His mom had packed his lunch bag with two burritos, a bag of corn chips,
some carrots, and an apple. Once a week she tucks in a slice of her
special lemon pound cake. Rafael saw Kevin, a new kid in his class, sneak
his lunch bag from underneath his desk and tuck it in his backpack. But
how can he do something about the theft without picking a fight? Inspired
by his mother's advice to "Use your mouth before your fists," Rafael bides
his time, but other kids' lunches are disappearing,too. On an errand
with his mom, Rafael sees Kevin carrying a bundle of laundry into a
motel room, and his mom tells him Kevin's family might be one of
the families who lost their homes in the recent wildfires. Rafael
rethinks his anger. The next day, instead of accusing Kevin, Rafael
invites him to share his lunch, letting Kevin know he's been caught, but
offering friendship as well as lunch.

Anne C. Bromley lives in Encinitas, California, with her husband Rod. She is a business-writing instructor and consultant who teaches seminars throughout southern California. She has also taught creative-writing workshops for children and for adults. Anne has published two books of poetry with Carnegie Mellon University Press. She has both Master of Fine Arts and Master of Education degrees. Anne enjoys hiking in the high desert of Joshua Tree National Park, strolling along Swami's Beach at sunset, and observing the wildlife of her beach-town neighborhood-feral cats, raccoons,opossums, an occasional coyote, and surfers. Inspired by her experiences as a substitute teacher in northern San Diego County, The Lunch Thief is her first children's book.