THE CONFE$$ION$ AND $ECRET$ OF HOWARD J. FINGERHUT

Many entrepreneurs write about their successes, but Howie Fingerhut tells it all in his how-to book for success. Written with a sense of humor and a positive attitude, Howie’s journal chronicles the year of the H. Marion Muckley Junior Businessperson of the Year contest. Promised a trophy and a year’s worth of frozen desserts, Howie and his classmates each develop their own business in the attempt to outwit one another and win the prize. Howie plans to rake, shovel, and plant his way to riches as “A Boy for All Seasons,” while his classmates start equally challenging businesses such as tutor, Web designer, and bill collector. Unfortunately, Howie is bogged down with city ordinances outlawing pumpkin-colored garbage bags; blizzard-like snowstorms requiring hours of shoveling; and dead-beat customers who refuse to pay for his services. Even with his balance sheet in the red, though, Howie manages to keep smiling and writing through it all. Fortunately, he also has the foresight to provide suggestions to his future editor as to the illustrations and photographs that should appear in his manuscript, going so far as to leave space for them. Reading this might not “change your life,” as Howie suggests, but no one will be able to resist its spirit. (Fiction. 8-12)