The Great (Food) Bank Heist

Product Information

Another Barrington Stokes book capturing real life moments and emotion from children who encounter food poverty. Primarily, because he was entirely absent from their adventure and could easily have been included in catching the thief.

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

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. I like the way all of the characters look, especially Ashley appearing all the time with a toy Freddy and the way Krish looks, especially when donning the spider man mask. The illustrations really do add to the story and you can see the expressions on all the characters faces. Despite this, they struggle on, and when they get even less the next month Nelson realises something has to be done. A percentage of royalties from the sale of this book will be given to Trussell Trust Food Banks, the Greggs Foundation Breakfast Club Programme and selected grassroots food bank charities.

The story is at times funny, which highlights the serious issue without making the reader feel completely negative, rather they may feel as I did, empowered and inspired to do do something. and gives explanations and ideas aboit food banks and food poverty at the back - perfect for a teacher. When things start disappearing from the food bank, leaving everyone hungrier than ever, Nelson plans a stakeout to catch the thief. For those who use food banks it’s an important reminder that you are not alone and for those that don’t it’s an important message that it could be anyone you know. It tells the story of a single parent who works as much as she can, who loves her children and who will go hungry to ensure they are fed.

The Great (Food) Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Raúf - Barrington Stoke The Great (Food) Bank Heist by Onjali Q. Raúf - Barrington Stoke

Although being insightful and endearing, “the great food bank heist” follows a simple narrative with few surprises and action scenes. As the story progresses we find out more about Nelson’s family and their money problems and why his mum has to resort to a food bank to keep the family fed. There are some really great illustrations dotted throughout the book, sometimes filling part of a page and sometimes a whole page. However, things start to look bad for them when they visit the food bank and only get half of what they normally would.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. Onjali Q Raúf is the founder of Making Herstory, an organisation mobilising men, women and children from all walks of life to tackle the abuse and trafficking of women and girls in the UK and beyond. 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. 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.

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

They are creative with their meals, they go to breakfast club, and they use their vouchers on Thursdays at the food bank. When the food bank starts running low, Nelson breaks his secrecy about breakfast club and his close friends Krish and Harriet are determined to help figure out why donated food isn't reaching the bank and what they can do to make sure it does. I feel the story has potential to be a longer novel, especially in relation to finding and catching the thieves.This would be a great book to use in a class to discuss food banks, economic disparity, actvism and Marcus Rashford - a book to hook even those who may struggle to get into reading. The book is also filled with some great illustrations, an example of which you can see on the book's cover. This was written in a great and easy to understand way for children to read and I do like how this whole issue of food poverty is shown and explained well.