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Overview
An action-packed and funny story about the rise and fall of a bank set up by school friends.
This is the hilarious story of a group of friends who set up a bank to lend money to their schoolmates. They have no trouble finding customers and before long they are rolling in cash. When they are asked by a pair of supersmart techy sisters to invest in their dating app, it looks like they can’t possibly lose, and soon everyone at school wants to deposit money with them as well. The whole thing starts to unravel all too soon when the app breaks down; an investment involving performing piglets goes down the pan; and the local gangster family takes far too much interest in their doings. As the bank comes crashing down and the money starts to melt away, the young bankers are desperate to rescue their emergency stash – only to find that one of their group has cleverly hidden it in a not-so-clever place.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781910411971 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Little Island Books |
| Publication date: | 05/07/2024 |
| Pages: | 224 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.00(d) |
| Age Range: | 10 - 14 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1: The Master Plan I watched as Finn Fitzpatrick placed a wad of fifty-euro notes in a neat pile on the locker-room floor. He huddled closer. Then, with a flick of his golden hair, he casually announced that he was setting up a bank. Nobody blinked. ‘Huh. Cop on, Finner,’ said Gabriel O’Rourke finally. You could always rely on Gabe to break any silence. The mouthy sod. But Finn’s face didn’t crack. He was serious. He usually was when it came to money. ‘Where’d you get that cash?’ I said, immediately suspicious. ‘Savings, Luke boy.’ I stared at the pile of glimmering paper, momentarily transfixed by the smell of crisp new notes. ‘This is cra-zy,’ said Pablo Silva, a recent recruit to our gang. ‘He’s joking, right?’ Nobody replied. Not even Gabe. ‘Hey, Finn, give the money to me, you crazy cowboy,’ Pablo continued, swiping at the cash, his dark eyes flashing with amusement. ‘I’ve no problem spending it.’ Finn placed his index finger firmly on the pile of notes. ‘Ah, that’s just it, boys. I won’t be giving the money away. I’ll be loaning it, right, Koby?’ Over in the corner, Koby Kowalski nodded. So Koby knew about this plan. What a shock. Finn had nerves of steel, but the brains for this stuff – not so much. ‘Lending money for a profit,’ Koby said. ‘Exactly,’ said Finn, beaming and rubbing his hands. ‘Just like a proper bank.’ It turned out that this light-bulb moment had come to Finn in the dentist’s chair of all places. Probably from all the drugs they had to pump into him when they yanked his tooth out. Finn threw out the facts as he saw them. ‘So I’m sitting there, tooth half out, blood everywhere, in serious feckin’ agony –’ I yawned loudly. Blood everywhere. Typical Finn. Bet he was put to sleep for it. I glanced at the time, wondering how long this story was likely to go on for. Finn sounded like he was gearing up for an epic. ‘When Boy Wonder popped into my head,’ he went on. ‘Jeez, sounds like you were hallucinating big time, Finner,’ said Gabe with a roar. ‘Shut it, Gabe,’ said Finn, jabbing him ‘Who?’ mumbled Pablo to me, lost. ‘Boy Wonder, the boy band,’ I said. ‘From the TV show.’ ‘So, there’s Boy Wonder, racing around in my brain. And then – BOOM – Mona Lisa Murphy’s there too.’ Finn’s face lit up. He stopped talking, as if no further explanation was required. Nobody reacted, except for Koby, who was nodding enthusiastically. Clearly, he’d heard this story before. Finn frowned. ‘C’mon lads, d’you not see it?’ Suddenly I remembered: the back of maths class. Annalisa Murphy going on and on and on about the Boy Wonder concert, how she’d do anything to go but she didn’t have the funds to cover the ticket. Her parents had refused to give her an advance on her pocket money because she’d been caught mitching school. ‘Two words: C-A-S-H F-L-O-W,’ Finn spelt out dramatically. ‘Cash flow,’ Koby clarified, probably for Gabe. ‘That’s Mona Lisa Murphy’s problem,’ said Finn knowingly. ‘One of her problems,’ I said to Pablo. Finn was on a roll. ‘A problem we can solve.’ Gabe grunted, shaking his head and fiddling furiously with his phone. He didn’t get it. Not the brightest light around, our Gabe. The bell rang. I sighed. Next class: Spanish. And I’d no homework done again. Me and Mrs Walsh were on a collision course. Unless I got my act together, she was going to sting me, and soon. I liked Spanish. I just didn’t like Mrs Walsh much. And the feeling seemed to be mutual. ‘What d’you think, Luke?’ I looked up. Finn was staring at me. ‘So you’re gonna be a loan shark,’ I said with a grin, jumping up and stretching. The others laughed. Truth was I’d heard it all before. It was just another of Finn’s madcap ideas. ‘Tosser.’ Finn rolled back and flung his beanie hat in my face. But he was smiling. He obviously figured I’d come on board, eventually. Suddenly I smelt lemons. Emily Clarke appeared beside me. ‘What are you guys up to?’ she said, eying us suspiciously, her gaze resting momentarily on Pablo. She treated him to one of her dazzling smiles. Her eyes widened. She’d spotted the money. ‘Holy cowbells. What’s going on?’ I grabbed my bag and left them to it. The bell was long gone. The last thing I needed was another late detention. It’d make Mrs Walsh’s day.