It took me a little while to get into this book because at first the characters just didn't grab me. I found Felix to be much more likable than Benji and I cared a lot more about his outcome. The premise is fun but it just seemed to drag a bit, although I loved Freebie (again, it made Felix more likable). Definitely requires great suspension of disbelief, but if you want a fun read and an opportunity to discuss money, gratitude, and the importance of family, this could be a fun choice.

When Felix and Benji are paired together for their class trip, Felix isn’t exactly excited. Benji comes across as loud and obnoxious. During the field trip the boys find a wallet and it belongs to none other than billionaire Laura Friendly. Benji, convinced Ms. Friendly won’t miss the money, takes $20 out of her wallet and buys lunch.

After the boys give the wallet to a police officer, it is returned to Ms. Friendly. She decides to challenge the boys to a game. She will give them the equivalent of a penny doubled every day over the course of 30 days, which comes out to over five million dollars. If the boys can spend all the money within 30 days, she’ll give them each $10 million. But there are rules. Rules about what they can buy. Rules about who they can tell about the game. Rules about what they can keep after 30 days. They can’t buy anything for other people and they can’t tell anyone about the game- not even their parents.

Can the boys spend the money by the end of the month? Will they lose family and friends in the process? Who knew spending money could be so hard!?

This is a sweet story of friendship and forgiveness. I found myself laughing out loud many times as I was reading.

I’m eager to know how my sixth graders would spend the money and I know many will enjoy contemplating which purchases they would make themselves as they read this book.

Millionaires for the Month reminded me a lot of The Princess Diaries. Benji and Felix suddenly become millionaires in the same way Mia Thermopolis suddenly becomes a princess. Navigating being a teenager is hard enough, but each situation helps the characters recognize what is truly important in their lives.

Thank you to Random House for sharing an eArc with #BookAllies in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me an e-arc of this book. All thoughts are my own.
I think this book is cute for middle-grade students. Even though I may not have enjoyed it, I think some kids will.

There is always something to learn from a story and this book definitely presented itself not only as a good novel, but also a wonderful things to teach kids that money cannot buy anything and that friendship is such a wonderful thing.

Could you spend $5 million in a month? Sounds like fun, but what if you are prohibited from donating to charity, investing in assets, and giving gifts. That makes it a whole lot more challenging. Can two 12-year-old boys win the challenge and earn $10 million each? They sure do find some creative ways to spend the money. That's for sure. Will the experience bond make Benji and Felix best friends, or will the money eventually drive them apart? As a parent what was hardest for me was to watch these boys look like a couple of spoiled rich brats and not be able to go to their own parents for advice. Not a good prescription for family togetherness. On the other hand, some of the best books in middle grade fiction show what kids can do when they are not micromanaged. So, I do think kids will be entertained when reading this book. There are some intriguing financial equations included at the end.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Benji and Felix were assigned as field trip partners much to their disgust and resentment on the day they found billionaire Laura Friendly's wallet. After rule bender Benji helps himself to $20 to buy lunch for himself and rule follower Felix returns the wallet. Laura, knowing the $20 was missing when the wallet was returned, confronts the boys who do pay her back. As part of their apology/defense they tell her she can afford it, so she challenges them to a "penny doubled challenge." A penny doubled for 3o days results in $5,368,709.12, the exact amount she challenges them to spend in 30 days time. There are of course rules attached. As they spend time and money together, Benji and Felix also become friends.

This was a fun story the that reminded me of the 80s movie hit "Brewster's Millions" starring Richard Pryor and John Candy, only with 7th graders instead of adults. Great addition to an elementary/middle school library.

Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty was a wonderful book!
Seventh graders Felix and Benji are on a field trip when they find a wallet belonging to a billioinaire on the ground. The boys 'borrow' $20 thinking the billionaire won't miss it, but the billionaire finds out and gives them a challenge. Felix and Benji are tasked with spending over $5 million dollars in a month, but there are rules such as no investments, no buying houses or cars, and they can't tell anyone. The boys think everything's easy, and from buying pizza every day to flying across the country on a private jet they think they've got it all, but they quickly learn that money isn't everything.
As soon as I read the description I knew I wanted to read this book and I loved the story and the characters! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Kids for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for a review.

4.5 stars! Millionaires for the Month is my second Stacy McAnulty middle grade novel and I loved it just as much as Lightning Girl! Millionaires is lightly upbeat like a Gordon Korman but innocently serious like Kelly Yang - the sweet spot in the realistic fiction genre. Two boys have a month to spend excess of $5 million but there are a lot of restrictions. How does the money affect their relationships, not just with each other but their family and friends? And what will they win? I was pulled in right away and curious how the story would end. It was I read it in a sitting and I'm really looking forward to getting a paper copy for my classroom to share with students. Thanks so much to #NetGalley for the opportunity to preview #MillionairesfortheMonth by Stacy McAnulty. I loved it!

What a fun book! Great concept and the characters are very likable. Quick, light, and easy read. The math equations at the end of the book are a great addition.

I love how imaginative this book is. It tells the story of two boys who find a billionaire's wallet and take out $20........ keep reading to find out what happens. You could never find a crazy story like this one anywhere in the world. It blends the theme of friends, money, and family all into one amazing book. I really enjoyed this book. This book is perfect for readers ages 8-12.

Upon finishing this book, I went directly to the recommendation form for our 2021-2022 battle of the books list and promptly plopped this title in there! I think this book could win the heart of any reader you hand it to. It was super fun and hard to put down! It brings an interesting math/financial concept to life. It makes you want to plan out how you would spend it, and it makes you realize how you'd really want to spend it if no rules were involved. The suspense of whether or not they will be successful at the game at hand keeps you flipping page after page. The characters are likeable and relateable. This book tugs at the heart, as it covers a range of meaningful messages in regards to family, friendship, budding romance, and what really is important in life.

Wow! Just wow. I so loved this book. I could not stop reading this book because I just HAD to see what would happen next! This book was a dream come true for me. Over $5 million dollars to spend in one month?! Oh, the joy! The things I would do and buy, and the places I would go!! Oh, wait, not so fast. Felix and Benji, the two main characters in this book were given exactly that challenge only there were rules such as no real estate, no cars, and many more. The result is an edge of your seat account of how two very different boys worked to conquer the challenge and spend the money. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered as I traveled along with the boys on their spending journey. During the course of their travels, they (and everyone who interacted with them) learned from this experience. They made new friends in unlikely places (and maybe an enemy or two) and learned about money and spending. Perhaps even more important, they learned about themselves, friendship, honesty, and the importance of family, Middle-grade students will love this book. And I am proof that it is a good read for adults as well. I also appreciated that Felix's sister, Georgie is gay because, as a mom of a lesbian daughter, I feel like it will be helpful to gay readers. I wish there were more books so those who are gay (especially children) will read and feel like they belong. I am so thankful that I discovered this awesome author and book. Now I will have to get my hands on her other books. In the meantime......what would YOU rather have.......a penny doubled every day for a month or a million dollars?!? Did Benji and Felix succeed in spending all their money?!! You'll have to read the book to find out (and you'll be glad you did!).

When Benji and Felix find a wallet belong to an ultra rich woman they think they are on the road to easy street. But when she offers them the chance to earn more by doing a challenge - equivalent to earning a penny day one and then doubling it each day for a month - they jump at it. But the challenge has rules that end up making them look selfish. Can they spend all that money in a month and then have enough to be truly generous?

I liked the concept and the way it was playing out. I think the parents let the spending go on way too long without really questioning it but our readers probably won't care. It was fun.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Interesting premise - two 12-year olds need to spend over 5 million dollars in one month. The catch is they can't tell anyone. The giver sets up a set of rules so they can't donate money or buy gifts for anyone else. Felix and Benji quickly learn how difficult spending this much money can be.
The humor comes through on top of the underlying message. The ridiculous excess exposed in this book's story should make readers think. The math formulas are shared at the end of the book. Excellent story to use to talk about saving rather than spending.

Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me read Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty. Little do Felix and Benji know that their unfortunate partnership on a field trip will lead to a 5 million dollar fortune! Sort of. Felix and Benji have to spend 5 million dollars in one month. This will require them to work together and actually get along. Can they do it?! I couldn’t put this book down. I kept wondering what they would spend their money on next, as well as hoping for a happy ending for everyone involved. Stacy McAnulty does not disappoint, once again! I will definitely be recommending this book to my students this year.

Day 69: #millionairesforthemonth by @stacymcanulty was such a feel good #read with such an interesting and fun concept!
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Felix and Benji are opposites in a lot of ways: Felix is short, Benji is tall; Felix’s mom struggles to make ends meet while Benji vacations in Aruba; Felix is quiet, while Benji loves attention any way he can get it, but when they return a found wallet on a school field trip to a billionaire, both boys are eager to win some money. But that money comes with strings: they have to spend $5 million dollars by the end of the month to win $10 million to keep. Sound easy? Benji and Felix thought so too...
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Stacy is such an amazing #middlegradeauthor of both #fiction & #nonfiction. Her #books usually involve math as well, which always make her stand out to me. Interweaving math and ELA at this critical age is so important and I love that she continues to do this in her writing. Be sure to grab this one on September 1! Thank you @netgalley for this ARC.

This is such a fun story for kids. I even enjoyed the math at the end. Benji and Felix were the most unlikely friends, but as fate would decide - they became business partners, in the oddest way. Sharing and spending 5 million dollars in a month. There were a lot, and I mean A LOT, of rules and stipulations to this 5 million. They learned a lot about who they each were, a lot of philosophical knowledge about the mind of others, and that money definitely doesn’t mean as much as we like to think it does.
In the end, do your best with what you have, work hard for what you want, and be a good friend.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of Millionaires for the Month in return for an honest review.

Stacy McNulty continues to knock it out of the park with middle grade novels!

Spending 5 million dollars in a month should be easy, right? Buy your family a nice house, donate to charity, and splurge on something for yourself. Seventh graders Benji and Felix are about to find out that it's not that simple! MILLIONAIRES FOR THE MONTH is a charming, often humorous story about the "real cost" of becoming overnight millionaires. Once again, Stacy McAnulty has written a must have for all middle school libraries!

How would you spend 5+ million dollars in thirty days? What a great story of choices, friendship, and learning what is really important. This story will open the eyes of the ones who feel that money will "fix everything". Careful what you wish for!!!!!