Her first took in the serious topic of refugees but mixed it with friendship, school and the Queen. Now the author gives young readers a little journey into the world of homelessness and adds to that a bully and a series of high-profile London thefts. She's not afraid of a challenge, and yet again makes a warming and insightful plot out of disparate elements that work together nicely. The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.

Onjali has set herself to a difficult task here: the narrator has busy & absent parents, is a bully at school and at some point, to impress his (bad-company) friends, targets a local homeless for his cruelty. However, she writes in a very engaging way and that partially offsets the heavy theme. Hector is very nasty piece of work at the start of the book. He is an archetypal bully with two henchman and a serious attitude problem. But because Hector is telling the story we soon realise that he is dealing with troubles of his own, and as we know, most bullies are troubled humans. I’ve been getting into trouble for as long I can remember. Usually I don’t mind ‘cos some of my best, most brilliant ideas have come from sitting in detention. Hector is not your normal choice for a protagonist. Rather than someone who is boisterous and sometimes misbehaves, Hector is an actual bully. But it’s this choice that gives the story so much impact; his growth can be greater because of his starting point. I have to admit that this does make him a slightly difficult character to cheer on though, at least in the beginning!

Age range(s)

These books are perfect for showing children that there are all sorts of heroes in life - and will inspire them to make a difference, too.

Three reading comprehension activities linked to chapters four, five and six of The Night Bus Hero. Each chapter has a comprehension activity that includes 20 questions that work on different skills as well as also having the answers included separately. But when a prank on a homeless person gets out of hand this leads to Hector being befriended - somewhat reluctantly at first, by Mei-Li – who introduces Hector to the shelter she helps in and thus to an understanding of some of the pressures and causes of homelessness. An important social message for all – but this book is also a who-done-it trying to solve mysterious, slightly odd crimes whilst the graffiti left at the scenes of these crimes seem to indicate that homeless people are involved in some way. The boy's an absolute menace.' 'He's a bully. A lost cause!' 'Why can't he be more like his sister?'I've been getting into trouble for as long I can remember. Usually I don't mind 'cos some of my best, most brilliant ideas have come from sitting in detention. But recently it feels like no one believes me about anything - even when I'm telling the truth! And it's only gotten worse since I played a prank on the old man who lives in the park. Everyone thinks I'm just a bully. They don't believe I could be a hero. But I'm going to prove them all wrong... Hector is a most unlikable protagonist, but then readers see his family's dynamics and the things he does are almost understandable in his need to get some attention his way. And while you may feel some empathy, it only lasts momentarily, as he commences his bad acts again. But, Hector is a boy who is and does deserve redemption. A clever artist who needs his talents redirected. With an engaging mystery, we journey through the world of homelessness and friendship, questioning how we treat others, prejudice, stereotypes and what kindness is. Can Hector and Mei-Li get to the bottom of these crimes? Can Hector’s new understanding help him be less of a bully? Could Hector turn out to be a bit of a hero? I don’t think Raúf has put a foot wrong so far with her novels to date – and this is no exception. Told from the interesting perspective of the bully in school, Hector gains our sympathy quite unexpectedly – we can see how and why he gets the blame, often deservedly, but also when it’s not really his fault.

Hector is a bully. He steals from the other kids, and torments them with physical and verbal abuse. But then an act of revenge against Thomas, a local homeless man who dared to defend himself, goes very wrong and Hector realises he could get in serious trouble this time. Especially since it was witnessed by Mei-Li, the “teacher’s pet” from his class. I would have liked the book better if it wasn't realistic contemporary fiction but it's supposed to be one so I just have to be realistic when it comes to my opinion on the book. There is a range of questions linked to the chapters to encourage your class to reflect on the information within chapters 2 and 3 of the book. The worksheet ends with a small section of creative writing. In The Night Bus Hero, we meet Hector who has been getting into trouble for as long as he can remember. He doesn't mind being in detention often, because that's when he comes up with his best ideas. Along with his two friends, Will and Katie, Hector is feared by all the pupils at his primary school and the teachers think of him first when there is any kind of incident. His parents are often working away from home, but they express their disappointment in his behaviour when they are around.

Raúf's craft is so beautiful, you are immersed in the story as soon as you open the book and everything feels so real.