The Young Investor

November 1, 2001
A grandmother realizes her goal to give her grandchildren money and teach them the "language of business" in The Young Investor: Projects and Activities for Making Your Money Grow by Katherine Bateman. Here, Bateman, a former vice president of a major investment firm, translates five years' worth of research about saving, investing, the economy and the stock market and translates it into language that "tweens" and financially challenged adults can understand. A glossary, bibliography, Web sites and phone numbers are also included.

February 1, 2002
Gr 6-9-Starting with homey stories and personal examples, Bateman demonstrates how to learn about investments from everyday experiences. Using current examples such as CD boom boxes but without fancy graphics, she explains the "money circle," an excellent way to characterize the circulation of wealth; mentions bank accounts; and then provides a concise summary of savings vehicles, including an account of the "magic" of compound interest, illustrated by a table and a story of a successful young investor. As Bateman covers broader and deeper topics such as risk-tolerance, stock reports, and macroeconomics, she follows the same pattern in each chapter. Constantly referring to points made earlier, the author provides plenty of opportunity for review and concludes each chapter with another account of the young investor's story-he ends up with his own land and hopes for a house on it. She advises readers to stick with investments they can easily evaluate themselves. Most of the Web sites recommended are authoritative and helpful, just like the text. However, the shelves are getting pretty crowded. Janet Bamford's Street Wise: A Guide for Teen Investors (Bloomberg, 2000), Jay Liebowitz's Wall Street Wizard: Sound Ideas from a Savvy Teen Investor (S & S, 2000), Gail Karlitz and Debbie Honig's Growing Money (Price Stern Sloan, 1999; o.p.), and Neale S. Godfrey's Ultimate Kids' Money Book (S & S, 1998) all cover much of the same ground. Less sophisticated in its writing, this one may appeal more to those who appreciate plain-spoken language.-Jonathan Betz-Zall, City University Library, Everett, WA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2001
Gr. 8-up. Although meant for young people, this book will appeal to anyone looking for a basic manual on investment strategies and terms, or a broad overview of how the economy works. Adopting the tone of a wise and practical grandmother (one who might wear a single strand of pearls and have tea at the Four Seasons), Bateman demystifies stock tables and makes the concepts of macro and microeconomics seem rather cozy. A few of her assertions can be quibbled with: she writes that savings and loans have higher interest rates than banks, which is not always true. Still, Bateman offers a condensed yet comprehensive view of investing. Intermittent stories about Billy Ray Fawns, a young go-getter from the small town of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, give the book a practical, down-to-earth flavor, proving that it is never too early to learn how to handle money. A glossary is appended.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)