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A review by katykelly
Lottery Boy by Michael Byrne
5.0
Here's a new one - a homeless kid wins the lottery. Nice one - different, some different characters on the themes of greed and goodness.
Bully (real name Bradley) is only 12 and living on the streets (after his mum's death, he can't stand her boyfriend). Struggling but just about managing to feed himself and his dog Jack, out of the blue he finds a lottery ticket his mum hid. And it turns out... yep, it's a winning ticket from nearly 6 months ago.
Now, if this were a really short (and dull) story, Bully would call up Camelot and get them to meet him. But of course, other homesless acquaintances soon get wind of Bully's good fortune... including Janks, who isn't going to let him keep his luck to himself.
Thus follows a chase and escape story, that takes Bully all over the famous sights of London, little Jack loyally following.
I suspended disbelief ("Don't tell anyone Bully!") to enjoy the story. It's quite exciting, with a likeable hero and his dog to root for, as time ticks down through the story until the ticket validity runs out. There's danger and injury (though not too graphic - he is only 12, it's suitable for the age range), there are issues relating to homelessness and abuse of dogs. There are weapons and violence.
The ending I felt suited, I expected one strand of it to conclude in the way it does, and the other I really wasn't sure how it would end.
This should capture the attention of able but reluctant readers of around 10-12, Bully's own age, and because of the content I would say 9-12 is the best market for it. There are issues to discuss in school from it.
Bully (real name Bradley) is only 12 and living on the streets (after his mum's death, he can't stand her boyfriend). Struggling but just about managing to feed himself and his dog Jack, out of the blue he finds a lottery ticket his mum hid. And it turns out... yep, it's a winning ticket from nearly 6 months ago.
Now, if this were a really short (and dull) story, Bully would call up Camelot and get them to meet him. But of course, other homesless acquaintances soon get wind of Bully's good fortune... including Janks, who isn't going to let him keep his luck to himself.
Thus follows a chase and escape story, that takes Bully all over the famous sights of London, little Jack loyally following.
I suspended disbelief ("Don't tell anyone Bully!") to enjoy the story. It's quite exciting, with a likeable hero and his dog to root for, as time ticks down through the story until the ticket validity runs out. There's danger and injury (though not too graphic - he is only 12, it's suitable for the age range), there are issues relating to homelessness and abuse of dogs. There are weapons and violence.
The ending I felt suited, I expected one strand of it to conclude in the way it does, and the other I really wasn't sure how it would end.
This should capture the attention of able but reluctant readers of around 10-12, Bully's own age, and because of the content I would say 9-12 is the best market for it. There are issues to discuss in school from it.