Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire

Tess is the kind of kid who likes to get straight to the point. So the story starts with a million Australian dollars tumbling out of her school locker as the police finally catch on to her. The rest of the story is us catching up to that point and going on the adventure with 10-year-old entrepreneur Tess and her wise and trustworthy best friend, Toby.

It’s quite a ride, and throws up all sorts of philosophical questions: the most of fun of which is definitely what you would do if you found a million dollars in your backyard? And how would you cope if your mum is kidnapped because of something you’ve done? Along with a menacing villain, there are some interesting questions here about truth, fraud, morality and underestimating people.

Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire was a big hit in Australia, and it’s not hard to see why. The book is fresh, fast and truly laugh-out-loud funny. packed full of wisdom and advice from Tess and others. There's also nice and natural inclusivity throughout, such as Toby having two mums.

Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire is fun, easy to read and full of the good stuff that ten year olds need to know, not least the last lesson: we all make mistakes, learn from them and change.