A discussion choice for a reader interested in friendship and unfairness, with care around debt and criminal choices.
More about this book
Sonny Gilmour learns that his mother borrowed rent money from notorious loan shark Chick Lennon while his father is unable to work because of long Covid. With his friends Jonah and Carolina, Sonny devises a Robin Hood-style plan to use Chick's own ill-gotten money to repay the debt. Sonny's Tourette's can trigger involuntary outbursts at exactly the wrong moments, complicating the scheme. The contemporary story combines financial hardship, family pressure, friendship, neurodiversity, social inequality and humour.
Sonny and his friends plan to use a loan shark’s own money to repay the debt threatening Sonny’s family.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: Does an unfair situation make every way of escaping it fair?
Involuntary behaviour under pressure
Sonny’s Tourette’s-related outbursts complicate the group’s plan.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: A tic is not a chosen betrayal of the plan. Discussing responsibility requires distinguishing what Sonny intends from what he cannot control.
Talk about: How should we respond differently to a mistake, a choice and an involuntary action?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
The friends' proposed theft grows out of family financial pressure. That lets you discuss motives without treating hardship as permission to harm others. Sonny's Tourette's should be distinguished from deliberate behaviour.
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What Deserves Attention
A loan shark, family debt, long Covid and a planned theft feature in the story; Tourette's is part of the protagonist's experience.
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A Conversation Worth Having
Can you understand the friends' reasons while still questioning their plan?
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Reading Approach
Discuss why the friends consider stealing and what alternatives might exist, without treating a character's Tourette's as a behaviour choice.
The Carnegies title entry recommends ages 12 and above. This is audience guidance, not a measured reading level.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Theft motivated by family loyalty: The official summary does not establish the outcome or final narrative judgement.
Involuntary behaviour under pressure: The summary does not let us assess the tone of every joke about his tics.
Book information
catalogue record · ISBN 9781526653987
Relevant to: Theft motivated by family loyalty; Involuntary behaviour under pressure
Relevant to: Theft motivated by family loyalty; Involuntary behaviour under pressure
Book information checked or retained on 14 September 2026. Benefits, discussion questions and reading approaches are suggestions. Your knowledge of your child remains part of the decision.
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