Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 09/01/2020 Gr 4–8—The saying "money can't buy happiness" has been tested time and again, but what about spending money—specifically five million dollars? While on a school field trip, the unlikely duo Felix Rannells and Benji Porter discover the lost wallet of tech mogul and billionaire Laura Friendly. As the teen boys failed to return the wallet without spending $20 on lunch first, Friendly offers them a challenge: spend five million dollars in 30 days in order to receive a penny doubled each day, meaning $5,368,709.12! From private trips to Disney World, whole school pizza lunches everyday, to a personal driver, the teens rake up quite the bill—but what will they lose as they gain? With specific rules such as preventing purchases for anyone else, the boys risk looking like (or becoming) selfish jerks. Highly reminiscent of the film Brewster's Millions, McAnulty's work will engage a new generation with a fresh teen perspective. Readers will cheer Felix and Benji through their quest, indulge as they imagine the possibilities of spending five million dollars, but also feel stressed as the money threatens family, friends, and their moral compasses. The quick pace of the challenge is mirrored by short chapters and alternating perspectives between the boys, heightening reader engagement. Each chapter also provides a check-in on the boys' total spending to keep readers on track and to offer some light math concepts. VERDICT This novel's unpredictable money twists, paired with the notion of spending five million dollars, topped with a sprinkling of pop culture references, will captivate tweens.—Mary-Brook J. Townsend, The McGillis Sch., Salt Lake City - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.