Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Absolutely hilarious. I loved this fantastic, laugh-out-loud caper. Brilliant. Can't wait to see what Tom writes next!

Oh how I wanted to utterly love this. So much scope, esp if you’ve seen the “Comedy about a bank robbery” play. But it wasn’t developed as far as I’d hoped.

My 12 yo daughter read this book and said it was very good. It was funny and she liked the characters and how they did silly things. She recommends it.

I really enjoyed the light-hearted nature of this book. I enjoyed the parent/teenager struggle to get that first job and earn a bit of money. Dylan takes responsibility for his friend's house burning down and is sure that he can solve all their problems by robbing a bank to pay for the deposit on a new home.
The story tells us of the ways he tries to pull off his bank heist (with the 'sort-of' help of his sister.) He starts with the typical hold-up style robbery which fails and then takes to the dark web to find a more sophisticated way. When he lands a part-time job at the local bank, it seems as though he will succeed (and you want him to!)
Dylan bumbles his way through trying everything to get the money and then taking great lengths to undo his hard work. It is a fun and enjoyable read and I recommend it to any of my pupils. (Middle years 9-13)

Unusual teen bank robbery comedy

Bank robberies are a popular genre in film and literature, but I can't say I've ever come across one intended for an adolescent audience!

Dylan is determined to rob a bank. He's 15... so why this drastic crime? It's not greed, its desperation, and a girl - he's accidentally burned down her house and needs to make amends. And money. Quickly deciding that the best way to do this is to rob a bank, he must work out a way to gain access to the building and then the money itself. Cue a Saturday job

Dylan makes this book. Not only is the story a refreshingly different idea for the age group, but Dylan is a slightly self-conscious, tech-savvy, wise-cracking but still unexceptional lead character. He's not a superhero or in possession of any special skills. He is very smart and offers us plenty of laughs, with many random lines making me smile:

"I did want a drink but i didn't want coffee. I was worried that occee was a gateway drug to adulthood - I'd start wearing corduroys and reading the paper and dressing up in Lycra to go cycling in the countryside."

There are a lot of references that the author expects his readers to be familiar with. While actress Emma Stone may be on the radar of a 12-15 year old, the film/play Glengarry Glen Ross is unlikely to be well-known.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters surrounding Dylan too - his sister plays a significant role in proceedings, he has a co-worker and boss who for differing reasons are memorable and very funny. All would make great roles for actors.

I was very keen to see just how far Dylan would take the robbery idea - would he go through with it? And just how, in a time of high security and technological advances, could a teenager hope to pull it off?

Very humorous, with a super protagonist. Hope to read more original ideas from Mitchell in the future.

With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.

How To Rob a Bank for me was a comical, super speedy, whimsical, fast paced read that I didn't want to put down. I found myself laughing out loud through many parts and couldn't believe some of the sticky situations that Dylan was thrown into. It had the sort of humour that I feel a lot of children find funny and that has to be one of the stand out aspects of the book.

Going on from that, I also loved the fact that the story was based in UK, on the outskirts of London. Reading MG and YA fiction that is based in my home country is something that I relish in. In my opinion it just makes the whole story seem more realistic. It's also good for young people, as they are able to understand the setting entirely without getting confused with different sayings or words. The descriptions of your typical British post office and bank throughout the book were spot on and had me thinking about my local branches of both establishments. It was so typically British and I adored that feeling.

The plot itself was so fast paced and right from the first page we are put right into the heart of the story. As someone who loves a fast moving plot I was in my element. After each chapter I just wanted to keep reading more. It really pulls you in with cliffhanger chapter endings that end up intriguing you, until you can't fight it anymore and you have to carry on reading. When a book does that you know you've found a great one.

Dylan, was such a realistic teenage character. He was your classic teenage boy and that was a breath of fresh air. Some teenage characters (especially boys) in fiction are so unrealistic and almost godlike that young male readers can't relate to them. This was certainly not the case with Dylan. He made mistakes, he got himself into sticky situations, embarrassed himself countless times and longed to do well in whatever he did. A lot of young boys will maybe read this and see parts of themselves in Dylan, and I for one can imagine that will be a great feeling.

How To Rob a Bank, overall, was an amusing, chucklesome, wild read and one that I'll be recommending to my year 5 and 6's at work. It's speedy plot and realistic setting and characters make it the perfect read for a young person.

This was a little treat of a book, it’s a funny relatable book about a fifteen year old boy. It doesn’t try to be an allegory, there are no dragons or chosen ones. It’s all the better for it. After hearing the author talk about this book, he said that there is a gap from the ages of around 12 - 15 where readers are lost - and from our book selling experience it’s mainly boys.

This book is the antidote to that. It’s a book that’s purely for reading and enjoying. There is no metaphor or lesson, it’s literally about a boy, Dylan, who burns his prospective girlfriend’s house down with a knock off scented candle - and he decides to try to rob a bank to pay her back for his mistake.

There is a lively and engaging secondary cast of characters, his sister Rita is gloriously self involved about the whole situation and his mum and dad are very well drawn and funny. Some of the set pieces are hilarious, especially an incident involving the neighbours cat and it’s consequences and the various robbery attempts Dylan makes.

The book is full of pop culture references, without the author trying to be cool, and the language is accessible and appropriate for the target audience.

My favourite character was Tom, who has a permanent Joker grin after being accidentally kicked in the head by a llama as a child.

Get this one for the teen boy in your life, if anything has a chance at keeping them interested in books till they become cool again at sixth form, it’s this.