Books like The Boy at the Back of the Class

Looking for books like The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf (Realistic Fiction · grades 3–6)? It’s most often read for its themes of empathy, friendship, and immigration. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–6 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Boy at the Back of the Class

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Why each is a match

Save Me a Seat780L
Shares themes of friendship and immigration, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Dogtowngrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship and courage, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Front Desk640L
Shares themes of immigration, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7).
The Last Musketeergrades 4–7
Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (4–7).
Wonder790L
Shares themes of empathy and friendship and overlapping grades (3–7).
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life890L
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L
Shares themes of friendship and courage and overlapping grades (4–7).
Hoot760L
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (4–7).
Invisible Isabelgrades 3–6
Shares themes of empathy, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It Allgrades 3–6
Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Realistic Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–6).

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