 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Lawn Boy
- By Gary Paulsen
- Genre: Humor
Common Sense Media says
Perfect summer reading for reluctant readers.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there's not much to be concerned about here beyond a snippet of cartoon violence.
What's the story?
A boy (not named) gets an old, used, riding lawnmower for his birthday from his eccentric grandmother. His next-door neighbor asks him to mow his lawn. He needs money to buy an inner tube for his bike, so he agrees. Soon he gets more customers. Soon he has more than he can handle.
One of his customers, an aging hippie day trader named Arnold, gives the boy advice on running his business, and invests his money for him. Soon the boy has more than a dozen employees, a wad of money, an interest in a prize fighter, and a problem with a protection racket. And all he wanted was an inner tube.
Is it any good?
It's hard to imagine a more perfect summer reading book -- it's a short, funny, delightfully absurd confection that secretly conveys some ideas worth thinking about. It might even inspire your kid to go out and try to earn some money. Veteran author Gary Paulsen gets right to the point, with no frills or unnecessary description, and readers will be grinning from the beginning to the all-too-soon end.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the economics of the story.
Could this really happen?
How does the boy make so much money so
quickly?What do those chapter titles mean?
How does the Stock Market
really work?
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AGE
A good book for ages 9-12
This book is about a 12 year old boy who gets a his grandpa's old riding for his birthday. His neighbor needs a mowing job and "Lawn Boy" needs money for a new inner tube for his bike. So he agrees. Then he has a lot of job offers, people working for him, a hippie stockbroker, a heavyweight boxer, and a big problem for the company. But all he wanted was money for a new inner tube for his bike.
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AGE
Quick and Easy Read
This book was just okay. I found some parts of it to be boring, but it was mostly a good book. It's very easy and quick to read. However, it really annoyed me that the kid didn't have a name!
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Kid, 11 years old
October 21, 2011
AGE
lawn boy
I think it is very good it sends a positive message and is a good start for readers.
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AGE
A little to much like a kid book for me
Fine i guss. I had a few laughs here and there.
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AGE
perfect for 9 and up
people in my class liked the book and said for me to read it and i did and i lied it really much
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Kid, 12 years old
September 2, 2009
AGE
Stock
A boy is trying to earn some money and gets A LOT more then he bargained for. I think this book is good for kids 10+, especially boys. This book teaches about stock market, investing, and a small amount about (and it is a small amount) mowing lawns.
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| Author: | Gary Paulsen |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Humor |
| Publisher: | Random House |
| Publication date: | June 20, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 88 |
| Hardcover price: | $12.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 10 |
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