Every so often, we are fortunate to meet someone who guides us to look at our world afresh and the memory of meeting them is so powerful that their message lingers for years to come. Today, the children in years 5 and 6 met Onjali Rauf who is so much more than an author of a (as it happens, pacy and hard to put down) children’s book but also a beacon of altruism. We are all richer from meeting her and I think her visit will become one of the lasting memories from the children’s primary school years.
The idea for her debut novel, The Boy at the Back of the Class, was inspired by her visits to the refugee camps in France. Onjali candidly shared her experiences of meeting individuals facing dejection and despair after losing their homes through war and persecution. Through the telling of life-stories of real people, she helped the children to understand what a refugee is and how they have no choice but to flee their home country through fear for their lives. I will admit that I had to concentrate hard on my notebook at times to contain my feelings and I was proud of how mature and sensitive our children were in their responses.
It was a treat to hear Onjali read from her book; so many of the children have picked it up in their independent reading and were rapt to hear the story retold by its author. The stillness in the hall for those moments was magical. The children had many questions which were patiently and fully answered. We now know how old she is (37), what inspired her to start writing (being ill for several months in hospital but keen to make a difference), her favourite books as a child (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Black Beauty, Charlotte’s Web) and her first story (aged 6, a horse transformed into a unicorn)!
Her advice for budding authors? Never stop writing. Keep reading. It’s as simple as that!
Mrs Oshungbure @BooksMrs
The Boy at the Back of the Class, Onjali Rauf.
