Your Next Read Silver: The Lonely Lunch Club

By: Maddy Mara
Illustrated by: Laura Stitzel
Genre: YFB - General fiction (Children's / Teenage)
Published by: Affirm Press
Published: 24 Feb 2026
ISBN: 9781923419308

Description

Do you like FRIENDS, SCHOOL and FUNNY STORIES?

Then this book is YOUR NEXT READ.

One lunchtime, Benji goes to the worst bench in the whole school instead of playing footy. There he meets a girl named Alice and a spider named Mabel. And Mabel needs their help! But can Benji and Alice do it alone?

From the creators of Your Kid's Next Read – the largest online children's book community in Australia – comes a new chapter in children's fiction.

Review

Benji always plays football at lunch time, but one Monday he decides that he is going to sit on the worst bench in the school instead. When he gets there he meets Alice. She likes the bench because Mabel the spider lives under it, and Mabel gets lonely.

So the bench gets renamed to the Lonely Lunch Club, and slowly lots of other kids join in too. But the bench is a mess and falling apart. Can the new friends fix it up and keep the lonely Lunch Club going?

This is a fantastic story for those starting chapter books. Full of friendship and fun, this wonderful new series, Your Next Read, is perfect for those aged 5-8.