The toothpaste millionaire

Title:

Author:

Summary:

Sixth-grader Rufus Mayflower doesn't set out to become a millionaire. He just wants to save on toothpaste. Betting he can make a gallon of his own for the same price as one tube from the store, Rufus develops a step-by-step production plan with help from his good friend Kate MacKinstrey. By the time he reaches the eighth grade, Rufus makes more than a gallon -- he makes a million! This fun, breezy story set in 1960s Cleveland, Ohio contains many real-life mathematical problems which the characters must solve to succeed in their budding business. -- Amazon.com.

General Note:

"35th Anniversary"--Page [4] of jacket.

Includes an exclusive interview with the author and a reader's guide.

Physical Description:

129 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Program Information:

Accelerated Reader MG 5 3.

Accelerated Reader AR MG 5.0 3.0 195.

Subject Term:

Business enterprises -- Juvenile fiction.

Mathematics -- Juvenile fiction.

Geographic Term:

Cleveland (Ohio) -- Juvenile fiction.

Author(s):

Palmer, Jan,

Publisher:

Prepared by the Bank Street College of Education, Houghton Mifflin Company,

Electronic Access:

Table of contents
Contributor biographical information
Publisher description

Publication Date:

2006

ISBN:

9780618759248

9780618759255

9781415695135

9781417783625

Publication Information:

Boston : Prepared by the Bank Street College of Education, Houghton Mifflin Company, [2006]

Award Note:

Sequoyah Award, 1977

Dorothy Canfield Memorial Children's Book Award

Call Number:

J MERRILL

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode

33607003544536

Collection

Juvenile Fiction

Call Number

MERRILL

Status

Searching...

Item Holds

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Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

This 35th anniversary edition includes an exclusive author interview and reader's guide with book summary and discussion questions.

Author Notes

Jean Merrill was born in Rochester, New York on January 27, 1923. She received an undergraduate degree from Allegheny College and a master's degree in English from Wellesley College in 1945. After graduation, she worked as an editor for Scholastic Magazine.

Her first book, Henry the Hand-Painted Mouse, was published in 1951. In 1952 she received a Fulbright Fellowship to study folklore at the University of Madras in India. She later based several of her books on Asian folk stories including Shan's Lucky Knife, The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars, and The Superlative Horse, which won a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. Her other books include A Song for Gar, Blue's Broken Heart, and The Pushcart War, which won a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. She also wrote a dozen scripts for animated television adaptations of her work. The Toothpaste Millionaire was adapted for television in 1974. She died from cancer on August 2, 2012 at the age of 89.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-7-With hard work and ingenuity, even a middle school student can make a million dollars. At least that's what happens to Rufus Mayflower, the hero of Jean Merrill's novel (HM, 1974) that takes place in a racially mixed neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. The Toothpaste Millionaire recounts how the young entrepreneur, dismayed over the high price of toothpaste, decides to make his own inexpensive alternative which he sells door to door. Eventually this leads to a television appearance which increases demand for his product. He gets involved in an all out battle between top toothpaste brand manufacturers worried about market share. All of these fictional but almost believable events are chronicled by Rufus' good friend and business associate, Katy. Concerns about possible racial discrimination are mentioned, but the main focus of the book is on clever problem solving and how it can lead to great rewards. Narrator Julie Dretzin presents the story in a well-paced and youthful style. The caricature cover art showing a jaunty Rufus sitting on a pile of money adds eye appeal to the sturdy plastic case. Young listeners with an interest in making money will learn that teamwork and a willingness to keep trying are key elements for success.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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