From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7 Eric Greene, 12, looks after little Jimmy, his next door neighbor who is confined to a wheelchair. Jimmy covets a pair of red leather cowboy boots that he spotted in a newspaper ad, and Eric sets his heart on earning the $17.99 needed to buy the boots. Thus begins an adequate but not particularly engaging plot in which Eric wheels and deals and creates a swap system among his friends that will eventually turn up enough assets to buy Jimmy the boots. The long, complex sentences and the often difficult vocabulary slow down the predictable and not very convincing plot. The drive that Eric feels to buy Jimmy his boots is touching, as is their relationship, but the story lacks credibility or a hint of suspense. For a similar lesson about earning money, with a more original edge, try First Things First (Atheneum, 1986) by Kristi Holl. Karen Levi, Albany Public Library, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
A funny story about 12 year old Eric Greene, who devises a plan to make some money fast and in the process makes some surprising discoveries. His reasons are that he can't let the boy he babysits for go without the red and black cowboy boots he's set his heart on - even though he will never walk. Eloise McGraw is the author of "Mara, Daughter of the Nile" and "Master Cornhill" both published by Puffin.