Owen Foote, Money Man

Owen Foote #4

by Stephanie Greene, Martha Weston (Illustrator)

To start with, there's all the great stuff he wants to buy in the "Junk You Never Knew About" catalog -- things a kid can't live without, like plastic throw-up. He wouldn't mind buying a newt or two for his aquarium, either. While his parents are willing to give him an allowance, they want him to do disgusting things like clean his bathroom to earn it.

Genres: Middle Grade

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owen desperately needs money in order to purchase some life essentials from the “Junk You Never Knew About” catalogue such as plastic vomit and dog poop. Getting money is the problem. His toilet demonstration business proves to be fruitless almost immediately and the attempt to make a best-selling fishing video becomes hazardous as Owen hooks his own ear with the hook. Allowance is out of the question since his parents have this cockeyed idea that not only should he should earn it, but he should probably be expected to do chores simply because he was part of the family! He informs his father that he will rake leaves at a rate of a penny a leaf. “Twenty dollars for one pile of leaves?” said Mr. Foote. “Is that a bargain?” “It’s a big pile,” said Owen. “I know it is, Owen. I raked it,” said his dad. Then Mr. White, Owen’s neighbor, asks for some advise on building a pond as a surprise for his wife. Owen has quite a bit of knowledge on the subject and heads out with his book about ponds to help Mr. White. If there’s one thing about Owen, he knows a lot of stuff. They work together to successfully complete the pond project and Owen, to his surprise, is paid $20. This book is extremely well-written. Its’ fast-paced, realistic style will be a hit with young readers and the dialogue is something one would imagine occurring in their own home. There are lessons to be learned but it is not didactic. In fact, although there is some change in Owen’s behavior by the end of the story, there is still room for improvement. For example, when he finally agrees to clean his room in exchange for his allowance, he ties up his “treasures” from the floor in his sweatshirt and stuffs it all in a drawer. There are three other “Owen” titles in our collection just in case you enjoy this one. Good for grades 2-4.

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

*read with my 3rd grade class
Did not love this book and honestly questioned why it was included in the curriculum. It is definitely silly and appeals to 3rd grade humor, but I felt like the overall plot was a bit flat and the ending was VERY cheesy.

[Salena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my third grade class as a part of our economics unit. We enjoyed it!

[Charleigh]

One possible theme is that you have to work for money not just get money for not do anything.

[Tammy Bosom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owen gets a lesson on what it means to earn money. After a few hair-brained schemes to make money he unexpectedly makes some cash doing something he likes. Mixed in the plot is a lesson on true friendship and compassion for others. Kids will relate to the typical brother sister relationship that one can't help but make them smile.

[Lolo Onda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as part of my reading curriculum with my 3rd and 4th grade students. I was not overly impressed with it but the kids enjoyed it well enough.