The Night Bus Hero

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Skateboarding around Piccadilly Circus with a friend on afternoon, Hector decides to stay longer by himself, when his sees the homeless man, whose trolley he'd sunk and whose name he has learned is Thomas, suddenly appear and break into a run. Naturally, when another statue goes missing, Hector is convinced it's Thomas doing it, and decides to find him and turn him over to the police. And to do that, he needs to enlist the help of Mei-Li, but will she help someone who she clearly does not like? And together can Mei-Li and Thomas help Hector overcome his need to be bad? In The Night Bus Hero, we meet Hector who has been getting into trouble for as long as he can remember. He doesn't mind being in detention often, because that's when he comes up with his best ideas. Along with his two friends, Will and Katie, Hector is feared by all the pupils at his primary school and the teachers think of him first when there is any kind of incident. His parents are often working away from home, but they express their disappointment in his behaviour when they are around. Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child... This isn't exactly a 'story of redemption' but it does take in several angles and does so successfully, threading Hector's growing understanding of homelessness with a confusing friendship with someone he's bullied, and even a mystery/crime plot as they attempt to prove who is committing the thefts.

Thereby begins a bit of a roller coaster adventure to discover just who else is targetting the homeless community after valued London icons start mysteriously disappearing. There is a bit of a Scooby Doo feel to this part of the story, but it does help to lighten the mood a little, without taking away from the main messages of the story... i.e. don't judge books by their covers and take the time to get to know people. When a spate of London landmark sculptures are suddenly stolen, including Paddington Bear and the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus, Hector is convinced the crimes have been carried out by homeless people led by Thomas - but no sooner has he reported Thomas to the police than he realises he's got it horribly wrong. With the help of his enemy Mei Lei, Hector must race against time to make sure justice is done - but that's not the only thing he needs to change. A wonderfully heartfelt story filled with nuance, empathy and hope from award-winning author Onjali Rauf. This story highlights the topic of homelessness and explores the spectrum of attitudes that people hold towards homeless people, as well as exposing a number of common prejudices. This would make a great class read for upper primary classes. My nearly 10-year-old and I just finished Rauf's debut and I'll be starting this one with him soon. 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. His family life plays a role in his actions and readers will notice that.What starts off as an attempt by Hector to avoid the consequences of his actions turns into a thrilling adventure with Thomas and Mei-Li, featuring a daring thief, a case of mistaken identity, a secret code and a growing understanding of not just what life is like for the homeless, but the wildly different circumstances that can lead people to lose everything. The Primary School Library Alliance is calling on the government to match-fund the private investment it has brought into helping primary schools c... Can Hector and Mei-Li get to the bottom of these crimes? Can Hector’s new understanding help him be less of a bully? Could Hector turn out to be a bit of a hero?

But recently it feels like no one believes me about anything – even when I’m telling the truth! And it’s only gotten worse since I played a prank on the old man who lives in the park. I waited for him to shout and scream. But he didn’t. Instead, he took off his yellow hat and his shoulders began to shake. That was how I knew that he was crying. The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too. Getting in trouble is what Hector does best. He knows that not much is expected of him. In fact, he gets some of his most brilliant prank ideas while sitting in detention. But how far is too far? When Hector plays a prank on a homeless man and is seen and shamed by a schoolmate, he reaches a turning point. He wants to be viewed differently and decides to do something that will change his fate for the better. But will anyone take him seriously? Hector is a bully who doesn’t really care about anyone and thinks his cringey parents don’t care about him. His teachers don’t seem to like him (he certainly hates them), he particularly dislikes teacher’s pet Mei Lei, and he devotes his time to being mean to other kids and making them give him sweets.

Synopsis

I've been getting into trouble for as long I can remember. Usually I don't mind 'cos some of my best, most brilliant ideas have come from sitting in detention. But recently it feels like no one believes me about anything - even when I'm telling the truth! And it's only gotten worse since I played a prank on the old man who lives in the park. Everyone thinks I'm just a bully. They don't believe I could be a hero. But I'm going to prove them all wrong... 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.

Raúf's craft is so beautiful, you are immersed in the story as soon as you open the book and everything feels so real. Readers of around 8 and above will find this a very smooth and intriguing story with some appealing characters. He’s got so little sympathy for a local homeless man Thomas (who is taking up space in the park, including a bench Hector would like to sit on) that he ends up pushing Thomas’s trolley containing his only worldly possessions into the park pond without a single thought of how much hurt that would cause.Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... Hector, 10-years-old and a middle child, has always been a bully and a prankster. And subsequently spending a lot of time in the principal's office. From the beginning, it's clear that Hector thinks very little of most people, and often does what he does just to annoy them. For example, as the book opens, Hector is about to drop a second rubber snake into the school's lunch soup, and even as the principal warns him not to, Hector defiantly does it anyway, knowing he will be in trouble. He always to derive satisfaction knowing he's ruin something for someone with his pranks. But, for him, it's ok, after all, his friends Will and Katie always think his antics are funny. But recently it feels like no one believes me about anything - even when I'm telling the truth! And it's only gotten worse since I played a prank on the old man who lives in the park. Her first took in the serious topic of refugees but mixed it with friendship, school and the Queen. Now the author gives young readers a little journey into the world of homelessness and adds to that a bully and a series of high-profile London thefts. She's not afraid of a challenge, and yet again makes a warming and insightful plot out of disparate elements that work together nicely.