Review by Booklist Review
Finders keepers? Or honesty is the best policy? Ruben wishes he had a shiny new bicycle, like his friend Sergio, but money is tight for Ruben's parents, so the chances of that happening are slim. When Ruben scoops up what he assumes is a dollar bill dropped by a neighbor, he is conflicted about returning it. Later he discovers it is actually a $100 bill enough to buy a new bike. When he misplaces the bill, Ruben suddenly understands how it feels to lose something valuable, and realizes what is the right thing to do. Despite the money issues, it is apparent in both the text and illustrations that Ruben has a fairly comfortable life with loving, supportive parents. The colorful mixed-media illustrations show a well-appointed school and a friendly urban setting with just the right amount of detail to allow the important interpersonal dynamics to be front and center. While Ruben's act of honesty doesn't guarantee he'll get a bike, his birthday is approaching, so there is hope.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ruben, the young narrator of this story from the team behind Those Shoes (2007), knows that his family can't afford the bike he yearns for. "Wishes won't make money appear," he confides to readers. "Ask your parents again," urges his bike-riding friend Sergio, who doesn't seem to realize the limitations of Ruben's circumstances. Then one day, a woman unknowingly drops a $100 bill in the grocery store. If Ruben doesn't return it, he can buy the bike-but how will he explain it to his parents? Boelts lays out Ruben's ethical dilemma and emotional turmoil without preaching, and his struggle and journey toward the moral choice-which includes an interlude in which he believes he has lost the money-is both dramatic and genuine. Jones's mixed-media illustrations capture the scuffed-up feel of Ruben's urban neighborhood, as well as the sweet earnestness of the bespectacled hero and his multiracial family. "I am happy and mixed up, full and empty, with what's right and what's gone," says Ruben after returning the money. Readers will second those emotions. Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Scott Treimel, Scott Treimel NY. Illustrator's agent: Edward Necarsulmer IV, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Ruben wants a bike like Sergio's and ones his other friends ride, but his family cannot afford one. Fate seems to help him find a way to pay for a bike when a lady inadvertently drops a $100 bill while checking out at the grocery store. No one notices as Ruben stashes the bill in his backpack. The text is lively. "My hands are shaking. That money is enough for a bike like Sergio's. Then I won't have to run; I'll be riding." Semirealistic cartoon illustrations have readers rooting for Ruben to do the right thing. At first, he is excited, envisioning spending the money on a new bike, but eventually he starts feeling guilty. Ruben's conscience eats at him, especially when he cannot find the $100 bill. He searches everywhere before finally locating it in another pocket. Relieved, Ruben decides he will do the right thing and soon gets his chance to make things right. When doing an errand for his mom at the grocery store, he runs into the same woman who lost the bill. He returns it and goes home to tell his family what happened. The book ends as he basks in his parents' pride. This title hits on the issues of poverty, peer pressure, and self-control. VERDICT Parents of all economic backgrounds can use this selection to start a conversation about right and wrong, but kids might find the ending less than satisfying.-Robin Sofge, Alexandria Library, VA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This tale of temptation, ethics, guilt, and family love is firmly grounded in the economic realities of today, as was the earlier collaboration between Boelts and Jones, Those Shoes (rev. 11/07). Narrator Rubens friend Sergio forgets that theres a difference between his birthday and mine when he encourages Ruben to ask his parents for a new bike for his birthday. Ruben, whose family struggles to pay the bills, knows that wishes wont make money appear. But when a woman in the grocery store drops what Ruben thinks is just a dollar and he picks it up and later finds that its a hundred-dollar bill, he starts to believe his wish for a bike might come true. Joness watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations depict Rubens family life as no-frills but happy: there are dishes in the sink of the apartment and toddlers banging on pots and pans. Boelts does an equally fine job of conveying the lure of owning what other kids own, alongside the inevitable guilt that Ruben feels when he thinks he has lost the money and goes looking for it (Leaves and money look the same. Rain and tears feel the same) and when he bumps into the rightful owner. The resolution is realistic for a kid with a loving, supportive family, and it leaves plenty of room for talking about what is most important in life from an authentically childlike perspective. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergios. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonnys Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Rubens chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: I remember how it was for me when that money that was hersthen minewas gone. When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, happy and mixed up, full and empty. Readers will be pleased that theres no reward for Rubens choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a familys care and pride. Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
