Nelson and his families unfortunate situation is narrated initially in a realistic and relatable manner. This is especially true for his experience with the food bank and breakfast club.

The Great (Food) Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Rauf | WHSmith The Great (Food) Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Rauf | WHSmith

Nelson hated having to pretend there was food in the house when there wasn’t, he hated that breakfast club and school dinners just didn’t fill him up enough, he hated that despite working hard his mum couldn’t afford to buy food for them. His one respite was the vouchers for the food bank and the excitement of what treats those bags could hold. Until the bags got less and less and he knew that they would probably be starving by the end of this month. I would read this book aloud in a classroom (2nd-5th), and if I get a chance to participate in Lunch Bunch (where a book is read to children while they eat their lunch) at our local Islamic School, I will start off with this book. I think kids have bigger hearts than we often think they do, and while they might not recall the less fortunate when you want them to finish all the food on their plate, they often notice kids without lunches at school and share without prompting. Would have been better if the thief decides to drive the car towards Nelson. Nelson jumps away just in time, but not before splattering the windshield with slime. Later on, the slime on the windscreen allows police to find the criminals and capture them. This is the story about how four classmates have a massive impact on the life of Ahmet, a boy that comes to their school as a refugee from Syria. An inspiring and sweet talethat should help children be the best they can be and realise the power of kindness.Like the other two books, the kids are the heroes of this book too. Nelson's friends Krish and Harriet make for interesting characters and bring a lot of diversity into the book. They are shown to be caring and thoughtful people and it broke my heart to read how Nelson felt he had to keep the fact he had breakfast at breakfast club, from them as he was ashamed. This felt too real, and it hits hard how kids feel the need for secrets if they feel ashamed. The book isn't all sadness though, as the story ends on a note of hope. It shows that people standing up and doing the right thing, of helping others and fighting against these awful things is not only the right thing to do, it's the moral thing to do. The story comes to us from the POV of Nelson, who lives with his mother who is a nurse, and Ashley, his younger sister. Many days the kids have nothing to eat and they have to pretend that they are eating good wholesome food which is filling. But pretensions can go only so long. The kids are so hungry that Ashley keeps crying with hunger and is unable to sleep.

The Great (Food) Bank Heist (Paperback) - Waterstones The Great (Food) Bank Heist (Paperback) - Waterstones

I felt that Noah Equaino’s role in this story was underdeveloped . Especially his random entrance to school to congratulate Nelson and his friends. His admission to being part of the breakfast club and using food banks as a child was a little awkward. Primarily, because he was entirely absent from their adventure and could easily have been included in catching the thief. They love going into the bank, seeing the kind people who work there, and coming away with bags of food and supplies that will help to get them through the month; that will stop their stomachs from aching for a little while. However, things start to look bad for them when they visit the food bank and only get half of what they normally would. It turns out that people have been stealing from the food bank. The kid's favorite day of the month is the day they go to the food bank and get to withdraw things to eat. But someone has been stealing the food meant for food banks and every month they are getting less and less to go by. Until Nelson decides to take matters in his own hands and find out who the thief is. Then there is the story, I was cautious of reading as it's a challenging topic to cover. However it is dealt with truthfully and with sensitivity. Oh man, the way these kids were hungry just hurt my heart. The games Nelson plays to distract from the hunger and the way he describes not having enough food is truly humbling to those who haven’t experienced hunger.

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However, there’s a shortage of donations to the food bank and the shelves are looking bare, leaving Nelson feeling hungrier than ever. Can someone really be stealing the supplies? When Mum is forced to pawn her ring to buy food, Nelson is determined to find out. Together with his best friends Krish and Harriet, he plans a covert stakeout of the supermarket to catch the culprits. A short, easy read for younger children, with a simple plot and a happy ending. Designed to inform readers about food banks, why some families are forced to rely on them and inspired by Marcus Rashford's contribution to informing people about his experiences and the current situation.