Book info

• Title NeverSeconds
• Author Martha Payne
• Year 2012
• Genre Non-fiction

Martha Payne was just 9 years old when she started NeverSeconds, a simple and honest blog aout her school dinners. Within days the blog had gone viral, becoming one of the biggest news stories of the year. After 8 million blog hits and a notorious council-led banning, Martha has raised over £120,000 for her favourite charity, Mary's Meals.

Thoughts

This is the story of Martha Payne, a young girl who started blogging about her school dinners and created quite the stir as she did so. I had previously heard of the blog, and read a few of the entries, but I was intrigued to hear the story from the family behind it and see what happened in the end.

Written by Martha’s dad in a diary style, with the blog updates slotting in the correct place for good measure, you get the complete picture of where the idea to take photos of those meagre dinners came from, the fuss it caused at the council, the stress from the media spotlight that descended on the family, and the ultimate heart-warming charity donations from a public that wanted to help.

Martha’s dad readily admits that he struggles to express his feelings, and the narration can feel a bit stilted at times, a little forced. But it is easily overlooked when the story behind it is so interesting - how one girl can make so much difference, in such an unintended way. What started out as a desire to write something every day became a worldwide phenomenon, a global talking point, and provided hundreds of starving children with much-needed sustenance. A great story.

Rating: 4 / 5