“The seventh-grade teachers of Stirling Middle School did not put any thought into the important task of assigning field trip partners.”

From Stacy McAnulty’s Millionaires for the Month.

When the quiet Felix is assigned to be field trip partner with the loud, obnoxious Benji, he is far from thrilled. Though they have attended the same school for most of their lives, the two boys are total opposites that would prefer to remain strangers. However, when the boys find a wallet on a New York City street and Benji takes the twenty they found inside buy lunch, their lives are forever changed. While Felix made sure the wallet was returned before the field trip was over, his family’s extremely tight finances made it impossible for him to repay the cash Benji took right away. When the boys learn that the wallet belongs to tech billionaire Laura Friendly, Felix worries while Benji is sure they’ll get a reward… even with the missing twenty. While Ms. Friendly does reach out in thanks for returning the wallet, she comments on the missing money, for which Benji to makes an excuse and gives Ms. Friendly an idea. Laura Friendly gives the boys a penny-doubled challenge for the month of November—a total of over $5 million dollars–that they must completely spend by December 1st. If the boys can successfully and secretly spend all the money, they’ll each be given $10 million with no restrictions, but if they don’t succeed in spending, they’ll lose everything. While there are a few rules to keep the boys in line with their spending, Felix and Benji soon finds themselves splurging on anything and everything their hearts desire. However, spending millions is harder than the two twelve-years-olds expected, and as the month goes by, life becomes more and more complicated.

This story is fun, but thought-provoking for all readers, regardless of age. The two main characters read with similar voices at the start of the book, which can be a bit confusing until they fully develop later in the story. Overall though, the story moves quickly and the characters are engaging, making Millionaires for the Month a must read.