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The Boy at the Back of the Class

Telling the tale of a young Syrian refugee who arrives at a school in the UK, The Boy at the Back of the Class has been tackling some complex issues for young audiences in its recent stage adaptation. Natasha Tripney catches up with the team behind its creation to discuss its impact
The cast of Beatbox Academy's Pied Piper in performance
The cast of Beatbox Academy's Pied Piper in performance - Manuel Harlan

Since it was published in 2018, Onjali Q. Rauf's The Boy at the Back of the Class, the tale of a young Syrian refugee who arrives in a UK school, has sold over half a million copies and won a slew of prizes including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. A film is on the cards starring Jason Isaacs and Vanessa Redgrave, but first theatre audiences can experience a stage adaptation, written for the stage by playwright and journalist Nick Ahad.

Rauf's book tells the story of Ahmet, a young Syrian boy separated from his family who arrives at Alexa's school only able to speak Kurdish. This doesn't prevent them from becoming friends and hatching a plan to reunite Ahmet with his family, an adventure that takes them all the way to Buckingham Palace.

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