Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

For the first five chapters of Stacy McAnulty’s Millionaires for the Month, I felt like I was reading a new book (which I was, in fact, doing); there was tension between the characters, I was wondering how the initial conflict was going to work out (or escalate), and the eventual plot direction wasn’t yet clear. By the eighth chapter, however, I realized that I was reading a 21st century middle grade buddy version of “Brewster’s Millions.” (Which I googled, by the way. The 1985 film with Richard Pryor, which I saw taped off of TV as a kid, is apparently only one of multiple adaptions of the original novel, which was written in 1902. Who knew?) If you’re not familiar, it involves someone having to spend a large sum of money in a set amount of time in order to win a much larger sum of money; there are rules about assets that can be acquired and ways in which the money can and cannot be spent, the someone isn’t allowed to tell anyone in his life the truth, and it’s a much different experience than the spender(s) initially believed it would be.

Yeah, that pretty much covers it.

On the one hand, I think the intended audience will enjoy the journey, and it might just teach them something about money and the value (or lack of value) thereof in the process. If you have middle graders in your life–especially boys–it’s a great choice. And if you don’t want to read a cranky-ish adult perspective on the book, feel free to stop here.

Still reading? Okay, since I’m wearing my cranky-ish pants, I have to say that it was enough of a remake that it dragged a bit for me; they’re spending the money, they can’t tell anyone, their families are upset, it’s hard and not as fun as they hoped it would be, they’re hurting the people in their lives–blah, blah, blah. (If the plot’s new for you, though, great. I would have enjoyed it much more had that been the case.) My other complaints, however, involve Felix’s sister’s reaction at the wedding (okay, also Benji’s dad’s), and the fact that McAnulty suggests that Benji may have a learning disability (not explicitly, but it’s definitely there) and then NEVER DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Why bring it up if you’re not going to go anywhere with it? If you don’t want to go anywhere with it, why have it there at all? Benji’s life situation doesn’t support the idea of it going undiagnosed and him struggling unseen for years–not convincingly–and so it just feels like a thread introduced and then left hanging. (As for the wedding reactions, really? REALLY?) And lastly? As a parent, so much no. Adults are one thing, but kids placed in such a position while sworn to secrecy is not okay.

Okay, I’ll try and wriggle out of the cranky-ish pants now. Like I said, it ought to be a good read for its intended audience, and if the story hadn’t been familiar to me, I would have enjoyed it more. (Some stories are far more fun to relive than others.) So far, however, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl is still my favorite McAnulty novel.