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Flat Broke

The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Greed
by Gary Paulsen
Flat Broke: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Greed by Gary Paulsen Intermediate, Middle School Lamb/Random 119 pp. 7/11 978-0-385-74002-9 $12.99 Library ed. 978-0-385-90818-4 $15.99 e-book ed. 978-0-375-89869-3 $9.99
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After his previous comedy of errors (see Liar, Liar, rev. 3/11), middle-school entrepreneur Kevin has had his allowance discontinued as punishment and is now desperate for money—mostly to impress Tina Zabinski, a girl he can barely talk to but who he's convinced is the love of his life. Kevin sees himself as kingmaker: he'll create projects for others and take a cut of the profits. These include a beauty advice business for his sister, a tutoring venture for a classmate, a catering enterprise with his friends, and a couple of floating poker games where he's the house. Kevin's naive self-confidence more generally reflects that of a younger boy, but his enthusiasm for fame, fortune, and free enterprise is infectious. When Kevin's ventures spiral south, his parents remind him, "Getting out of trouble is a whole lot more of a hassle than staying out of trouble." Yes, but probably not as much fun. This is an undemanding read with a nicely underplayed moral, a solid investment for reluctant readers. Betty Carter
Gr 5—9—In this follow-up to Liar, Liar (Random, 2011), 14-year-old Kevin has lost his allowance for a month thanks to his lying habit, so he has to find a way to make some cash. As quick as a wink, he puts his business savvy and his creativity to work and gets poker games going, delivers homemade cookies to a college campus, and starts a beauty service (with his big sister's help), among other initiatives. The money begins to flow in, but so does the trouble; not everyone is thrilled with Kevin's schemes, including the campus cops, his friends, and a local business owner. Throughout the book, business lessons are woven in by the clever narrator. Fans of the first book will enjoy this quick, fun lesson in cause and effect.—Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI
His allowance discontinued, middle-school entrepreneur Kevin (Liar, Liar) is desperate for money (mostly to impress a girl). Kevin sees himself as kingmaker: he'll create projects for others and take a cut of the profits; his enthusiasm for fame, fortune, and free enterprise is infectious. This is an undemanding read with a nicely underplayed moral, a solid investment for reluctant readers.
Reviewed by Amanda Moss Struckmeyer , Sep 01, 2011

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