Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Making Money

Charlie Joe Jackson #4

by Tommy Greenwald, J.P. Coovert (Illustrations)

Charlie Joe Jackson, the most reluctant reader ever born, made it his mission in the first book to get through middle school without reading a single book from cover to cover. Now, he's back, and trying to get rich without lifting a finger!

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Humor, Middle Grade, Childrens, School, Young Adult, Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Tommy Greenwald's book GAME CHANGER has been named an Amazon Best Book Of The Month, a 2019 YALSA Top Ten Pick for Reluctant Readers, and a Junior Library Guild Premier Selection. Tommy is also the author of the CRIMEBITERS, CHARLIE JOE JACKSON and PROJECT Z series, among many other books for children.

Day-job-wise, Tommy is the Co-Founder of Spotco Advertising, an entertainment advertising agency in New York City, and the lyricist and co-bookwriter of JOHN & JEN, an off-Broadway musical.

To read woefully outdated information about Tommy, visit tommygreenwald.com. (To send an email telling him how much you liked whatever book it was that you just read, holla at tommy@tommygreenwald.com.)

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wished you can make money without lifting a finger well apparently to Charlie joe you can. The genre of this book is fiction because there is no such thing as making money with out lifting a finger only Marta stewert can do that. I personally some what enjoyed the book but I thought I was able to get tips I can actually use in real life but not really his tips aren't really .
The story takes place in a modern day time period and the setting is mainly the school and Charlie's house. Charlie joe is trying to make money with out lifting a finger but all his attempts of doing so mainly ends quickly like when he tried a dog walking business but his dog ended up almost killing a gopher and he lost a dog; But then his almost girlfriend moved away and decides come backs to visit and asked him to come along so now he has to save up money to visit her buy throwing a cow jumping party but without permission and then ends up donating all of the money he makes. Which also makes this person vs. person because Charlie joe against himself try a way To make money but all his plans failing.
I can somewhat relate to the character Charlie joe because sometime I will work hard and my parents say they'll pay me and never do . In his situation was worse though "we donated everything I made from my cow-jumping party." I had predicted that he would end up having all this money in the end but I was wrong instead it ended with him working at the library shockingly spice he hates to read." Two days later I was surrounded by books of all shapes and sizes."
I couldn't understand why Charlie wanted to go visit this girl that lives very far when there not even bestfriends."I would love to come visit you I said ." My favorite part of this book was when at the cow jumping party one of joes friends jumped over him and landed on a glass table and didn't break or scratch him self."it wasn't until he easing the air , directly over my head that he saw the glass table."
I would scale this book a 3-5 because I kinda wish there was more realistic in a way such as I can believe it could actually happen and it could have been more tips witch is one of my favorite part of these book is the tips. I would recommend this book for any one who enjoys fiction where In a rare chance something like this could actually happen or likes a twist in a book. Now remember if you want to get rich without lifting a finger then you might want to be related to someone really famous or the Kardashinas.

[Alexandra Alexyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mă știri că am citit perioada aceasta cărți ceva mai grele și la propriu și la figurat așa că am avut nevoie de ceva ușor
Și ca de obicei mă îndrept către cărțile de copii .
Volumul 4 din seria Cu Charlie Joe Jackson nu dezamăgește și prezintă aventurile puștanului de gimnaziu in câmpul muncii când dorește să strângă bani să își cumpere dispozitivul Botman, adica un robotel cu baterie . Omulețul nostru a încercat de toate de la plimbat căței a, a merge cu tatăl său la muncă și culminând cu o petrecere organizată fără știrea părinților unde să margeze faptul că devine bărbat și să strângă bani . Isteț și cu o imaginație debordanta copilul și-a îmbrăcat cățelul inclusiv în vaca.
Mi-a plăcut reacția părinților lui și faptul că l-au pus sa doneze bănuții strânși unei organizație ce ajutau oamenii din Etiopia ( că să știți de ce fix Etiopia este necesar să citiți cartea ) și faptul că a ajuns sa lucreze voluntar la o bibliotecă chiar m-a făcut să zâmbesc ( mai ales că după cum vă dați seama lui Charlie chiar nu ii placea sa citeasca )
Pe scurt cartea a fost exact de ceea ce aveam nevoie

[Jassim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Joe wanted to make money by not working but his plan of making a party that he should jump a cow (well not a actual cow but his dog dressed in a cow costume) did it so he got caught by his parents and he donated the money he got from it to Ethiopia, then his mom and his friend Kate found a new job for him that is fun and he could get free chocolate chip cookies.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous and good laugh w/learning money making schemes that may or may not work.
Liked how Charlie Joe shared the spotlight and writing of his book w/female character, Katie.

[Shreya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book in the Charlie Joe Jackson series. I loved the part about Charlie Joe's first attempt for money: a dog walking business. It was extremely surprising when Misty, the great dane caught a GOPHER in her MOUTH. Wow! I also loved how thoughtful Charlie Joe was when he decided to have a cow-jumping party to make money to visit Zoe who was moving to Ohio. It was also very nice when Charlie Joe realized Zoe wasn't moving so he donated the rest of the money to a charity to prevent Ethiopia Famine. So, this was a great book and, there was a lot of thought put into it. 4 stars, Greenwald! Nice one :)

[Travis Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book in the Charlie Joe Jackson series. I loved the part about when Charlie joe helped his dad not get fired by helping his dads’ boss with his computer problem. I liked when Charlie did the dog walking business. I also liked when Misty a great Dane caught a gopher. Moose and Coco, Charlie’s dogs, were awestruck because they hadn’t caught anything before. Another reason why I liked this book was because at Jakes bar mitzvah Charlie joe saw Zoe. He was shocked to see her because in the last book she moved, and he thought he would never see her again. In my opinion, if you like chapter books with pictures, this book is a good book to read in the Charlie Joe Jackson series.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened in the car with the family. We all enjoyed it, my son (10yo) especially.

Charlie Joe has all kinds of financial tips in the book, such as "everyone has to work, but try to do as little as possible for the most amount of money" 😂

What's a not-religious and eager-for-money boy to do when his Jewish friends get tons of $$ at their bar mitzvahs and his catholic friends rake it in at confirmation? Scour the internet for obscure coming-of-age rituals, of course! Much chaos and laughter ensues.

Recommended especially for tweenagers!

[Triston Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Making Money really relates to my life in the way that it doesn't censor middle school like so many other books do. By that I mean other books don't even mention girls, but this one does. It talks about girls and money, things I can relate to. One lesson I learned from this book is never throw a party while your parents are away... It can end really badly, for example, a kid smashing a glass table.

[Jameson J]

I've started this book about a week ago and I'm halfway through the book. I like these types of books because just when you think the character has found a solution, a twist-of-events happen. Like in this book he tried to start a dog walking business, where he took some of his teachers dogs, and he would get paid so he could get a "botman." Now Charlie Joe is at his friend Jake's Bar mitzvah, which is a party for when a Jewish boy turns 13, and that means he's turning into a man. So while they're partying, an old friend comes back to say hello to Charlie Joe, and her name was Zoe. Zoe was a friend who went to his school but moved at the end of the year. Now, Zoe told him that she would be moving to Ohio in a couple of weeks. So he wants to go visit her, he decides to throw his own party while his parents were gone, and made nearly $1,000 in one night. But everything went wrong, the power went out, so Meghan's (Charlie Joe's sister) boyfriend flipped all the switches until suddenly they turned back on. But as soon as he got outside the sprinklers went off, an alarm went off, and nareem had a sugar rush and got all crazy and jumped over Charlie Joe, and landed on a glass table shattering it to pieces. Then, when the party was over, Zoe finally came and told him that she wasn't going to move to Ohio. But Charlie Joe got mad because he threw that party just so he could visit her when she moved to Ohio. Then she started crying and ran into her moms car. Charlie Joe felt bad, and hoped that some day, she'll forgive him.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, this is the weakest book in the series for me. What I do like is that we get to switch perspective between Charlie Joe and Katie throughout the book. But even with that, I can't really sense that I'm reading things from Katie's perspective since it doesn't have a distinct tone/personality from what we're so used to, which is Charlie Joe's POV. Nevertheless, I'm still excited to read the next book in this series.

[stefi - currently busy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ idk, maybe a bit of spoilers? ]

VERY FUN READ THOUGHHH

not going to talk about how crazy Charlie Joe's ideas were throughout this whole book 😞.

although Charlie Joe is a bit weird, i know he has a big heart, and i considered it very cute when he tried making money to visit Zoe🥹. i also found it annoying how he just couldn't choose between Hannah and Zoe, but i guess that's how boys are like, right?

anyway, Katie Friedman carried. she was just too iconic.

[Mohammed Islam · Rating 4 out of 5]

the charlie Joe Jackson guide to making money is an awesome book it guided me to get my dream car AKA a "Tesla UV" i would recommend this book to people who are interested in money and want to buy something

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad juvenile title. Page 117 ''They didn't even said no.'' Is the only area I think there's a typo, but that sentence really hurts my head(I don't care if that makes me a grammar nazi).

[Abigail Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ups and downs of middle school, lesson life isn't all, money.

[Error · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, This is easily the worst in the series for me. 7/10

[Bogdan]

This book “Charlie Joe Jackson’s guide to making money”: written by Tommy Greenwald. It is fiction. He is an American children's book author he as well wrote a lyric to the musical He also has three kids.
I chose this book because I like books about money or book that tell us how to make different things.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite his slacker ways and the fact that he hates reading, there's an endearing quality about Charlie Joe Jackson that makes the books featuring him so appealing. Maybe it's his earnestness or his naïve ways or his honesty, but whatever it is, it works to make this series a delight to read. It shouldn't be surprising that someone who doesn't like reading would also look for the easy way out when it comes to earning money or having to do work. Originally, the book's protagonist concocts a plan to walk dogs in order to earn money for a tech toy that another classmate has. When he meets up with Zoe, a girl who might be his girlfriend, he decides to earn the money to visit her after she moves and comes up with some crazy ideas, including a coming of age party in which he will jump over a cow to prove his manhood and collect gift checks. His best friend Katie tries to give him advice, but his plans end up causing plenty of problems. I liked the sections in which she intruded in his storytelling to add her take on things. I smiled and laughed several times while reading the book. This author knows his material and his audience, making this series a sure-fire cure for reluctant readers.

[Lauren Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Joe Jacksons Guide To Making Money by Tommy Greenwald is a great book! It is about a middle schooler boy and is very lazy. He is fascinated by a robot that a really rich girl in his grade purchased. Charlie Joe is jealous of it and asks his parents after school that day. Of coarse his parents said no and Charlie Joe is furious by thier response. He is trying to come up with ways to pay for it. After think long and hard about jobs, Charlie Joe comes upon being a dog walker for his shcool teachers. That didn't work out so well and many other job options too. He is still trying to make the most amount of money by doing the least amount of work.
This book was very exciting. While reading this book I laughed at almost every chapter. Some of the chapters were unnessicary to the book, but It gave many explanations on how being lazy affects your work which I liked a lot. It was not my favorite book from the series, but still a good one!
I recommend this book to both girls and boys. If you like books that make you laugh this book is for you. I think that elementary kids and middle schoolers would really enjoy this book. You should definitely read this book, and you should check out the other books in the series

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment of the Charlie Joe Jackson series has the hero trying to earn money for a plane ticket to visit a girl, no less. He attacks the problem in his own inimitable, inventive and least strenuous way. His dog walking business is a near-disaster and the “accompany your dad to work day” only produces twenty dollars. When he sees the monetary windfall his friend Jake amassed at his bar mitzvah, Charlie Joe plans his own coming of age celebration: a cow jumping party with his dog Moose posing as the cow. Needless to say, things quickly get out of hand, and when his parents return unexpectedly from their reunion, Charlie Joe is busted and nearly grounded for life. Charlie Joe is a likable middle-schooler and his adventures are relatable to the intended audience. The humor and illustrations follow the familiar diary format that is so popular with this age group, and his “Financial Tips” at the end of some chapters are truly hilarious. There is a hint of romance as Charlie Joe navigates the mine field of boy-girl relationships. This is an entertaining and painless read and a great addition to any library.

[Sahal Sajeer]

At first, Charlie Joe Jackson thinks that he wants a Botman, the latest and coolest toy that everyone talks about. But wishes can change. After attending his friend Jake's Bar Mitzvah, he meets the girl of his dreams Zoe Alvarez. But love comes with a cost. Zoe is about to move to Iowa, which is half the length of the country from where Charlie lives. And what's even worse is that Charlie's parents could never possibly allow him to go. Except they do, but as long as Charlie Joe makes the money himself. However. the problem is that Charlie Joe is far too lazy to make money out of hard effort. He can't even read a book without sleeping! But sooner than later, Charlie Joe and his gang come up with the most genius way to earn the money to get plane tickets for he and his friends. Will this so called 'genius' way allow Charlie Joe to see the love of his life? Or will he be stuck to never be able to see her face again? Find Out in Charlie Joe Jackson's guide to making money, as story filled to the brim with Compassion, love and Comedy.

[Olivia Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title:Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Making Money
Author: Tommy Greenwald
Total pages:201
In the book Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Making Money, Charlie Joe first tries to make money for a new toy. So he decides to walk all of his teachers dogs. that doesn't work out for him. Soon after that he goes to a friends bar mitzvah and sees that he get all these checks just for becoming a man. Also while he is at the bar mitzvah he sees his friend Zoe, they talk and he decides to make money to go see her since she is moving away and he won't see her again. So he decides to have his own party for himself, but since he is not Jewish he can't have a bar mitzvah. So he has a cow jumping party. He gets all of these checks and finally he can see his friend.
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Making Money is hilarious. I loved reading about him struggling to make money to go see his friend. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves reading about peoples pity problems and likes hilarious books. I loved this book I hope the next person to read this will love it too.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book, "Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Making Money", Charlie does some unexceptionally unnatural things. It starts out with Eliza getting a Botman; immediately Eliza is showing of and Charlie is in awe. He wants to make money because he wants one so he decides to start a dog walking business. Obviously being Charlie he didn't want to do much so he went to the park and left them of the leach. At the end they find one dog is missing. Charlie figures this business isn't for him and so he stops. Next Jack has his Bar Mitzvah and Zoe, charlie's girlfriend from across the country comes, they get reunited. Immeditately Charlie wants to make plans to go to her house sometime, but at the end she sadly says that she is moving again to Ohio across the country. Find out what happened with the dog business and how he wants to get the money to fly to Ohio by reading the book.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wavered between 4 and 5 on this. This is truly hilarious, and I like the fact that when push comes to shove, Charlie Joe decides honesty is the best solution to the messes he creates. He has loving parents and a good relationship with his sister (sometimes I get tired of reading about dysfunctional families or parents who are buffoons, although I know many of our students relate) I listened to the audio version, which is pretty well done, and eventually decided that Charlie Joe reminds me of a couple of my friends and what they might have been like growing up (or still are)
My students enjoy these books as well; they are funny and somewhat outlandish without being too over the top. (and I'd never heard of a popcorn bar before) There are several laugh-out-loud moments.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When some of the rich and popular kids have the latest gadget, a Botman, Charlie Joe wants one for himself. But, true to form, Charlie Joe wants to make money without working hard, well, without working at all. So, in this latest “guide to:” Charlie Joe enters the world of employment, but maybe there’s something more important than a Botman that will inspire Charlie Joe to make some real money (and still not have to work).

Another hilarious episode. Charlie Jo gets himself into situations that are so entertaining. I love this series. Keep them coming Tommy.

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you know Charlie Joe Jackson? He is the kid in every school that always seems to find trouble in the most innocent of situations. He might be a schemer and a dreamer but his intentions are good and he is always looking for a good outcome. He just doesn't always think things through, poor guy. In this latest book of the series, Charlie Joe has decided that earning money would be a really good thing. It's just that he doesn't think that actually working for it sounds like fun. Along the way you have some humorous happenings, some hard knocks, and a lot of fun. A nice alternative for Diary of a Wimpy Kid lovers.

[Barath Srinivasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Joe Jackson is a normal teenaged kid where but, he finds out that his girlfriend is moving out of town to Ohio and he has to raise money to make money to go and see her after she moves. He asks his friends for ideas and one of his friends suggests him to throw a party and sell tickets to get in then the party was a complete disaster but his girlfriend does not move at the end.

It was very similar to a typical middle school kids life.

I finished it because it was very interesting because it had lots of plot twists.

I would recommend this book to Michael because he likes to read teen fiction books.

[Monique]

Yo Tommy!
What happened man?
There was mention of- no, I can't say it.
But I have to.
For the poor kids.

There was mention of grinding .
Yes, I know. Shock.
What about the message to kids that all the things their peers do aren't always right?

Besides that, I actually laughed out loud at some spots. Can't remember which (maybe the dog and gopher? Hyped up on sugar Nareem?), but I laughed.

And another thing Mr. Greenwald. I see what your trying to do. No sireebob, it just doesn't work. It's been done before. Best friends shouldn't date at 13.
No.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read the synopsis of this entry here on Goodreads as it is the wrong one.

Should it be a surprise that my favorite non-reader is also a slacker? It seems Charlie Joe wants money but doesn't want to work for it. In typical CJJ fashion, which means hilariously, he tries to start a dog-walking business. When that doesn't quite work out the way he'd expected, he interns in his dad's law office. Then, he hits on a foolproof method of raking in the cash. CJJ's bff, Katie gets in on the act with chapters of her own. The fun continues in this successful series.

[Erica Sonzogni · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a funny book! This takes "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" to a new level. I enjoyed reading those books but this series is even more laugh-out-loud funny. It also has something for everyone- the hilarity and mischief appeals to many young boys while the relationship drama will hook in the girls. A 5th grade boy recommended this series to me and I will definitely pass it along to others. If a child is looking for something to read after he finishes everything by Jeff Kinney, this would be the suggestion I would make.

[Fadhalah Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. It is about charlie the main character and he tries to make money because he is saving up for a new console. He makes money by sales but his mom stops him because he has been lazy with his chores. He gets grounded. My favorite part of the story is when his mom left and told him to clean his room but he just plays he sees her come back and remembers that he forgot to clean his room. So he puts all his clothes under the bed. Read to find out is he gets caught or if he doesn't get caught and what will the punishment be if he gets caught.