Lawn Boy

by Gary Paulsen

When the narrator's ditzy grandmother gives him his grandfather's old riding mower for his 12th birthday, his life changes.  The boy needs a tire for his bike, so he begins mowing lawns, having no idea where this will lead.  Since his family's lawn is postage-stamp size with grass that "never seemed to grow enough to need mowing," he's initially unsure what to do with the machine.   Almost as soon as he figures out how to run it, the boy is in business---by the second day he has eight jobs. When he mows the lawn of Arnold Howell, an aging hippie e-trader, the cash-poor man offers a stock-market account in lieu of payment. Arnold not only invests the money; he also offers business advice. Soon Lawn Boy has a partner, 15 employees, a lot of money invested in the market, and a prizefighter. Chapter headings suggest business principles behind what is happening. Throughout the tale, the narrator is innocent of his success as he rises early each morning to begin each job, eats lunch on the mower, and longs for a less-hectic summer vacation.

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