The Night Bus Hero

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I have to admit that this does make him a slightly difficult character to cheer on though, at least in the beginning! Before he knows it, Hector finds himself the hero of his own story for the first time ever – both for the exciting and dangerous part he plays in busting a high profile criminal pursuit but also for his own personal journey of compassion and learning to reach out to others. Vergara’s pen made big, loopy letters on the board, leaving behind a shiny green trail just like a slug’s. Raúf's craft is so beautiful, you are immersed in the story as soon as you open the book and everything feels so real. His partner in not-crime is Mei-Li, who helps at her father’s local soup kitchen and so acts as the connection between Hector and the homeless community.

The humanising through the characters introduced in her book inculcate a very much needed togetherness and realisation of the common good that many youngsters need to grow up in and around.Hector’s parents have little time to pay him attention after school – in fact the only attention that really feeds him is the incitement of his two friends, who cheer him on as he makes school life miserable for others. Seeing a homeless man asleep on a bench next to his trolley full of what appears to be trash, Hector decides to steal the hat the old man always wears. Na jednej strane šikana, agresívne správanie či ľahostajnosťou blízkych motivovaná snaha zaujať, na strane druhej zas život na ulici a strata domova, súdržnosť i aké-také pretĺkanie sa. Help your child develop kindness and empathy with these middle grade books that inspire compassion: whether that’s towards animals, friends, or people in very different situations to your own. Unfortunately, Mei-Li, the smartest girl in Hector's class, witnesses the whole thing, as does a woman walking her dog.

Rauf 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. I know I shouldn't judge a middle grade book like this but this is the kind of book I have issues for the same. A wonderfully heartfelt story filled with nuance, empathy and hope from award-winning author Onjali Rauf. It raises issues I'd like to have a context for so that we can then use for discussions, and Hector is engaging and a character you really want to see change a little. Usually any bits of paper he passed to Rajesh had math equations on them or said something like “Meet me in the library by the chemistry section.Raúf’s story really brings it alive and makes it human, something you can touch rather than something that’s hidden in the shadows. Hector’s parents have little time to pay him attention after school in fact the only attention that really feeds him is the incitement of his two friends, who cheer him on as he makes school life miserable for others. I give this a 3; the main character is just so truly horrible for the majority of the book- I didn’t want to read about him. As a trainee teacher, this resonated with me because all types of behaviour is a form of communication and we must look beyond our assumptions that a child is just a 'bad kid'. Scenting a way of getting both rewards and recognition, he determines he needs to find out more about this homeless man, Thomas, from Mei-Li, who volunteers at the local soup kitchen.

With that said, the last three chapters are superb, and did my voice break several times while reading the last chapter? There is more to Hector than meets the eye, and the same with Mei-Lei, and the homeless characters of Thomas and Catwomen. Before he knows it, Hector finds himself the hero of his own story for the first time ever - both for the exciting and dangerous part he plays in busting a high profile criminal pursuit but also for his own personal journey of compassion and learning to reach out to others. The latter is the main topic of this book, which examines the subject from the perspective of the bully and shows that things are not always as black and white as they might appear. I found myself having to go back and reread bits as my eagerness to know what happened next meant I kept accidentally skimming ahead!Unrepentant, he does however later see this homeless man appear to be the culprit behind a series of bizarre but fiendishly clever robberies in the city of London. Usually I don't mind 'cos some of my best, most brilliant ideas have come from sitting in detention. My kids and I listened to the audiobook on our holiday road trip and loved the idea of the narrative perspective coming from the antihero- the school bully. But I can't help reducing the stars rating that would be entitled to her writing due to the fact that the bullying is not explained (he's old enough and is conscious of what he does). I think this so thought provoking and some incredibly interesting conversations could be had around this!