Lawn Boy

As a businessperson I was so excited for this book which was supposed to be about how a kid builds a business. I thought it would be fun and explain some lessons along the way, that kids could take to heart. I intended to share it with my son and daughter who are about the same age as the protagonist.

And it was well written and engaging enough as stories go. And it was nice and short, so as not to scare kid readers.

But the story was a TERRIBLE example. The kid starts off working a few lawns and then hires an ex-employee. Well enough. Then he bets his profits on penny stocks, buys a contract of a boxer, and gets into a fight with the local mafia. WHAT? The heroic climax is when his prizefighter bloodies the local hoods. The boy and the boy's parents show a disturbing disregard for the law and happiness about the violence. And oh by the way, it turns out his business was successful because he hires illegal immigrants who need an American front-man, even a 12-year old boy.

And then the happy ending is that he speculates AGAIN on penny stocks and turns $40 into $500K. What the kind of example is that??? THIS is how we get rich in America?

There is also a weird recurring gag where he drinks drugged tea with his hippie stockbroker - I am not making this up.

There was LITTLE TO ZERO redeeming value to this book. It does not inspire children to do the right thing.

Do not buy this book and keep your kids AWAY from it.

This book is a compelling reason why parents need to read their children's reading material before the children. This could have been a fantastic book, but unnecessary mentions of adultery and hiding the hiring of illegal immigrants ruined it.

accidentally ordered this e-book about 30 ++ minurtes ago. I've been unable to find a way to return it for refund. Never opened it. Dissatisfaction is with the accessability to returning the book. (It has already been deleted from my system.)

Lawn Boy
By:Gary Paulsen

Have you ever got a Lawn mower for your birthday?Lawn Boy has. Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen is a great book. If you have a goal to read six realistic fiction books then this one will count. Lawn boy is 12 years old and he lives in a small house. Lawn boy has curly hair and always wears his cool glasses when mowing lawns. He has an odd shaped head with a long nose. Lawn boy loves money,he is a little selfish and only has two friends named Arnold and Pasqel.Lawn boy is important to the story because he is part of the little bussiness he made and he is the main character.Lawn boy changes from a static character to a dynamic character in the middle of the story. Lawn boy is a very nice character in the story to all his family and friends. Arnold Lawn boys friend and employee has curly red hair and he is a little chubby. Arnold helps make money in Lawn boys bussiness. He keeps Lawn boys money in a little account so it won't get lost. Arnold is important to the story because he is nice to everybody. Pasqel is Lawn boys friend. He is very nice and he has a big mustache. Pasqel has made 15 employees for Lawn boy.
On Lawn boys 12th birthday he got a lawn mower from his grandmother past down by his grandfather.His dad made him mow the lawn. When he was mowing the lawn his neighbor saw him, he was wondering if lawn boy could mow his lawn. After lawn boy was done, his neighbor gave him $40 dollars. Then lawn boy had an idea." I'm going to mow peoples lawn for money."Every time he would mow someones lawn he would get about $40 dollars every time. One day lawn boy was mowing someones lawn and he saw someone out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man. That mans name was Arnold. They became friends. Sence Lawn boy was mowing so many lawns he began a small bussiness. A week later Arnold called and said that Lawn boy was going to sponser a boxer. That boxers name was Joey Powdermilk. If Joey Powdermilk won one of his matches then Lawn boy was going to get half of Joey P's money.
You should read Lawn boy because it is full of exciting new characters. Lawn boy is for all ages . It is for kids and adults who like a lot of new things and new surprises.If you want to hear the ending then you should read the book!

Sincerely,
a fifth grader

This was such a clever little book! Paulsen expertly blends a comical story line about a boy's summer lawn mowing job with some of the basic principles of business, capitalism, and the stock market. When our 12-year-old narrator receives an old riding lawn mower as a gift from his grandmother, he sets out with the intention to make some pocket money by mowing a few neighbors' yards. Before he realizes it, he is managing an entire team of mowers, investing in the stock market (with the help of his hippy client and stockbroker Arnold), and sponsoring a heavyweight prizefighter. And here he thought he was on summer vacation!

This is an extremely short read (less than 100 pages), but it is chock-full of chuckles and grins for the reader. Each chapter title is a business/economics lesson (for instance, Chapter 1: "The Principles of Economic Expansion"). The characters are likeable and humorous (especially hippy stockbroker Arnold...such a riot!). The only issue I take with the book is that the back cover recommends it for 8-12 year olds, which is completely off. I am not aware of an 8-year-old today who would 'get' a lot of the information presented about business, or even want to read descriptions about shares splitting and dividends. This book is more appropriate for middle grade readers (11 year olds and up); not only will this age group appreciate the humor, but they may also be intrigued to learn more about the stock market and business because of this comic story!

Imagine being very poor and your grandpa just died, and for your 12th birthday your grandma gave you your grandpa's lawn mower. You don't have any grass but you go out and cut it just for the fun of it. Your neighbor sees you and and pays you $40 to cut his grass. Before you know it you have a business and you are sponsoring a boxer.
In the book Lawn Boy a 12 year old poor boy gets a lawn mower from his grandma for his 12th birthday. The lawn mower was his grandpas who just died. His lawn is brown, crunchy, and hard but that dosen't stop him from from riding his mower around his lawn.
While he was mowing his lawn his neighbor sees him and says" I'll pay you $40 to cut my lawn." Before he knows it he has a business and is sponsering a boxer named Joseph Powdermilk. He dosen't like that name for a boxer so he say's " How about we call you Earthquake?" Joseph doesn't like that but thinks of a name for him self, Joey Pow.
Lawn Boy is a very good, but quick read. This is a book for people who like short books that keep you up all night. If you don't under- stand bank loans and stocks then I would not recommend this book for you, but if you really wanted to read it you will make it through. Lawn Boy is a very good book and you

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"

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.

I recently read a book called Lawnboy by Gary Paulsen. It was an enjoyable quick read. It had a couple of dry moments, but was overall an excellent read.

I liked the fact that this book taught me about stock. The beginning of this book caught my attention when Lawnboy the protagonist was given a lawn mower. I can relate to this as I remember when my Noni gave me a push mower. I also liked the way the characters handled the problems like when rock was the problem and how Joe Powdermilk solved the problem.

If I we're to change anything about this book I would not exaggerate how much gross income Lawnboy made. I would make the chapters longer so we can read more every night. I would also reveal the name of the protagonist in the ending. Other than that I wouldn't change anything in this book.

I did enjoy this book and rate it 4 ½ stars out of five stars because of its comical moments like Joe Powdermilk's fight. I would recommend this book to a friend my age.

Book Review: LAWN BOY by Gary Paulsen

One of the favorite books in my 7th grade classes right now is LAWN BOY by Gary Paulsen. Just Paulsen's name alone is enough to get a student to try this book, as most of them know his novel HATCHET from a read-aloud in elementary school. Students love his accessible writing and fast-paced plot lines. In one class, the boys are passing around my copies and begging for their buddies to hurry up and finish. (It all started when I book-talked a batch of books the previous week.)

In LAWN BOY, Paulsen is at his funniest when a perfectly normal wish for a replacement bike tube leads the 12-year-old main character into a life of entrepreneurship. His summer of leisure takes a drastic turn when his grandmother gifts him with his grandfather's old riding lawnmower.

The grandmother is an eccentric woman who has odd words of wisdom for people that are often seemingly disjointed, but do have a circuitous connection to reality. It is through her unusual gift that LAWN BOY is born and the wheels of fortune begin to roll.

From there we meet Arnold, one of his first customers, a work-from-home day trader, who strikes a deal with the budding businessman. Instead of paying him for mowing, he will invest his money in penny stocks. The reader is unsure of whether or not to trust Arnold, even though the narrator trusts his schemes immediately.

LAWN BOY is filled with humorous, easy-to-understand lessons on basic economics: stocks, capital growth, and investing. Readers see the value of hard work and the importance of treating employees fairly. The foreshadowing sprinkled throughout and the cliffhanger chapter endings keep my students turning pages. Not only that, Paulsen fills the book with wacky situations that compound upon one another, leading to a riotous ending.

Great for reluctant or slow readers, LAWN BOY is only 88 pages long and has much white space, which makes it non-threatening. It is also great for a higher-leveled reader who wants something quick to read, but with a good laugh.

Recently I read lawn boy by Gary Paulsen. First of all I think that lawn boy was really funny. Also when I was reading lawn boy I felt that I could relate to some seines in the book. I thought that the book had its ups and downs. In the future, when I have time to read another book by Gary Paulsen I hope I will like it better than lawn boy. Personally I think that Gary Paulsen could have tried harder to make this the best book I have ever read. To make this one of my favorite books he could have wrote that maybe the main character was a little bet older. To sum up the book it is just about a 12-year old boy who gets a lawn mower for his birthday. Next think you now he starts mowing lawns getting a lot of money. I would rate this book a 3 out of a 5.

Nouf Alghunaim

The narrator inherits an old lawn mower and starts a lawn mowing business. Before he knows it, he's got more business than he can handle and a hippie stockbroker making investments for him. Each chapter title has something to do with an economic principle and we are taken along on the ride as the young narrator learns more than he ever wanted to learn about capitalism.

Very quick read. Cute.

I highly recommend this book because this is a action packed book full of exitment and conflict. Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen is a great expirence. When I read this book I sunk in and felt the charectors feelings. I think fellow fifth graders would enjoy this book because I think this author has great taste and will change your reading life.

His grandmother gives him an old lawn mower and, before he knows it, he is Lawn Boy. A stockbroker begins to manage his money and suddenly Lawn Boy is rich.

With a little more push, this could have been a wildly funny story. I found it so-so.

My 10 year old son (who does not particularly like to read) loved this book. He read it in less than a week (it is only 88 pages), and would frequently talk about it - telling us what was going on in the story - the boy starts a lawn mowing business and one of his clients invests the money for him. We would get daily updates as to how much money the boy has now. It also sparked some discussion as to how savings, investing and 401Ks and other retirement accounts work. Not your normal dinner conversation with a 10 yr old. A great find for any boy that is into lawn mowers or entrepenurship!

This is a hilarious story! I literally laughed out loud. I'm reading it to my fourth graders, and even though they don't understand all of the stock market lingo, they too are really enjoying the story. I'm hoping Mr. Paulsen writes a follow-up. I love this book!

My fifth grade students read this book voraciously. Our curriculum includes economics, and this book complements the concept in a very realistic way.

Every year, I have reluctant readers who I can turn around with a book. This year, "Lawn Boy" did the trick for four of my students. Invaluable.

I am teaching this novel at a local middle school summer camp. The book is short and interesting, with splashes of dry humor (a bonus for me!) Also, it is filled with economic terms... excellent for teaching economic literacy and entrepreneurship. Both boys and girls enjoy the story (another bonus!) Lawn Boy is another must read written by the talented Gary Paulsen.

Highly recommended. I enjoyed it and so did my 10 and 13 yr old sons. Some of it may have been over their head but I got the jokes and laughed out loud while I was reading. If only this story was true!

This book was great because he won his own prizefighter and it was really cool. I learned that if you make a lot of money and hire employees, you can make more money and not have to do much work. You can also hire people so that they can have a job and make money. I learned never to keep a secret.