One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold.
If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.
WINNER IRA CBC Children's Choice
WINNER Texas Bluebonnet Master List
WINNER New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
WINNER Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
WINNER
| 2010 Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
WINNER
| 2008 NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies
WINNER
| 2008 New Mexico Book Award
WINNER
| 2008 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
WINNER
| 2007 Parents' Choice Award
NOMINEE New York State Charlotte Award
HONOR Arkansas Charlie May Simon Award
NOMINEE Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award
NOMINEE Washington Sasquatch Reading Program
NOMINEE Virginia Young Readers Program Award
NOMINEE South Carolina Children's Book Award
NOMINEE North Carolina Children's Book Award
NOMINEE Kentucky Bluegrass Award
NOMINEE New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
NOMINEE Florida Sunshine State Book Award
NOMINEE Indiana Young Hoosier Award
NOMINEE Maine Student Book Award
NOMINEE New Hampshire Great Stone Face Children's Book Award
HONOR
| 2010 Arkansas Charlie May Simon Award
NOMINEE
| 2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award
NOMINEE
| 2008 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
Starred review, Booklist, April 15, 2007: "[A] short and hilarious tale . . . When it comes to telling funny stories about boys, no one surpasses Paulsen, and here he is in top form."
“Paulsen has mastered the very hard trick of sounding exactly like a twelveyear- old without being either cute or condescending.” —The New York Times Book Review
Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the American Library Association for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature. Among his Random House books are Road Trip (written with his son, Jim Paulsen); Family Ties; Vote; Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Notes from the Dog; The Amazing Life of Birds; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts; and five books about Francis Tucket's adventures in the Old West. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean.
View titles by Gary Paulsen
One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold.
If I'd known what was coming, I might have climbed on my mower and putted all the way home to hide in my room. But the lawn business grew and grew. So did my profits, which Arnold invested in many things. And one of them was Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th summer got really interesting.
Awards
WINNER IRA CBC Children's Choice
WINNER Texas Bluebonnet Master List
WINNER New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
WINNER Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
WINNER
| 2010 Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
WINNER
| 2008 NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies
WINNER
| 2008 New Mexico Book Award
WINNER
| 2008 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
WINNER
| 2007 Parents' Choice Award
NOMINEE New York State Charlotte Award
HONOR Arkansas Charlie May Simon Award
NOMINEE Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award
NOMINEE Washington Sasquatch Reading Program
NOMINEE Virginia Young Readers Program Award
NOMINEE South Carolina Children's Book Award
NOMINEE North Carolina Children's Book Award
NOMINEE Kentucky Bluegrass Award
NOMINEE New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
NOMINEE Florida Sunshine State Book Award
NOMINEE Indiana Young Hoosier Award
NOMINEE Maine Student Book Award
NOMINEE New Hampshire Great Stone Face Children's Book Award
HONOR
| 2010 Arkansas Charlie May Simon Award
NOMINEE
| 2008 Texas Bluebonnet Award
NOMINEE
| 2008 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
Praise
Starred review, Booklist, April 15, 2007: "[A] short and hilarious tale . . . When it comes to telling funny stories about boys, no one surpasses Paulsen, and here he is in top form."
“Paulsen has mastered the very hard trick of sounding exactly like a twelveyear- old without being either cute or condescending.” —The New York Times Book Review
Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the American Library Association for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature. Among his Random House books are Road Trip (written with his son, Jim Paulsen); Family Ties; Vote; Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Notes from the Dog; The Amazing Life of Birds; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts; and five books about Francis Tucket's adventures in the Old West. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean.
View titles by Gary Paulsen
