Lunch Money

When I first flipped opening Lunch Money, I felt that it would just be a book about school life like other campus novels. But after I finished reading it, I found it was totally different from others. It is an original creation not only about teenagers’ financial management but also about the conflict between new ideas and the old concepts. Those topics made this novel more impressive, especially with simple description but meaningful perspectives inside the story.

Greg Kenton, who has great talent for making money, is the main character in the story. One day, he was waiting in line at the school cafeteria and watching other students buying some snacks or stationary from the vendor with their own pocket money. He suddenly realized that school was just like a huge piggy bank where he could make tons of money, and then he came up with an idea to sell small things such as toys or mini comic books to the students. Yet there were two biggest impediments in front of Greg, Maura, his adversary in the comic book business, and the ban on selling stuffs on campus from the principal. Fortunately, with Mr.Z’s help, the two rivals got united and finally did a great job.

In nowadays’ education, especially in Taiwan, students are always taught to be obedient, so we don’t have too much freedom to do what we actually want. In the story, to obtain permission to sell comic books, Greg and Maura had to give a presentation to the school committee. Also, the principal would deliver her speech right after they finished. How much courage it needs to do this! When I was reading this part, I was highly touched. Even an elementary student could stand out and fight for his right without fear, and insist on what he really wanted to do. Like Greg, we students might have many creative thoughts or some disagreements toward either the school or the whole society. If no one can do as Greg did, then the unreasonable problem couldn’t be solved forever, which makes us go nowhere.

Another important ingredient in this novel is friendship. Greg and Maura were enemies first. As the novel described, ” They’re like positive and negative numbers, always trying to cancel each out” Mr. Z just took this sentence for the description of the relationship between them. Nevertheless, the two former rivals united against an adversary tougher than they ever were to each other. What made this amazement come true? I think it is their common interest in comic books and the same goal they fought for together. Studying in a girls’ school, almost everyone had faced either difficulties or frustrations keeping a friendship with others. Sometimes we would view somebody as an enemy, yet at those times, we were usually deceived by the prejudice we had before. But if we calm down and try to see that person in another perspective, maybe we could find some new discovery just as in the epilogue Maura thought that Greg was a little bit cute.

Through this book, I can not only be impressed by the story but also start to examine myself closely, seeing many different perspectives from every single character, and having new viewpoints at the same time. When facing some unfair situations, am I brave enough to stand out? Lunch Money also gives me the courage to fight for our right. If elementary students can do it, then why can’t I? In my opinion, Lunch Money is a highly-recommended novel to both adults and children alike, and people of all ages can learn some new and important issues from this novel.