'Paddy started into his customary speech with his usual over-enthusiasm.

The class was distracted, though. Some sort of commotion was brewing right outside. Paddy was really getting stuck into it when there was a loud shriek, followed by a series of snappy barks.'

Lunch money just got serious! 

Set in a rural Irish secondary school, this is the hilarious story of a bunch of pupils who have the genius idea of pooling their savings, setting up a bank and lending money to their schoolmates at extortionate interest rates. With sure-fire investments like a dating app and performing piglets, our lunch-break bankers are on a roll. But everything that booms must bust, sooner or later, and before long the whole thing starts to unravel.

Fast-paced and hilarious, this book – with its clever parallel to the Irish banking crisis – is worth its weight in gold.

‘Sharp, funny and fast-paced, Bank is the latest triumph from Little Island Books … an original and remarkable debut’ – Inis Magazine, Children’s Books Ireland

‘A real strength in the book is the dialogue. It fizzes with energy, and Quigley rolls out typical teenage banter with a skill that makes it seem effortless. Each chapter bursts with imaginative characters, and draws on the reality of those school days where everyone of note has a nickname, often gleaned from a single event or trait that they will never be allowed to outgrow… The similarities with the banking crisis are more than just plot-related. There is also the attitude of the participants, the greed and the apathy, that sense of forging onward without considering the consequences.’ – Dublin Inquirer

‘A cast of vivid characters and spot-on banter between the teens adds up to a great read for this age.’ – Inis Reading Guide, Children’s Books Ireland

‘The story is driven by the various ups and downs of the improvised bank, but it’s really propelled by the unpredictable coterie of characters. I enjoyed the world of Bank so much that I’d love to read another story … Bank is a fun and easy read, with wide appeal and humour to spare.’ – Derek Carney

Emma Quigley lives in Dublin with her partner and teenage son. By day she works as a freelance writer in the IT world, but by night she writes stories for children and scripts for television and theatre.