Lawn Boy

Hey Middle School Teachers!! Looking for a great book with teaching potential, especially economics? Then I have a deal for you. Check out Gary Paulsen’s new book, Lawn Boy. In Paulsen’s latest book we follow the economic adventures of a 12-year old “Lawn Boy”. Starting with an inherited lawnmower from his late grandfather the boy begins a rather typical summer business of mowing lawns. This all changes when the young entrepreneur meets Arnold a 70’s throw back stock broker, who convinces the lawn boy to invest the money he should receive from mowing Arnold’s lawn in lieu of payment. What transpires over the following pages transforms the lawn boy into a lawn emperor.

A fabulously written book for middle school students, Paulsen weaves many economic concepts into the humorous story line. Practically every chapter introduces the reader to a new economic concept. Many of these concepts are difficult to grasp by the average middle school student. However, Paulsen ingeniously embedded these concepts into the storyline of the “Lawn Boy,” allowing the concepts to grow and blossom, (no pun intended) into comprehensible facts of life. The potential of this book in the classroom is only matched by the main characters own economic boom. Have fun and let the imaginations run wild.