Tag: money

REVIEW: Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty

REVIEW: Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Felix Rannells is a rule follower. Benji Porter is a rule exploder. Benji doesn’t just bend rules or break rules – sometimes he outright destroys them. They are the odd couple of their field trip pairings.

When Felix finds a wallet on the sidewalk during their lunch break, he wants to turn it in. Benji sees it as a chance to get some lunch since he left his at home by mistake. He insists he’ll pay the person back. He even uses the $20 he takes to get Felix food, too.

Then the boys discover the wallet belongs to Laura Friendly, a billionaire. Benji insists that $20 to her is like a penny to normal folks. And they’re just “borrowing it.” Felix know they actually STOLE the money, but he doesn’t have $10 to pay back his half. And while Benji will be able to get money from his parents, Felix’s mom doesn’t have money just lying around. They are barely getting by as it is.

When Laura Friendly confronts the boys about the theft, Benji mouths off about his “penny” theory which gives the billionaire an idea. A penny, doubled, every day for a month is more than $5 million. She’ll give the boys that much money and they will have one month to spend it – with some restrictions. If they can pull it off, they will each get $10 million.

Review

This has a Brewster’s Millions feel to it (it’s a movie starring Richard Pryor from 1985), and I was here for all of it! I first encountered Stacy McAnulty’s work when I fell in love with her debut, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. She’s an author I watch very closely because I never want to miss her latest release. You aren’t going to want to miss this one, either. When I read the plot, I was immediately sold. And the book did not disappoint.

I loved Felix and Benji from the start. Even though they are very different guys, there’s something endearing about each of them. Felix is very aware of his family’s financial situation, and he wishes they had a little more breathing room. Benji generally has whatever material things he needs, but he’s looking for significance, and approval from his parents. Through the novel, not only do they each grow individually, but they also grow to be friends. I loved watching their journey.

Ms. Friendly is a fascinating character. Not much like her name, though. The boys learn a lot with her challenge, and I think she grows to like them. I loved watching her relationship with them over the course of the story.

I think this would make a fun classroom read-aloud or a book club selection. Anyone who has ever daydreamed what they’d do with a million dollars will be able to identify with these boys and their secret financial challenge. I loved how it played out over the month and how it wrapped up in the end. This is my favorite sort of middle grade novel – kids you love in fascinating circumstances who learn and grow over time. Do not miss this one! (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – Loved it! Would read again!

REVIEW: Apartment 1986 by Lisa Papademetriou

REVIEW: Apartment 1986 by Lisa Papademetriou

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Callie’s in something of a new stage of life. Her dad recently got a new job, and the family moved to NYC. Her mom’s given up her social work job to start a soap business. Callie has changed schools and is trying to find her way with a new crowd.

When Callie’s dad loses his new job, everything starts to shift again. Callie feels the need to keep up with her friends which right now means $250 for a concert ticket. But her parents are tense, and this is NOT the time to ask for that kind of money. But the money is only one issue at school. She’s also having issues with her history teacher. And if she gets one more tardy, the school will call her parents.

When Callie oversleeps one day, she decides to skip school all together (text in an excuse, avoid another tardy) and spend the day at a museum. It’s educational! She’ll go back tomorrow. But one day becomes two and then becomes a pattern. The time away from school temporarily postpones her issues there, and gives her time for a new friend, time to reconsider an old friendship, and time to gain new insights into her family. But problems rarely disappear when you avoid them.

Review

This was delightful! I loved Callie. She’s smart and earnest and a little quirky. Her friendship with Cassius is great. While she doesn’t share much with him about the things swirling in her life, he’s a sounding board for her – a safe place to think.

I loved Callie’s family, too. The family side of Callie’s story – the relationships, the things she learns about her family – was my favorite part. I discovered great layers to the characters as the story went on. I found the sections where the family talks about Callie’s uncle were really well-done.

In some ways, as I was reading, I felt the story meandered in several different directions. There’s the family stuff and the money stuff and the new vs. old friends stuff and then the Callie-centric stuff. It all holds together, though, with Callie at the center of it all, figuring out life one step at a time. Loved it!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

REVIEW: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Alice buys a lottery ticket for her best friend, Teddy, for his 18th birthday. And it’s a winner. Over 140 million dollars!

Suddenly everything changes. Teddy’s spending money left and right. He’s on talk shows. Kids at school are hanging all over him – or jeering jealously behind his back.

And when Teddy tries to give half to Alice since she bought the ticket and picked the numbers, she turns him down, leading to their biggest fight in 9 years of friendship.

Alice’s life is upside down. Her best friend is living the high life, and she’s afraid he is headed for a big fall. Her aunt and uncle are encouraging her to consider other colleges when they know it is her dream to go to Stanford. And her cousin has broken up with his boyfriend even though they are obviously in love. A cute guy is asking her out but she can’t get past the feelings she has for Teddy. Through it all, she wonders if the choices she’s making for her life are really hers, or if she’s trying to do what she thinks her parents would have wanted.

Review

While this is a lottery story, it is so much more. It’s about friends and family, money and charity, and the past and the future. All three of the main characters – Alice, Teddy and Leo – are driven by their past or fear of the future. Teddy goes overboard with the money because of how hard things were after his dad lost all the family’s money and ran off. Alice is trying to recapture a sense of home from before her parents died. And Leo is afraid of losing Max when they are both in college, maybe in different places. He’s seen Teddy and Alice face such hardships in life, and he’s afraid he is due for a personal disaster.

The money situation from the lottery win shines a light on the choices the teens are making. It also raises great questions about what to do with such a windfall. What’s fun and what’s practical? What’s responsible? How do you know whose motives to trust?

I liked that there were bigger issues addressed outside of the money. I liked the main characters and their families. The final money solution was great. It seemed reasonable for the situation. I’m not 100% sold on the romantic outcome. I liked Alice’s other option better. Overall this was a good story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥