Lawn Boy Returns

Tales to Tickle the Funnybone #8

by Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen’s funny follow-up to Lawn Boy is full of big surprises and big laughs. Lawn Boy The summer I was twelve, mowing lawns with Grandpa’s old riding mower turned into big business. With advice from Arnold the stockbroker, I learned all about making money. Six weeks and hundred of thousands of dollars later, life got more complicated. You see, the prizefighter I sponsor, Joey Pow, won a big fight. And a TV interview made me famous. As Arnold says, “Capitalism plus publicity equals monster commerce.” Even my best friends wanted a piece of the action. Meanwhile, some scary guys showed up at Joey’s gym. . . . 

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

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Boni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this sequel was way too dependent on the first one- almost half of the book is spent explaining what happened in the first one (which I did enjoy a great deal). Don't really understand why they split the story into two, especially since they both were so short. Love Paulsen, but this was kind of a strange deal.

[Kay Mcgriff]

Lawn Boy is back with more adventures, more success, and more problems. Gary Paulsen began the story with Lawn Boy. Now Lawn Boy Returns wraps up the wild ride with a very satisfying conclusion.

Lawn Boy's troubles start the morning his grandmother and his very own prizefighter show up with Zed, supposedly a long-lost cousin. Lawn Boy suspects that Zed is nothing but trouble, and he is right. The next thing you know, the media get wind of Lawn Boy's story (how one twelve-year-old went from mowing lawns to running a business) and business really starts booming. Arnold, the genius stockbroker who advises Lawn Boy, brings on more staff to deal with the mounting troubles. The IRS wants to know how he made so much money so fast. Shady business men want Joey Pow to throw his next fight. Lawyers want to sue--anyone or everyone. Not to mention, just how is he to explain the strange turns his life has taken to his two best friends, now home from summer vacation and camp?

Before long it gets to be too much and Lawn Boy just wants to get back to mowing lawns to clear his head. Can he clear out all these problems and get his life back before his parents get back home? The ending just might surprise you, but the journey certainly will make you laugh.

Like Lawn Boy, Lawn Boy Returns is a quick and easy read. It will not only have you laughing, it just might teach you something about capitalism. According to Arnold, "Capitalism plus publicity equals monster commerce." He forgets to mention the monster problems, too.

First published on my bog at http://kaymcgriff.edublogs.org/2012/0...

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Success for twelve-year-old Lawn Boy was sweeter than he could imagine in the book before this one as Arnold, a local stockbroker, took charge of the kid's neighborhood lawn care business and grew it into a small empire. Everything that Lawn Boy and Arnold touched turned to gold, elevating their own net worth and creating financial stability for everyone involved in the business. Lawn Boy now has nearly $500,000 in cash funds and investments, including a dominant heavyweight boxer (Joey Pow) that he sponsors. Potholes in the road to prosperity have been evaded or endured without taking damage, but the problems get bigger as summer progresses and the business expands. In Lawn Boy Returns, the stress threatens to drive our main character out of the business that made him wealthy.

Kenny and Allen, Lawn Boy's best friends, return from summer camp and are stunned by what their buddy has made of himself in the past month. They prove to be true friends, volunteering to help Lawn Boy shoulder his workload. A less welcome addition to the team, an unctuous man named Zed, shows up claiming to be a distant relative of Joey Pow's, but Lawn Boy doesn't trust him. He suspects Zed is a danger to Joey Pow. A pair of greedy lawyers arrive on the scene promising to file lawsuits on Lawn Boy's behalf against anyone they can contrive an accusation against, and government suspicion that a kid could become so profitable without doing anything illegal leads to the possibility that the business's assets could be frozen until an investigation is complete. The strife is too much for Lawn Boy, who isn't sure these problems are worth the mounds of money that allow him and his parents to live much easier than before. He'll have to decide whether to continue working or divest himself of his business interests, and he has good friends, family, and an excellent advisor in Arnold to help him make that decision. Either way, Lawn Boy is already a legend.

"Change is good, but sometimes leaving things the way they've always been is better."

—Lawn Boy Returns, P. 16

In some ways, Lawn Boy Returns is better than Lawn Boy. The main character's quirky grandmother, who is reminiscent of Irene Flynn from Gary Paulsen's Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day, has a larger role in this book, and it works. But what I'll remember about Lawn Boy Returns is the main character's method of coping with stress, sitting alone on his riding mower and waiting for his head to clear. "There's something about looking at the picture of the turtle and the rabbit on the throttle that puts everything in perspective. Right now life was in rabbit mode." By looking at life through that lens, he knows his isn't beyond reclaiming. He needs to throttle back closer to turtle speed, and he'll catch up with things soon enough. There are benefits to slowing down to turtle mode when circumstances overwhelm you. As with Lawn Boy, not every plot point makes sense in this book, and that's why I only give it one and a half stars. It's laugh-out-loud funny at times, though, and enjoyable for what it is. If you liked Gary Paulsen's Mudshark or Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat, I think you'll be pleased with Lawn Boy and Lawn Boy Returns.

[Lisa Denford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite disappointing after reading the previous book. There was a lot of potty humour and felt pretty much like a repeat of the cop devious book.

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lawn boy returns is a good book for people who like businesses who are ran by kids. I think the book was good because it made me want read and not put it down even in the parts that were boring I still didn't put it down. I thought it was a funny book espacialy at the times when he looks out the window and says he doesn't want all the girls outside. The author Gary Paulsen is a really good author and every book I have read of his I have liked. I have wanted to read this book for a long time but have never had the time. Now that I have read the book. I'm glad that I did.

[Terryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paulsen, Gary. Lawn Boy Returns. Random/Wendy Lamb Books. 2010. ISBN 978-0-385-74662-5. F. $12.99

Gr 4-6
Yes, that's right, he's back. In this witty sequel to the much beloved Lawn Boy, six weeks have passed and his business has expanded, his employees have quadrupled, his prize fighter has been asked to throw a fight by a gangster and his parents have gone on vacation.
Lawn Boy is again confronted with very adult problems like the stock market, office managers, royalties, franchises, gangsters and publicity. He is hounded by the world, girls want his autograph, journalists want his picture. And, still, all he wants is to play with the other kids, have a regular summer and maybe mow a few lawns.
LB uses his familiar wit, charm and sarcasm, coupled with very kid like solutions to his scary, grown-up problems. There is not a lot new in this slim volume, but fans will be excited by the fresh twists and turns amid the same quirky characters; grandma, Joey Pow, Arnold et al. An extremely fast and funny read, good for struggling and reluctant readers. Some concepts may be unfamiliar or inappropriate for younger readers. Recommended to fans of Paulsen's other books, including the prequel, Lawn Boy.


- Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow-up to Lawn Boy--just as quirky and funny, if not more so! Our hero, Lawn Boy, is having a great summer making fistfuls of cash with his lawn mowing business. When the prizefighter he sponsors wins a big fight, and fame finds Lawn Boy, suddenly life gets much more complicated. Lawn Boy Returns is another very fast read at just over 100 pages. Paulsen keeps the laughs coming with an endearing and witty narrator, and lots of action, as well as some surprising twists. Again, I think this book is mis-marketed for ages 8-12. Readers 11 and up will enjoy this humorous take on summer jobs. And fans of Lawn Boy will not be disappointed by the hilarity in these pages.

[Sean K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Law boy returns!!! Remember lawn boy well he's back and his prizefighter JOEY POW is now a champion. This new odd character named Zed lurks arouond and kind of has behavior problems. I also think that a 12 year old boy is a little young to own a lawn mowing business that makes him very whealthy. Lawn boy returns is as funny as the first lawn boy but is very different still because in the first book is when he starts and he's a close by business so in the second he is famous. Now people want autographs from him. I think these books are very interesting and I give them both 4 stars.

[Austin Meier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this book a three because it was an easy read but at some times it was difficult to understand with all the different people. This book is about a boy named Lawn Boy that is a millionaire because of his lawn business. He started out as just a lawn business. Now it is a gutter, lawn, and pool business. He has many people targeting him because he is so young and already has his own business. He decides to quit his business and just decides to live like a kid from now on. Now his friend Arnold owns the business. I recommend this book to people who like funny stories.

[Thomas Gajeski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the book was great. It's about a boy (name wasn't shown in the book) who has is own lawn care service. He also sponsors a boxer named Joey Pow. The boy even has his own stock for coffins, thanks to a stock builder named Arnold. The boy isn't alone on his lawn care service however, he has a few employees that give a hand with some of the lawns. Everything that I mentioned happen all because the boy got his deceased grandpa's old lawn mower for his twelfth birthday.

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part two of the story is even more unbelievable than the first book! When things begin spiraling out of control with his mowing business, a message from his grandfather causes lawn boy to reassess his priorities.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting way of little jobs becoming big jobs and all that goes into building a business from the grass floor to the ceiling.
If had his money, WOW, What I could do!
Good Humor.
And it all started w/a lawnmower from his late Grandfather.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't think it was as good or as funny as the first one. It was a quick read, but not a satisfying sequel.

[Hayden Sandridge]

In the exposition and rising action of this book Joey Pow and Grandma are at the gym when a man named Zed approached them and claimed to be related to Joey. Grandma was so excited and she brought them home with her. She was taking care of the Lawn Boy while his parents are away visiting some landed they invested in. Some of the Lawn Boys friends came by and they talked, the Lawn Boy had to figure out how to tell them that he has his own business. So he just said it and they asked if he needed help .He took them to a business meeting and Allen(stockbroker) intrudes some new crew members. Midway through the book Joey is headed to his fight with Bahruiser Bulk the Upper Midwest heavyweight champ.They fight starts and Joey gets the first hits, Bahruiser Bulk was out in a few seconds.The Lawn Boy goes down to celebrate with his Upper Midwest heavyweight champ when a news reporter came up and started talking to Joey. Joey introduces his sponsor and the news reporter starts asking the Lawn Boy questions.Later in the climax and falling action we find out that Joey was suppose to loss the fight because these local businessmen started making threats to Grandma. So the Lawn Boy made a plan to stop them from hurting Grandma. At the end of the falling action and resolution the Lawn Boy goes to his house and finds a bunch of Zeds friends over and he finds Zed with Grandma. So the Lawn Boy stops Zed and calls him out.The Lawn Boy starts saying "And take your hands off my grandmother. Joey might not be here to protect her, but no one's going to hurt Grandma." and then Zed says "You think you can stop me.". So after he said that Grandma punches him in the kidney and Zed hits the ground and the Lawn Boy runs all of his friends off. The Lawn Boys parents come back and he tells them all about what happened and they talk.The next day he calls a board meeting with everyone and basically says he's out of the business.He talks about how he started this and that he was going up north to the land they invested in. One day Allen comes up there to tell him how things are going and how he is still making money with that business.

The Lawn Boy is similar to me because we both cut the grass and we both get paid for it. The differences are that he has a huge business where it's just me. The Lawn Boy and me both have the stress of working and managing.This book is also similar to someone in my family, because he also owns his own business. I feel like I am more like the Lawn Boy because we have similar problems.

What I liked most about this book is the way the dealed with the villain (Zed). This book did well on explaining what happened in the last book. What I think they could have done better is they could have made it a little bit more interesting. They could have explained why the businessmen want Joey to lose a little bit better.

[Brady Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawn Boy Returns

By Gary Paulsen

He didn’t know anything about starting a business, he didn’t even know how to ride a lawn mower since early summer. But now he has almost 1 million dollars and a whole business working him. “It was time” he thought “time to let go.” In Lawn Boy Returns Lawn Boy learns more about how to invest in houses and companies. He also learns how to handle his workers and find out about which types of employees to choose for his company.

This book is based in the northwest region of the United States. It’s based off of the characters Lawn Boy, Pasquale, Arnold the stockbroker, Kelly, Joey Pow, and Rock. One conflict is when Joey Pow faces a great heavyweight prizefighter and within seconds beats him. After that Lawn Boy becomes famous. He doesn’t want all the attention that he is getting so he tries to go to Arnold to ask for help. But instead he sells his company!

This book has extremely good detail. Whenever you come across something like a house or a child you could brace yourself for the words that would describe the child or the house. This made the story great to read especially when you came across a dirty or smelly character.

These two things make the story impossible to put down. With the conflicts that this book has makes it great for action lovers. The detail also makes the book great for teens. So if you’re are both of those this would be a perfect book for you!

[Klayton Komnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title : Too much money is not always a good thing

This book shows how a simple business can grow into a famous business that went nation wide. Lawn Boy´s business started with him, a 12 year old boy, and a passerby who had the idea to start a simple lawn mowing business. A business that started with profits of $200 quickly turned into a million dollar franchise. This was more than a 12 year old could handle alone and he met some interesting people along the way. These people taught him many things, one was that life with lots of money isn't all it's made up to be.

Due to the fact that I read the first book in this series, this book was a little easier to read. This book shows how hard work and determination that you can do anything you want. You may need to ask for help along the way but that is not a bad thing. I would definitely rate book a 4 out of 5. The only reason that I would give it a 4 is because it is not as action packed as the first book. This book was more to tell you about the lessons he learned along the way. Overall this book was a fantastic read!

[Ethan Wence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawn Boy Returns is a book about a kid who starts to mow lawns and makes big money.I thought it was a really good book, but a little below my reading level. It was more for 5th and 6th graders. It talks a lot about how to manage money and what you can do with your grandfathers old riding mower.
This book is about a middle school kid who wanted to make some money for a new game. So he had the PERFECT idea. He got his grandfathers old riding mower and started mowing lawns. And his stockbroker taught him all about making money. So within 6 weeks, he had made hundreds and thousands of dollars. How did he get it? Well, the prize fighter that he sponsors, Joey Pow, won a huge fight and he had an interview after the fight which made him famous. So by the end of the summer, he had a full business running with lots of people working for him.

[Noelle Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

“One minute I was 12 years old and wondering where I could get enough money for an innertube for my old 10 speed. And the next minute I’m a financial prodigy with my own business and a bunch of people working for me and a stock broker and a prizefighter of my own.”

Title: Lawn Boy Retuens
Author: Gary Paulsen

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a middle grade fiction book. It is the second in a series. I actually haven’t read the first one because I don’t have it yet.

Arnold has spent the summer making a large lawnmowing business. He’s also sponsoring a prize fighter called Joey Pow with his grandmother. Life has gotten to be a lot. Now he doesn’t even have time to ride the bike. He wanted to fix with the money he earned in the first place.

This was a cute short little middle grade read, loved it.

[Luke Robinett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was honestly such a good book. And very humorous too. They took care of the Jonas situation very maturely and exactly how it should have been handled. Well, kind of maturely anyways. They definitely handled it, but they only used pranks and such to get back at the people who were threatening Jonas. They wanted Jonas taken care of because Jonas did not throw the fight and let the champion win so they could get money. But Jonas went with his gut and won the match easily. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a funny and quick read.

[Rebekah Haas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Can a seventh grader sign legal documents? My parent's won't even let me buy the super-hyper-energy drink at the convenience store."

A classic read. It's not as much a sequel to Lawn Boy as the series is a duology. I read it in, I don't know, an hour? Maybe? It's a short, fast, enthralling read, so it didn't take much time at all.

A 12 year old boy finds himself the owner of a million dollar lawn care business after a stockbroker helps him invest in the stock market. In this book, they're getting kidnapping threats, IRA freezings, and publicity, which is a lot for a 12 year old to handle.

[Conner Leicht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paulsen’s sequel to Lawn Boy, the 12-year-old boy takes grandpa’s mower and earns lots of money. He uses the money to sponsor a prizefighter, Joey Pow. Pow wins a fight and earns everyone money. The problems that come with having money start to take over. Tax problems, people wanting a handout, and stress all lead to the lawn mowing business being shut down and life slowing down for the Lawn Boy.

[Angi Sada · Rating 3 out of 5]

It all started with a 10-speed bicycle in need of a new inner tube and a gifted used riding lawn mower. It became a full-time job for dozens of people and a 12-year-old CEO.
Lawn Boy Returns sees our unnamed hero return to ferry Joey Pow, the heavyweight boxer he sponsors, onto victory. Hilarity ensues while the lawn care business continues to bring in expand; his friends jump in on the action; and Joey's mysterious and sketchy cousin shows up in their quiet suburb. As Joey Pow's boxing star continues to rise, his sponsor continues to prosper while he navigates the very grown up world of contracts, employees and fans of his own.
Things get wild when another boxer's sponsor thinks it'll be easy to roll right over the 12-year-old boss and his team dreams up an intricate plan to shut down their bullying. Despite all the adrenaline, our narrator just wants to be a kid on summer vacation and sets about putting all these grown-up stresses to rest.
This lighthearted read is quick and easy, but just not as engaging as its predecessor. I'd still happily read this with any middle grade class. It's particularly accessible for readers working on improving comprehension and reading aloud. It lends itself well to group work like ladder reading.
Gary Paulsen is one of the greats for a reason. He can take a story that lesser writers would have written off as done and pull more humor from it than seems logical.

[Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did like the book but at the beginning of the book it starts out telling about the whole first book and telling about what happened in the first one so once you are through that part of the book it's really good and funny and I don't like reading at all my teacher is making me write this review against my will but its whatever

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a funny and cute sequel to Lawn Boy and continues on within the same summer too. It touches more on the aspects of entrepreneurship and the logistics (and legalities) of running a business when you're twelve and your parents are on vacation. It wraps up nicely too, but by the end there are inklings of new adventures...... Ice Cream Boy? :)

[Oscar Maquito · Rating 2 out of 5]

* 2.3/5

Unfortunately, I do not have and never read this recommendations for books other than this book written by Gary Paulsen part of the series "Lawn Boy" that you may be interested in reading. However, I already push more doing some deep understanding and very realsitic theme other than this book finding with a similar theme or tone.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sequel continues the original story of Lawn Boy written by Gary Paulson in 2000. It is a quick read, but might be a bit confusing to a young reader. There is a great deal going on with multiple characters to keep straight. I am glad that Paulsen wrote this book to conclude the story.

Lawn boy was just twelve years old and wanted to ern enough money to replace the inner tube on his ten speed bike. He inherited his grandfather's riding lawn mower and began mowing. He has no idea that he would become rich and famous all over a 12 week period.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like the first book, but I can’t stand not finishing series. So I read this one too. And while I am not a fan of this book either, I will say that it is at least a little better than the first.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

DescriptionGary Paulsen’s funny follow-up to Lawn Boy is full of big surprises and big laughs. Lawn Boy says: The summer I was twelve, mowing lawns with Grandpa’s old riding mower turned into big business. With advice from Arnold the stockbroker, I learned all about making money.

[Backoff51 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book by Gary Paulsen. One of many. About a young fellow who wants to make $7500 cutting lawns over the summer and ends up with over a million bucks when he meets an enthusiastic stock broker.

Only 101 pages. An easy and quick fun read.

[Michelle Glatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing, uncomplicated, plot-driven book. Good for striving or reluctant readers.