The Great (Food) Bank Heist

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Another Barrington Stokes book capturing real life moments and emotion from children who encounter food poverty. Also, the mystery behind the thief was completely pointless as the villain was not somebody you knew. Now the UK being a developed country, it hardly seems possible that there would be people struggling to get a decent meal three times a day, but apparently it is a reality that many prefer to ignore. 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. This 103 page middle grades book has diverse characters (none are Muslim), and is a great story, a great educational tool, a great empathy check, and a great resource for how to get involved to start helping food banks, and breakfast clubs, all while being funny, relatable, kind, and engaging.

The Great (Food) Bank Heist - Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) Literary The Great (Food) Bank Heist - Peters Fraser and Dunlop (PFD)

With its shining tins and packets of food stacked from floor to ceiling, Nelson thinks it’s the best kind of bank there is.We all need to understand how bad this is, and hiding it from children only leads to adults ignorant of the issue. We hear of families that barely have enough food to live, of children going hungry and worrying about whether or not they're going to eat the next day or not and a lot of people will imagine it happening in third world countries, of distant parts of the world that are different from our own.

The Great (Food) Bank Heist | Book reviews | RGfE The Great (Food) Bank Heist | Book reviews | RGfE

It shines a light on a real issue, one that is affecting so many, and it makes that reality hit home. The kid's favorite day of the month is the day they go to the food bank and get to withdraw things to eat.

RAUF is the bestselling and multi-award-winning children's author of titles including The Star Outside My Window, The Night Bus Hero, and the Blue Peter Book Award and Waterstones Children's Book Prize-winner The Boy at the Back of the Class.

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

But more importantly it leads to conversation around a difficult topic and leads to more awareness about the state of things which is an admirable step. I enjoyed the moment when Nelson risks his life when standing in front of the van and found it to be a suspenseful and unexpected moment. I really liked how they were trying to save the food bank for other people to not starve and for his mum so she wouldn't sell her treasures to pay for food. There are some really great illustrations dotted throughout the book, sometimes filling part of a page and sometimes a whole page.Her first novel, The Boy at the Back of the Class, has sold over 100,000 copies and won multiple awards. This is an absolutely heartwarming book that tackles a difficult subject but in child friendly terms much like the other two books that I read. A short sweet adventure story about a boy’s determination to save himself and his family from food shortages. 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. There’s hardly any food left in the house and Nelson’s mum has to regularly go to the food bank because they just don’t have enough to eat.