Everything changes however, when he picks the pocket of a man at the station because it turns out the man has picked Gabriel’s pocket too of the strange, scorched 2p coin that was the only thing his parents left behind. Good messages on teamwork and kindness, as well as the importance of practising skills (in fact it was nice to see this applied to lessons as I always tell students that writing is a skill and you can get better at it if you practice, just like you can get better at football if you practice).

Gabriel’s team of friends – I particularly liked twins, super-computer-hackers Ade and Ede – are genuine characters and very relatable.There are several other characters as well that are a lot of fun, Villette Harkness the rival, Gabriel's sweet grandmother, and plucky new character Val. Those of you who were picking locks or scaling walls did so only to reclaim what was yours or recover that which once rightfully belonged to another. He's top of his class, deals justice to bullies in ways that make him look epic and cool, and figures things out precisely when he needs to – it was most egregious when he manages to connect two dots about Villette Harkness' past completely left-field. Favourite no context quote: ‘Because it is the outsiders, the forgotten, the ones who’ve always felt like they don’t belong, who end up changing the world.

Das Buch ist für jüngere Teenager geschrieben, also gibt es wieder einen Twist: die Gauner stehlen nur für gute Grunde. He is devoted to her and though he steals, it is only ever enough to feed her or help her when work becomes too tough.Those of you who were hacking did not hack for progfit, but to expose the wrongdoings of corrupt companies or individuals. The relationships are brilliant - each person’s connection to each other is totally unique and the writing reflects this brilliantly. As the Break-In commences, Gabriel will have to rely on his friends to solve the mystery of the Nameless' past, and how it relates to his present.

Much like the first book, this was a lot of fun, packed with charming school antics, mystery and action. The second book in the 'criminally good' Crookhaven series, the secret school where students are taught to do wrong, so that one day, they can put the world to right. The students are set additional challenges like building a perfect tree-house and working out how to break into the seemingly invincible teachers’ section of the library and learning how to swim. The school is filled with a varied, diverse cast, wonderfully representative of children today, with a big focus on friendship and belonging, as Gabriel comes to find his people and discover the secrets behind his missing parents.

Die Wahl der Zeitsprünge ist teilweise ein wenig seltsam, weil vermeintliche Höhepunkte wie ein Einbruch einfach übersprungen und dann retrospektiv kurz zusammengefasst werden. This book is about a boy named Gabriel who is a skilled pickpocketer who lives with his nan and who steals food as they little money. His debut middle-grade book, CROOKHAVEN: THE SCHOOL FOR THIEVES, will be published by Hachette on 2nd March 2023.