Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Economics, Investments, Immigration
Grade Level: 3-5
Curricular Connections: Math (Economics, Investments), Social Studies (Immigration)

Lawn Boy's nameless main character gets a mower from his grandmother. The same day he gets a $20 job mowing a neighbor's lawn. By the end of the day he's mowed three lawns for $20 each and acquired six more names of potential customers. These are the first steps on his path to financial freedom. On his journey he meets a day-trader who pays him in stock, hires employees, sponsors a boxer, and deals with the local, small-town mafia. In the end a couple lawns have become an industry.

Classroom suggestions:

1. Younger students will understand that the main character makes lots of money, but teachers can use simple math problems based on the events. (If he makes $20 in 2 hours but buys $3 in gas, how much has he made per hour? Or, more simply, if he makes $20 per lawn, how much will he make on 3 lawns?)

2. Older students can use this as an entertaining supplemental textbook on economics. Each chapter is under 10 pages and illustrates another lesson. Chapter titles include:
Chapter 1 - The Principals of Economic Expansion
Chapter 2 - The Growth of Capitalism
Chapter 3 - The Law of Increasing Product Demand Versus Flat Production Capacity
Chapter 4 - Capital Growth Coupled with the Principles of Production Expansion
Chapter 5 - Labor Acquisition and Its Effect on Capital Growth
Chapter 6 - Economic Expansion Combined with Portfolio Diversification