Lawn Boy (by Gary Paulsen)

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.

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.

Author: Gary Paulsen
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: June 20, 2007
Number of pages: 88
Hardcover price: $12.99
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 10