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. 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...

I think this so thought provoking and some incredibly interesting conversations could be had around this! I also have a wider knowledge of the homeless after reading this, and I don't think I could ever walk past a person on the street in the same way again. I am grateful for this insight into the challenges and terrors that these people face in their daily lives and have even more respect for them than I did before. On their way home, Will and Katie tease Hector about being slow and getting caught. Angered by the teasing, Hector decides to show them how wrong they are. 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. But when he wakes up and catches at them, they run off with the hat.

Delivery and Returns

Hector is a bully. He steals from the other kids, and torments them with physical and verbal abuse. But then an act of revenge against Thomas, a local homeless man who dared to defend himself, goes very wrong and Hector realises he could get in serious trouble this time. Especially since it was witnessed by Mei-Li, the “teacher’s pet” from his class.

Meanwhile, at home, Hector learns his father is working on a new film about homeless people. And also that someone has been stealing statues and framing the homeless by leaving special marks that only they would understand. Told from the perspective of a bully, this book explores themes of bullying and homelessness, while celebrating kindness, friendship and the potential everyone has to change for the good. Hector has parents that travel the world on charity work missions, a younger brother (Hercules) and older sister (Helen - you might see the theme there), and a couple of 'friends' at school who goad him on as he steals money and sweets and generally makes life in his school a bit of a hell for a lot of other children. Showing off one day at the park, he ends up sending a homeless man's trolley into the lake, observed by Mei-Li, a girl in his class. 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. 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.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. It follows the actions of a bully named Hector, who is horrible to anyone who dares to go near him, and a homeless gentleman called Thomas who spends his days sleeping on a park bench by Hector's school. When Hector pushes Thomas' trolley into the river he slowly goes from a feeling of triumph to a feeling of compassion. This book touches on many themes, with the main two being bullying and homelessness. Onjali manages to write about these in a serious way, whilst still bringing in a humorous side. I loved going on the journey with Hector and seeing him learn about homeless people and how they aren't bad like he thinks they are at the beginning - the friendship that blossoms between Thomas and Hector is truly beautiful. I also liked seeing how Hector changed throughout the story, learning about homelessness really changed his behavior and way that he views the world, by the end of the book he has settled down and is no longer a bully like his former friends Will and Katie (they may have been the influence on Hector's bullying in the first place).