Lawn Boy

I recently read Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen.  I really enjoy reading what he writes.  His prose is beautiful, his stories believable, and his characters well developed.

Lawn Boy did not disappoint me.  It's the story of a boy who receives an old riding lawn mower at the beginning of the summer and what initially appeared to be a long dull summer begins to look like a summer of opportunity.  Woven into this story are lessons about economics, investing, and running a small business -- all topics that are rarely seen in children's literature.

Now what to do with Lawn Boy??  I recommended this book to a fifth grader and he was ready to check it out and read it until he saw the book.  It's smaller than most "chapter books" in both size and length.  The fifth grader took one look at Lawn Boy and told me he needed a bigger book.  I tried to convince him that this is a book that a younger reader would be unlikely to understand.  No dice, Lawn Boy stays on the shelf.  The boys who would appreciate and understand this book the most are those least likely to read it.