The Great (Food) Bank Heist

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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. 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. But when he heard that the food was being stolen from the stores, the food meant for struggling families like his, he knew he had to do something about it. Gathering his friends, Nelson planned a stake-out at their local supermarket. They just had to find out who was stealing the food before he and his family starved. It's a simpler, shorter, more accessible book and, although they are obviously both about very different important issues, I think this does exactly what The Boy did, but better. When things start disappearing from the food bank, leaving everyone hungrier than ever, Nelson plans a stakeout to catch the thief. Written with great empathy and Rauf’s trademark humour, this moving story gives a child’s-eye view of the increasing problem of food poverty.

The Great Food Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Raúf The Great Food Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Raúf

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.Written with great empathy and Rauf's trademark humour, The Great (Food) Bank Heist is a moving story that gives a child's-eye view of the increasing problem of food poverty. A short sweet adventure story about a boy’s determination to save himself and his family from food shortages. “The great food bank heist” highlights the the unheard plight of hungry families and the importance of food bank donations. 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. 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. 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.

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

Nelson throwing a bunch of fresh food at the car window was a little bit counterintuitive to his condition. For example, he is hungry because he doesn’t have much food. However, he seems to be wasting fresh food by throwing it at the car window of the thief? 🤷🏽 The book is also filled with some great illustrations, an example of which you can see on the book's cover. Artist Elisa Paganelli provides artwork throughout the book, and these select moments help to highlight key parts of the stories. We get to see Nelson struggling to stay positive at home with empty cupboards, we see how much he loves his family, we see the moment where he finally snaps and reveals what's going on, and we get to see the triumph the kids have at the end. These moments not only help to break up the text for younger readers, but really put you into the story too.Written with great empathy and Rauf’s trademark humour, The Great (Food) Bank Heist is a moving story that gives a child’s-eye view of the increasing problem of food poverty. I love that it shows how the family has food insecurities on a day-to-day basis and how never feeling full affects so much of the characters' attention. I also love that it shows their mom works, she is a nurse and works really hard, they don't steal or load up on food that is donated, they are very grateful for all assistance given and their friends don't judge them. It shed light on a different narrative that many children perhaps don't think about: that people they know and are close with, might be hungry. I think the maturity of the kids is a lesson to adults reading the book too, that reminds us that kindness and assistance doesn't need to come with judgement or arrogance. The characters are all really likeable, they aren't perfect, but even though the book is short, you feel your heart being affected by them in their handling of the mystery and the larger concept of hunger. The most impressive thing is the creation of a group of characters who were believable, funny and also moving at times. I have really enjoyed this book and would recommend this to all children as it can help them understand the issue of food poverty especially as it is something they might encounter in their own classroom. Many children today face food poverty and food banks and breakfast clubs really help those in need to have a good meal and I like how this story highlights this issue but doesn’t focus too much on the negative thoughts around it, instead focusing on the characters and them attempting to discover the mystery and save the food bank. It’s a great book and the fact that some money is donated with each book bought, just makes this all the more worth buying and reading.