Parents' Guide to

Lawn Boy

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Boy's funny, absurd get-rich-quick tale has ethical issues.

Book Gary Paulsen Humor 2007
Lawn Boy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

jessicastarnes
jessicastarnes Adult
April 14, 2009
age 8+

i laughed

I think the book was good my favorite part was when the boy said that his parents forgot what he looked like because he's been mowing so much that he barly gets home to eat wiith his own family at night
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In LAWN BOY, an unnamed 12-year-old boy 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 stockbroker 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, has made thousands of dollars in the stock market, and has a financial interest in a prize fighter -- as well as a problem with a protection racket (a scheme where mobsters demand money for "protecting" people from their violence). And all he wanted was an inner tube.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (21 ):

This fun book is a short, funny, absurd confection that secretly conveys some ideas worth thinking about, including issues of class and race and hiring and exploiting undocumented workers. Veteran author Gary Paulsen gets right to the point, with no frills or unnecessary description, and readers will be grinning from beginning to end. Lawn Boy might inspire kids to go out and try to earn some money.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the economics of Lawn Boy. Is it realistic to think the boy could make that much money that fast?

  • What do you think about how Lawn Boy treats his workers?

  • Have you ever created a business in your neighborhood, like raking leaves, shoveling snow, or selling lemonade? How did it work out? If you never have, would you like to? What kind of problems might you run into?

Book Details

  • Author: Gary Paulsen
  • Genre: Humor
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Random House
  • Publication date: June 20, 2007
  • Number of pages: 88
  • Last updated: September 13, 2021

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