Tag Archives: investing

On Your Mark, Get Set, INVEST! by Luke Villermin (Book Review)

A KID’S GUIDE TO SAVING MONEY, SPENDING WISELY, AND INVESTING IN THE STOCK MARKET

Feet thumping and arms swinging, Thrifty Tortoise and Ritzy Rabbit set off on a race to the finish line. At the end awaits a brand-new bike! Follow this competition to see who can earn, save, and invest their way to the ultimate prize. Lots of money decisions will be made along the way—some good and some bad—but you’ll get to learn from them all!

Geared for kids ages 8 to 12, On Your Mark, Get Set, INVEST provides seven engaging chapters to simplify the essential concepts of personal finance and money management…many of which are not taught in schools. You will find answers to questions like:

  • Where does money come from, what do I need it for, and where do I store it?
  • Why will I be better off later if I spend less and save more now?
  • How does creating a budget help me reach my money goals?
  • What is the stock market, and how is compounding a kid’s most awesome superpower?

With over a dozen interactive worksheets, fun illustrations, and kid-friendly examples, this book will get you closer to the finish line with every turn of the page.

Reading Age: 8 – 12 years

 

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

On Your Mark, Get Set, INVEST! by Luke Villermin is a kid’s guide to saving money, spending wisely, and investing in the stock market. As caregivers (parents and educators), we need to take the time to educate children on the value of money and not just a quarter is worth 25 cents, a penny is a cent, and so on. Kids need to realize the importance of money coming into a home and money leaving home and (also) planning for their future. 

On Your Mark, Get Set, INVEST! teaches real-world money lessons through familiar characters (Tortoise and the Hare), simple explanations, charts, and graphs. Despite the cutesy images, this book might be best suited for upper elementary students and older. 

There are numerous bolded words and phrases that would be extra beneficial for teachers when they are developing a lesson plan. Besides the vocabulary lesson, On Your Mark, Get Set, INVEST! by Luke Villermin has plenty of hands-on activities to help a teacher or parent help explain key financial areas: complete the chart, track your savings, personal budget worksheet, and even a stock wishlist. I loved the book discussed debt, bills, and taxes. Three subjects that kids will be facing sooner than they think. Time does fly! 

I wish I had this book when my daughter took a junior high finance course last year. She aced the course but had a lot of questions, and her instructor didn’t simplify it as this book did. 

When my children want a big ticket item, I have them work for it. It teaches them to appreciate the money they earn and makes them rethink if they’re going to spend it on their “I got to have it now” item. On more than one occasion, once they’ve saved up the necessary funds, my children changed their minds about spending their hard-earned dough.

Parents, and educators, I implore you to share this book with your family and class. It makes learning about money management fun. Plus, adults might learn a thing or two as you share this book with them. For instance, I learned the symbols for several currencies around the world. 

Review written/submitted to Reedsy on 8/3/22. #KamsPlace

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤❤

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

About the Author

Luke Villermin opened a retirement account and started investing at fifteen years old. His only regret…he didn’t start earlier. Since then, he’s become the best-selling author of the Invest Now Play Later series and has shared his investing knowledge on multiple podcasts and interviews.

Reedsy Author Link

Website Link

 

 

 

 

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KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss (Book Review)

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Chance Sterling launches a pool cleaning business over the summer. Join Chance as he looks for new customers, discovers how much to charge them, takes on a business partner, recruits an employee, deals with difficult clients, and figures out how to make a profit. He has twelve weeks to reach his goal. Will he make it? Only if he takes some chances.

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

 
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
 
 
 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 
Whether you are opening a roadside lemon stand, mowing grass, babysitting, or embarking on a larger-scale business, your child should read KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue (Vol. 1) by Steve Searfoss.

When Steve Searfoss said, “Math is your friend,” he couldn’t have been more correct. In business, you need to understand key terms such as profit and loss, expenses, and venture capitalist. These words and many other words used in KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue (Vol. 1) would be perfect glossary and spelling words for a classroom setting. 
 
Extended Activity: Have your students create a flyer like Addie did and present it to the class. Homeschool students can also partake in this activity! 


Math lesson: Steve Searfoss offers various scenarios in which Chance can make more money by gaining more customers or increasing rates. He also discusses unexpected expenses. It’s broken down in a simple format. Extend the math lesson by importing your own prices and have the students solve the equations.  

 

KidVenture: Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue (KidVenture Vol. 1) also offers numerous discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Example: “How could you get more leverage?” “Would you take on a new partner? Why?”
With all the possibilities for extended learning activities, I encourage ALL households and schools to add and use this book. It’s a great learning tool, plus the story is very entertaining. Even the illustrations are fantastic. 
My score will be a 5, but I wish I could give it more. Outstanding job, Steve Searfoss.  
 
 
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 
❤❤ (deserves more) 
 
 
 
 
 
Meet the Author:

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I wrote my first KidVenture book after years of making up stories to teach my kids about business and economics. Whenever they’d ask how something works or why things were a certain way, I would say, “Let’s pretend you have a business that sells…” and off we’d go. What would start as a simple hypothetical to explain a concept would become an adventure spanning several days as my kids would come back with new questions which would spawn more plot twists. Rather than give them quick answers, I tried to create cliffhangers to get them to really think through an idea and make the experience as interactive as possible.

I try to bring that same spirit of fun, curiosity and challenge to each KidVenture book. That’s why every chapter ends with a dilemma and a set of questions. KidVenture books are fun for kids to read alone, and even more fun to read together and discuss. There are plenty of books where kids learn about being doctors and astronauts and firefighters. There are hardly any where they learn what it’s like to run small business. KidVenture is different. The companies the kids start are modest and simple, but the themes are serious and important.

I’m an entrepreneur who has started a half dozen or so businesses and have had my share of failures. My dad was an entrepreneur and as a kid I used to love asking him about his business and learning the ins and outs of what to do and not do. Mistakes make the best stories — and the best lessons. I wanted to write a business book that was realistic, where you get to see the characters stumble and wander and reset, the way entrepreneurs do in real life. Unlike most books and movies where business is portrayed as easy, where all you need is one good idea and the desire to be successful, the characters in KidVenture find that every day brings new problems to solve.

 
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