Lawn Boy [Paperback]

Gary Paulsen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 24, 2009 | Age Range: 8 and up

One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold.

If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—Learning the workings of the free-market economy has never been more fun than in this tall tale of entrepreneurship set in Eden Prairie, MN. When the narrator's grandmother gives him an old rider mower for his 12th birthday, his life changes; he senses "some kind of force behind it." Almost as soon as he figures out how to run it, the boy is in business—by the second day he has eight jobs. When he mows the lawn of Arnold Howell, an aging hippie e-trader, the cash-poor man offers a stock-market account in lieu of payment. Arnold not only invests the money; he also offers business advice. Soon lawn boy has a partner, 15 employees, a lot of money invested in the market, and a prizefighter. Chapter headings suggest business principles behind what is happening. Throughout the tale, the narrator is innocent of his success as he rises early each morning to begin each job, eats lunch on the mower, and longs for a less-hectic summer vacation. This rags-to-riches success story has colorful characters, a villain, and enough tongue-in-cheek humor to make it an enjoyable selection for the whole family.—Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* This short and hilarious tale pitches an ordinary preteen with an old riding lawn mower into a dizzying ascent up the financial ladder. His sights set no higher than a new inner tube for his bike, the young narrator is thrilled to make $60 in one day, mowing his neighbors' lawns. Just as demand for his services skyrockets, he meets Arnold, an honest, home-based stockbroker who becomes his business manager . . and less than a month later, the lad has a dozen migrant laborers in his employ. The legality of these workers is left vague, but their young employer treats them fairly, and the thousands of dollars he earns goes into some wildly successful investments--including sponsorship of a rising prizefighter whose help comes in handy when the burgeoning enterprise attracts a shakedown artist. Thanks to quick lessons in, to quote some of the chapter heads, "Capital Growth Coupled with the Principles of Product Expansion" and "Force of Arms and Its Application to Business," the young tycoon ends up smarter than when he started out, and worth half a million dollars. When it comes to telling funny stories about boys, no one surpasses Paulsen, and here he is in top form. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Yearling; Reprint edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553494651
• ISBN-13: 978-0553494655
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.2 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Careers

More About the Author

Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newberry Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#44 in Books > Teens

#44 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too July 5, 2007

By TeensReadToo

Format:Hardcover

LAWN BOY provides some quick entertainment. It's a very manageable read at less than 90 pages. Readers are treated to quite a few laughs and a little business education.

The main character is a 12-year-old boy. His grandmother gives him a riding lawn mower for his birthday. She says it was his late grandfather's mower. Miracle of all miracles, the thing actually works, and he sets about mowing their pitiful excuse for a yard.

When he finishes the yard, a neighbor wonders if he can get his own lawn mowed. Soon he's mowing for the whole neighborhood. In a few short days, he has over three hundred dollars stuffed in his pockets.

Arnold, a stay-at-home stockbroker, would like his lawn mowed; but he admits to being short on cash. He offers a deal -- mow his lawn and he'll invest the cost of the mowing in the stock market and hopefully increase the investment. Boy, does he!

Before he knows it, he has a growing business and more money than he can even imagine. He has a stock portfolio that would be the envy of any businessperson. And just think, his only dream at the start of the summer was to have enough to afford a new inner tube for his bike tire.

The problem now is how do you break it to your parents that in five short weeks you have tons of money? Will they believe you?

Gary Paulsen has done it yet again. His die-hard fans will like the story, and reluctant readers will find it a quick and satisfying read. It's also a terrific read-aloud that will have them laughing and teach them a little about capitalism in the bargain.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Stock Market Concepts in a Story! November 28, 2007

By Tracy Foote

Format:Hardcover

I really enjoyed reading this book together with my 9 year old who is an advanced reader. I don't know if he really absorbed what was actually happening when the stock grew and eventually split, but he did understand the boy was making money in stocks and was exposed to new financial terms, which is a good start.

A short paragraph about the previous lawn mower in the neighborhood (evidently not a child) running off with the wife of one of his customers was unnecessary. I would have preferred this idea not be introduced and I read past it without drawing attention to it.

When it comes to money, emotions are always involved. The boy continually frets about telling his parents how much money he's earned because he worries his parents will feel bad and he will be bragging. His emotions also play a role in sacrificing summer vacation and fun when working to make a profit. There is a fair amount of humor through out the book and characters are added slowly making it easier for children to distinguish and remember who is who. My son was definitely looking forward to reading the next chapter each night.

Woven into the story are the concepts of shares of stock, a stockbroker, fees, commissions, partnerships, employees, competition, and more. When you are looking for something entertaining to begin teaching your child about finances, try this engaging book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lawn Boy February 9, 2008

By P. Moore

Format:Hardcover

We used this book in a 3rd grade book club. The kids loved the book. They found it easy to read and enjoyed the length of each chapter since each chapter was short, they met with success. The topic of stocks was above them and probably better suited for a 4th or 5th grader. But they did identify with making money since most had jobs around the house that they earned money for and they were doing an economy lesson in school at the time so some of the concepts really reinforced what they were doing in class.

The other nice thing about this book is that it is contemporary to their lives, many of the books we have read in book club are great works of litature but they were written a lot of years before their time. This was a book that talked about current tv shows and things have happened in recent times.