Author: Onjali Q. Rauf
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
ISBN: 978-1-78112-962-3
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes
There are books that get bonus points for being different or original, but author Onjali Rauf's new children's novel highlights the plight of most families struggling with paying the bills and putting food on the table.
Written from Nelson's point of view, he and Ashley, his sister watch their mum hardly cope with feeding the three of them even though she is working. Her lack of cash is what leads her to have to use the nearest food bank.
Nelson looks forward to Voucher Thursdays when the three of them can go to the food bank and get what they need. Most of the time they go hungry and Nelson wishes they had cupboards as full as their wealthier school friends. Nelson, like most kids in his situation, dreams of being able to get biscuits or chocolate with these vouchers but the food they have is the basic staples. Though Mrs Patel who works there makes sure they get a small bit of chocolate each.
I loved a few things in this book; Nelson's Bank Withdrooling List he keeps in the back of his school book, dreaming about them having enough food in their fridge and trying to catch the thief who is stealing from the food bank. Onjali writes about the problems children have from less well off backgrounds having to keep the fact they have free school meals a secret. Nelson goes to the Breakfast Club, and like Fight Club, no one talks about it, only for different reasons; the embarrassment would be devastating.
With praise from the Gregg's Foundation and the Trussell Trust for Onjali writing this book to illustrate
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