Pass Go and Collect $200

Starred review from June 1, 2018

Gr 1-4-Readers are treated to a colorful historical account of a well-known board game, and the socioeconomic factors that affected its development. In the late 1800s dynamo Elizabeth "Lizzie" Magie decided to create a game based on what she viewed as an unfair relationship between heavy-handed landlords and vulnerable renters. Magie patented the Landlord's Game in 1903, but was unable to secure the interest of large-scale producers. The history of how Magie's creation became Monopoly is as complex as its rules and variables, but here a potentially complicated narrative is told with great skill and clarity by Stone. Young readers are presented with a coherent and lucid account; any detail not relevant to the furthering of the story is omitted, including complex terminology and the personal details of Magie's life. Parker Brothers would ultimately pay Magie only $500 for the patent and would not credit her as the inventor as promised, a deal she was vocally unhappy about. Bonus material includes trivia and a math set. Salerno's vivid illustrations are kinetic and play upon the most exciting elements of the story. Characters move with fluidity, and occasional close-ups at sharp angles add interest to spreads with Charles Darrow and Mr. Monopoly. VERDICT Highly recommended for nonfiction collections.-Lauren Younger, formerly at New York Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2018
The surprisingly complex history of one of America's favorite board games. In the early 1900s, Lizzie Magie created and patented the Landlord's Game in order to demonstrate the frequent injustices of the landlord-tenant relationship--it even had socialist alternative rules. As people began to play the game, it was adapted by players, including a business professor who called the game Monopoly. During the Great Depression, a down-on-his-luck businessman named Charles Darrow decided to handcraft and sell Monopoly boards, adding many of the design features we know today. As the success of Darrow's version of Monopoly grew, Parker Brothers took interest--only to discover that they couldn't patent it, as Lizzie Magie already had! When Parker Brothers finally gained rights to the game in 1935, Magie received relatively little compensation while Darrow made a small fortune. Stone presents the board game's messy history with ease, providing a clear, linear path to today's Monopoly without ever compromising the nuances of its invention. Direct-address narration engages children, leaving room for them to draw their own conclusions: "So who wins in this story? What do you think?" Salerno's soft, dynamic full-bleed illustrations reflect yet move beyond the aesthetics of the game and time period, making every page compelling and fresh. All illustrated people, including named figures and background characters, appear white. Backmatter includes trivia, Monopoly-related math problems, an author's note, and a bibliography.Stone delivers a winner. (Informational picture book. 5-10)

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May 14, 2018
Stone (Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream) summarizes the sometimes contentious history of the ever-popular board game Monopoly. Lizzie Magie Phillips developed and patented its precursor, the Landlord’s Game, in 1903 to focus attention on rising urban rents charged by monopolistic landlords. A brisk narrative pace propels the story through fact-filled and sometimes lengthy passages, explaining how players modified rules and created homemade versions of the freely shared game. When out-of-work salesman Charles Darrow marketed and sold his version, controversy ensued. Salerno’s (Wild Child) lively, mixed-media illustrations carry the action forward. Large Monopoly tokens leap from colorful spreads as turn-of-the-century period dress, close-ups, and caricatures bring the story playfully to life (Darrow, oft-credited as the game’s inventor, is shown speeding off in the roadster game token, Monopoly money flying from the car). Backmatter includes a list of trivia (for example: online voting in 2017 retired some tokens and added others, such as a T. rex token), a Monopoly math section, and an author note and source list. Monopoly aficionados should most appreciate this account that gives credit where credit is due and asks readers to ultimately weigh in: “So who wins in this story?” Ages 5–9.

June 1, 2018
Grades 2-5 Monopoly's success as a board game boils down to the ideas and innovations of two individuals: Elizabeth Lizzie Magie and Charles Darrow?but they weren't working together. Magie, a feisty woman who cared about social justice, created the Landlord's Game in 1903, hoping to educate the public about unfair practices within the real-estate market. Roughly 30 years later, Darrow played an iteration of Magie's game and saw room for improvement?and an opportunity to make money. He skillfully marketed his polished version of the game, calling it Monopoly. Stone personalizes this story by asking readers to consider instances when they've made changes to a game's original rules. She also points out the sad irony that Magie was paid a modest sum for her game's patent, while Darrow went on to make millions. Salerno's bold illustrations heighten the drama surrounding Monopoly's development and include glimpses of early versions of the game. A final spread of trivia and Monopoly Math extends the reach of this interesting but contentious history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)