Lunch Money

In this funny and fast-paced novel, Andrew Clements masterfully introduces seemingly-complex economic concepts in a way that is interesting, comprehensible, and humorous to young readers. The story follows Greg Kenton, a sixth-grade entrepreneur who is always inventing new schemes to make money. After noticing the extra quarters his schoolmates always seem to have, Greg comes up with his biggest, most successful business plan yet: Chunky Comics. The business really takes off after Greg partners off with his long-time neighbor and former competitor, Maura. There are many bumps along the way as Greg and Maura feud with each other and later their principal, Mrs. Davenport. Greg and Maura find relief and encouragement from their teacher, show more Mr. Zenotopoulous, a lover of mathematics and order. Mr. Z (my favorite character) seems to be the only adult who sees value in the children’s initiative and creativity. The readers see bits of Mr. Z’s inner turmoil as well as he navigates through differences and disagreements with his boss, Mrs. Davenport, about the students’ comics. In the end, Greg, Maura, and Mr. Z effectively state their case and are granted permission to sell their pre-approved minicomics at the school store, so long as 50% of the profits goes back to the school.
Although I think this book is successful in teaching children about economy and personal finance, throughout the novel, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is Greg’s interest in money a healthy hobby or an unhealthy obsession? Regardless, Greg’s industriousness is certainly admirable. This book is not just a good lesson in money management. Readers also get a taste of consumerism, marketing, advertising, politics, debate, public speaking, art, writing, bookbinding, and friendship. The book ends with a sort of epilogue describing the later successes of Chunky Comics in a bulleted list, which I’m certain is satisfying to young readers.
I loved seeing Greg’s character grow and mature as we see his selflessness emerge after helping Maura produce her minicomic, The Lost Unicorn. I wish we could have seen more of that altruism in this book. I felt like at the end of the novel, Greg was still more interested in money than people. And what about making art for art’s sake? show less

Greg Kenton has two obsessions -- making money and his long-standing competition with his annoying neighbor, Maura Shaw. So when Greg discovers that Maura is cutting into his booming Chunky Comics business with her own original illustrated minibooks, he's ready to declare war.

The problem is, Greg has to admit that Maura's books are good, and soon the longtime enemies become unlikely business partners. But their budding partnership is threatened when the principal bans the sale of their comics in school. Suddenly, the two former rivals find themselves united against an adversary tougher than they ever were to each other. Will their enterprise -- and their friendship -- prevail?

Is it bad that as an almost 25 year old I found myself wishing I had a more "Greg" mentality about money as a child? He has some strong schemes earn money and learns to save as a young age. As the book continues though, Greg quickly shows his interest in money is quite extreme and takes over the majority of his energy. This book offered it all for me- it was humorous, offers money management and math skills, has a slight bit of romance, and teaches the ultimate lesson of generosity.
Spoiler alert: I just love how Greg's ambition and Maura's desire to one up him causes them to be enemies, but their similar interests (and a little nudge from Mr. Z) leads them into being business partners and even friends. Watching Greg's perspective show more towards money change throughout the story keeps us engaged, and when his priorities drastically change and he wants to donate the money his business makes, readers everywhere cheer him on for his generosity and change of heart!
This book inspires students and even their almost 25 year old teacher to find a creative way to generate money. A business like Greg and Maura's that uses their genuine interest to raise money for something bigger than themselves. show less

I like this book as a child’s book. It was an easy read but it is certainty written for children. The drama was a little bit much for me but relatable to an older elementary/ young middle school child. I liked that it incorporated a lot of math concepts into an easy to read book, as well as copyright and technology issues. I also liked how the book briefly talked about gender neutral books and boy/girl themed books.

Lunch Money by Andrew Clements is a chapter book about sixth grader named Greg Kenton who has a fascination with money and explores different ways in which he can acquire more. He uses his entrepreneurial skills to sell candy, gum and toys to his classmates, but he finds himself running into a few roadblocks. He decides to create a comic book to sell to his classmates for a quarter. Initially, he experiences great success until his classmate, Maura, begins creating comic books of her own and becomes his competition. Eventually, the two of them put their differences aside and combine their talents to create a better product. With the help of their teacher, Mr. Z, they are able to achieve success in selling their comic books at show more school.

This book teaches the importance of perseverance and courage to children. It is a prime example that children can achieve quite extraordinary things with their own talents and the help of adults who believe in them. I also found another valuable lesson in this book and that is the importance of partnership. At first, Greg and Maura did not have any common ground, but were able to achieve something better when they put their heads together. Children in this developmental stage are learning to foster successful relationships with their peers and this story is a great example of that. Growing up, I really enjoyed reading other books by Andrew Clements, and I think introducing this chapter book to students could spark an interest in this series. In my opinion, the topic of math is sometimes a difficult concept to read, but I found that Lunch Money introduced the topic in a subtle way while focusing on other subjects to engage the readers. show less

This was my least favorite book out of all the novels assigned, and it was still amazing! I loved the story of Greg and his competition with his classmate and neighbor Maura. The endlessly competing peers found out that they had more in common then they thought and became friends and buisness partners. Such a cute story to show kids that value is in money, but more value is in kindness and friendship.

This book was a truly enjoyable read. Although I was not particularly fond of math when I was in middle school I could relate too many of the concepts that were touched upon. Greg Kenton is a young boy who is more than just a little bit obsessed with making money. The greatest part about this kid is that he is willing to work for it and does just that by cutting grass, doing his chores and coming up with creative schemes to fill his pocketbook. After realizing that he could make the big bucks by selling things at school Greg is thwarted by his principal who says that selling toys is not appropriate. Over the summer Greg comes up with an elaborate plan to create and distribute comic books at school. He is wildly successful and happy show more until his nemesis Maura Shaw catches onto the idea and begins to create her own books to sell. After a fight that turns physical the principal is yet again a thorn in Greg’s side and demands that they stop selling the books. Greg creates the most unlikely partnership with Maura and they come up with an incredibly brilliant idea to present the idea to the school board and are again wildly successful in relaying their point. Throughout the book Greg transforms from a money grubbing boy to a business man and realizes that teamwork and giving back are just as important as money itself. This book serves as a way to empower children to follow their entrepreneurial dreams by working with others and the systems that exist around them. Fabulous read. show less