Millionaires for the Month

July 13, 2020
Upstate New York seventh graders Felix Rannells and Benji Porter have nothing in common: Felix is small, serious, and a star basketball guard, while Benji is a tall, carefree class clown, so neither is pleased to be partnered for a class field trip. When they find billionaire Laura Friendly’s lost wallet but decide to steal $20 for a snack before returning it, she issues a challenge: spend $5 million in a month (“a penny doubled every day for thirty days”). If they succeed and follow all the rules, including keeping the contest secret, they will receive $10 million each. Benji’s family is wealthy, while Felix’s single mom works two jobs, but both boys are eager to win. At first it’s easy: they hire a driver, book hotel suites, and take a private jet to Disney World. But the money eventually causes tension in both families, and both boys are seen as “selfish jerks.” The duo is relatable, and the realities of middle school are well wrought, with crushes and crushing embarrassment alike. While the final message about money rings true, reading about wasteful spending during a grim economic reality may not appeal. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary.

July 15, 2020
A reward of $5,000,000 almost ruins everything for two seventh graders. On a class trip to New York City, Felix and Benji find a wallet belonging to social media billionaire Laura Friendly. Benji, a well-off, chaotic kid with learning disabilities, swipes $20 from the wallet before they send it back to its owner. Felix, a poor, shy, rule-follower, reluctantly consents. So when Laura Friendly herself arrives to give them a reward for the returned wallet, she's annoyed. To teach her larcenous helpers a lesson, Laura offers them a deal: a $20,000 college scholarship or slightly over $5 million cash--but with strings attached. The boys must spend all the money in 30 days, with legal stipulations preventing them from giving anything away, investing, or telling anyone about it. The glorious windfall quickly grows to become a chore and then a torment as the boys appear increasingly selfish and irresponsible to the adults in their lives. They rent luxury cars, hire a (wonderful) philosophy undergrad as a chauffeur, take their families to Disney World, and spend thousands on in-app game purchases. Yet, surrounded by hedonistically described piles of loot and filthy lucre, the boys long for simpler fundamentals. The absorbing spending spree reads like a fun family film, gleefully stuffed with the very opulence it warns against. Major characters are White. Cinematic, over-the-top decadence, a tense race against time, and lessons on what's truly valuable. (mathematical explanations) (Fiction. 10-12)

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September 1, 2020

Gr 4-8-The saying "money can't buy happiness" has been tested time and again, but what about spending money-specifically five million dollars? While on a school field trip, the unlikely duo Felix Rannells and Benji Porter discover the lost wallet of tech mogul and billionaire Laura Friendly. As the teen boys failed to return the wallet without spending $20 on lunch first, Friendly offers them a challenge: spend five million dollars in 30 days in order to receive a penny doubled each day, meaning $5,368,709.12! From private trips to Disney World, whole school pizza lunches everyday, to a personal driver, the teens rake up quite the bill-but what will they lose as they gain? With specific rules such as preventing purchases for anyone else, the boys risk looking like (or becoming) selfish jerks. Highly reminiscent of the film Brewster's Millions, McAnulty's work will engage a new generation with a fresh teen perspective. Readers will cheer Felix and Benji through their quest, indulge as they imagine the possibilities of spending five million dollars, but also feel stressed as the money threatens family, friends, and their moral compasses. The quick pace of the challenge is mirrored by short chapters and alternating perspectives between the boys, heightening reader engagement. Each chapter also provides a check-in on the boys' total spending to keep readers on track and to offer some light math concepts. VERDICT This novel's unpredictable money twists, paired with the notion of spending five million dollars, topped with a sprinkling of pop culture references, will captivate tweens.-Mary-Brook J. Townsend, The McGillis Sch., Salt Lake City

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