By: Andrew Clements Publisher: Aladdin Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Aladdin Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: June 26, 2007 Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Greg Kenton has two obsessions -- making money and his long-standing competition with his annoying neighbor, Maura Shaw. So when Greg discovers that Maura is cutting into his booming Chunky Comics business with her own original illustrated minibooks, he's ready to declare war.
The problem is, Greg has to admit that Maura's books are good, and soon the longtime enemies become unlikely business partners. But their budding partnership is threatened when the principal bans the sale of their comics in school. Suddenly, the two former rivals find themselves united against an adversary tougher than they ever were to each other. Will their enterprise -- and their friendship -- prevail?
Grandmom's Best Gift This was a gift for my 9 yr old granddaughter. She told me she loved it.She had rented from the library and was overjoyed to have her own copy.
"He was the hunter, and they were the prey." Be sure to keep reading to reach chapter three where entrepreneurship takes off in the most subtle way, selling mini toys at school. (We had a little trouble getting entranced in chapters one and two.) But soon after, Greg is creating and selling homemade comic books. The comic book assembly is explained (including drawings) which is a nice touch for readers who would like to try and create their own. It's never too early to let your child write and create their own book.
I especially enjoyed the competitive relationship with the girl next door and how feelings (anger, admiration, jealousy, etc.) were expressed throughout. My son would often ask to continue reading as I finished a chapter.
Money, sales and partnership ideas are nicely addressed. You read about advertisement examples kids are exposed to at school (there is a surprisingly long list), ideas on why money is important, compromises needed when working with a partner, and the good feelings that arise from making donations.
I think my favorite part is when Greg realizes (through discussion with the school board) that he was as guilty as all the other advertisers. He was also targeting the children at school. "He was the hunter, and they were the prey." Actually, this is not a bad thing as entrepreneurs need to understand their target audience but it is the first book I have read that addresses this issue. A++
My nine year old son has read my book so I wasn't surprised when he asked, "How come none of the books we read mention taxes?" (We've read a few entrepreneur books recently.) I had to laugh and remind him, "Not everyone enjoys doing taxes... or even reading about it, so maybe the author decided to leave that technical part out."
Teacher's Grade: B Of all the Andrew Clements school books I've read, Lunch Money was by far the least engaging. The reason for this is that a large part of the book focuses on numbers instead of people, and where Clements has succeeded in the past is in his ability to make us really like his leading characters. Greg, the lead character in this book, is not very nice. He's largely driven by money and selfishness, and although Clements does try to make Greg more personable by depicting his change of attitude, the change does not come off convincingly.
The concept itself behind the book is terrific: schools are hypocritical because while they profess to be trying to promote certain values and healthy lifestyles, the actions districts take are at times directly opposed to the high moral standards the districts are imposing on the students.
I did enjoy the book, and recommend it to those looking to read more of Andrew Clements' books. I would pick up Frindle, The School Story, or The Report Card first however.
A Great Book I'm a nine year old boy from NY. This book is funny and serious, too. This boy Greg wants to make lots of money while copycats try to steal his ideas. He makes money by selling little chunky comics. I recommend this book to everyone.
WB
Lunch Money RULES! Lunch Money is a good book for money lovers. Its about a boy who has all these good ideas to make money and then he comes up with his best idea yethe decides to make comic books!The princapal disagres but then Mrs Davenport decidesto let Greg sell comic books. I highly recomend this book!
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