just…live.”

Alexa’s neighbor’s enthusiasm validates her work to support Ahmet, reflecting The Transformative Power of Friendship and Community. Her neighbor, Mrs. Rashid, uses a congratulatory tone because she is proud of Alexa for standing up for what she believes in. Even though Mrs. Rashid has been “so angry” and worried about the Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the UK, she hasn’t been able to take the same action as Alexa; this is why she is so moved by Alexa’s bravery and boldness. Furthermore, the passage shows how Alexa’s small actions are creating awareness and change in her wider community.

“I leaned back against my mum and fell into a Deep Thought […] The Deep Thought my brain had found was wondering how anyone could be scared of me just because I didn’t look like them. Everyone in school looks different and likes different things—and has parents who come from all kinds of different places.”

Alexa’s experiences with Ahmet teach her important lessons about acceptance and love. Alexa is learning new things about how the world works, which means that she is learning about injustice. Instead of accepting other people’s biases, Alexa forms opinions of her own based on her own experiences: She loves her friends because they’re different, a value that spreads a message of The Importance of Compassion and Empathy.

“I was feeling that second type of scared again now, and it made me want to be sick all over the floor. I had never thought that the Greatest Idea in the World would get us into trouble with the police. And I never ever imagined it would get Ahmet into trouble too. I didn’t want him to feel angry at us.”

Alexa experiences a physiological response when she thinks she has upset Ahmet or gotten him into trouble. Alexa is on the way to the principal’s office herself, but she’s more worried about Ahmet than herself. She is so upset that she feels as if she is going “to be sick all over the floor.” Her nausea is the result of her guilt and fear. All that she’s wanted from the start of the novel is to make Ahmet safe; now she fears that she has endangered Ahmet by trying to help him.

“I had never thought about how loud a whisper can be if there are lots and lots of them. So, all that day, I whispered ‘Help Ahmet’ out loud, too, whenever I could. So did Tom and Michael and Josie. And whenever we did it together, our whispers made us sound like an ocean.”

Alexa’s reflections on the power of a whisper illustrate how small acts of courage can create big changes. Alexa and her friends are only whispering their hope for Ahmet, but together their whispers “sound like an ocean.” This simile evokes notions of roaring and of power. Through this passage, the novel is reiterating The Transformative Power of Friendship and Community.

“I said that Ahmet was the bravest person I had ever met, because even though he had run away from a real-life War and found it hard to speak English and missed his family all the time, he was still the best kind of friend anyone could have.”

Alexa expresses her feelings and beliefs when she agrees to give the newspaper interview. Instead of focusing on all of the things she’s done to help Ahmet, Alexa focuses on how grateful she is for Ahmet’s friendship. She is emphasizing Ahmet’s bravery and generosity over her own, which shows that she is a kind and compassionate individual at heart. She is also creating space for Ahmet in a world that is trying to alienate and erase him.

“But what I do know is that by us sharing our story, lots more people will be talking about it. And that has to be a good thing.”

Mum uses confident and caring language to reassure Alexa and ease her fears. She uses words like “know,” “sharing,” and “good” to remind Alexa that what she’s done so far has the power to help Ahmet and people like him. This passage underscores Mum’s guiding role in Alexa’s life and foreshadows the positive outcome of all of Alexa’s efforts to reunite Ahmet with his parents.