Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Atheneum (An Aladdin Book)
Pages
32
Description
Although Alexander and his money are quickly parted, he comes to realize all the things that can be done with a dollar.
Description
Where does money go? Last Sunday, Alexander's Grandma Betty and Grandpa Louie gave him a dollar. And he was rich. There were so many things he could do with all of that money. Like buy as much gum as he wanted, or even buy a walkie-talkie, if he kept saving. But he was rich last Sunday. Well, let's see, there was bubble gum, and then bets with Anthony and Nicholas (that Alexander lost). Now Alexander plunges his hands in his pockets and finds only...bus tokens. It's not fair. His brother, Anthony, has two dollars, three quarters, one dime, seven nickels and eighteen pennies. His other brother, Nicholas, seems to have even more. Alexander even tries to make some money back by taking unrefundable bottles to Friendly Market. Well, the people there weren't so friendly.
In yet another Alexander book, author Viorst presents readers with the eternally likeable curmudgeon, who always seems to agonize himself through life. Ray Cruz contributes the appealingly scruffy crosshatch illustrations. Horn Book describes this as a "tongue-in-cheek introduction to money and finance."
In yet another Alexander book, author Viorst presents readers with the eternally likeable curmudgeon, who always seems to agonize himself through life. Ray Cruz contributes the appealingly scruffy crosshatch illustrations. Horn Book describes this as a "tongue-in-cheek introduction to money and finance."
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1978
Physical description
32 p.; 7 x 5.4 inches
ISBN
0689704763 / 9780689704765
Similar in this library
Lexile
L
User reviews
LibraryThing member Leshauck
Kids love getting money. Kids also like to spend their money. Alexander faces these problems in this book
LibraryThing member Katie20
This was a really cute book about a young boy who always ends up having a bad situation. The boy is Alexander. He gets a dollar from his parents and is told to buy crazy things that he does not need, but in the end he realizes that a dollar does go along way. This teaches children that just because
Show More
their money is gone look positive and see all of the things you got out of the experience. Show Less
LibraryThing member amspicer
Trying to teach your child about the value of money? Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday is the perfect icebreaker to start off that conversation...This is a story about a boy who cannot save his money. Whenever he has money he spends it. Will he ever learn his lesson? This book explains
Show More
various different things that children could do with their money in a realistic way. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lakapp
“Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday” written by Judith Viorst is a humorous story about a boy who wastes all of his money. The young boy in the story, Alexander, is very jealous of his siblings because they have more money than he does. Alexander was given one dollar from his
Show More
grandparents, but he wasted all of his money on useless things. Alexander was really disappointed with himself because he really wanted to save enough money to by a walkie-talkie. Alexander learned it is important to be careful with money and to save as much as possible. This story teaches a good lesson for Kindergarten to Fifth grade students. Show Less
LibraryThing member jnagreen06
Just like the first Alexander book, this is a good example of a realistic fiction book, because Alexander is not a real person, and the story didn't actually happen, but it could. Kids may be able to relate with him as they read this book.
LibraryThing member bamabreezin4
I loved the use of humor in a kid friendly way. Also, I thought the story taught the value of saving money in an interesting and fun way.
LibraryThing member clstone
'Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday' tells of the dollar Alexander got from his grandparents. Alexander gets a dollar when they visit and hopes to save it for a walkie-talkie. His brothers taunt him about what he should do with the dollar, but he decides to save it. After Alexander buys
Show More
some gum and then buys more gum when it tastes bad, looses bets with his brothers and mom, rents his friend's snake for the afternoon, he soon realizes the dollar is gone. By the end of the story all Alexander has are a couple of bus tokens and the memory that he used to be rich. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lthatfield
When Alexander recieves a dollar from his grandparents, he decides he is going to save it for a pair of walkie talkies. But then, he starts spending a little money here and there until all his money is gone. Alexander was no longer rich anymore! This is a great book to show children they should not
Show More
go and spend all their money, but can save it for something they really want. Show Less
LibraryThing member earobinson
Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst is the story of Alexander and how he gradually loses the dollar that his grandparents brought him on Sunday. The book is humorous as it describes the silly ways that Alexander is tricked into spending the dollar. He had to pay a dime for
Show More
saying curse words and rented a snake from his friend for twelve cents. I think the book could also be a good math lesson for subtracting money. The reading level is third grade. An interesting website for teachers and students is kennedy-center.org/programs/family/alexander/author.html. It contains questions and answers written interview about the history behind the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Khp24
This book focuses on a young child who is learning about spending and saving his own money. This book also allows for discussion on needs and wants. The illustrations are somewhat simple but allow the students to better develop an understanding of Alexanders experiences.
LibraryThing member GWES.Second
Alexander details how he went from being rich to broke through a series of poor economic choices.
LibraryThing member vnwender
This is a funny book about a boy named Alexander who is always comparing what he has to what his brothers have. They have dollars and coins but all he has is bus tokens
LibraryThing member Lindsaydavis2007
Last Sunday, Alexander’s grandparents gave him a dollar. He hoped to save the money towards the purchase of a walkie-talkie. But since he bought some gum, lost a few bets with his brothers, rented his friend’s pet snake, and numerous other incidents, the money disappeared right before his eyes.
Show More
He is no longer rich! All he has is some bus tokens. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmmadden
This is a story that has a great meaning behind it for every child. Alexander was given a dollar by his grandparents in hopes of saving up for a special toy. However, he hits some bumps along the road when he starts spending the money on nonsense things. He is caught up with using his dollar on
Show More
things he does not need, and he eventually does not have enough money to buy his toy. This story teaches kids about how to maintain and balance their money, and if they don't do that, then they will not have enough to get the things they need. Children will learn to be grateful for what they have and will learn to spend money wisely. Show Less
LibraryThing member aelambert
This book is a great way to introduce money to the class in a read aloud. It allows students to make text to self connections about money and make predictions. Follow Alexander as he loses his money throughout the week.
LibraryThing member katiejanelewis
I LOVE the Alexander books by Judith Viorst. I love the raw honesty of her books (in this book, Alexander gets in trouble for saying "bad" words and kicking his brothers in some inappropriate places!). In this adventure, Alexander tells how he USED to be rich last Sunday. He tells how he lost his
Show More
money over the course of the week and how his brothers were mean and cruel and how he wanted more money. It's comical, it's informational, and it's a GREAT introduction or addition to a unit on money at almost any level. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmlopez
Alexander thinks he's rich when he gets some money so he starts to spend it, thinking he has plenty more. Everytime he loses some money, he tells himself he's going to save the rest of it. After purchasing items, losing bets, paying for misbehavior, etc. Alexander ends up with nothing. Great book
Show More
for a math lesson! Show Less
LibraryThing member rachel.bynum
Summary: When Anthony's grandma and grandpa came to visit last Sunday they gave Anthony and Nicholas each a dollar. Anthony thought he was rich. He had planned on saving his dollar for something big like a walky talky. However, after candy, garage sales, bets with Nicholas (which Anthony lost) and
Personal Effect: I absolutely love this book. It is a great way of teaching kids coin values.
Extension Ideas: Teach kids coin values and use subtraction and addition to take away from and make a dollar.
Show More
many other things, his dollar soon dwindled away. All Anthony was left with were the bus tokens that he had already had to begin with. Anthony used to be rich, last Sunday.Personal Effect: I absolutely love this book. It is a great way of teaching kids coin values.
Extension Ideas: Teach kids coin values and use subtraction and addition to take away from and make a dollar.
Show Less
LibraryThing member katie.harrel
Genre: Realistic fiction
This is a good example of realistic fiction because many kids have faced the dilemma of spending money to fast to keep track of it. This books is a great way to work with money with the class.
This is a good example of realistic fiction because many kids have faced the dilemma of spending money to fast to keep track of it. This books is a great way to work with money with the class.
LibraryThing member kefoley
Alexander got a dollar from his grandma. He was told he should save up his money to buy a walkie talkie. But day by day Alexander's dollar grew smaller and each day a few more cents were gone. He bought bubble gum, was fined for kicking, and rented his friend's snake for an hour. One day all
Show More
Alexander had left were some bus tokens. Show Less
LibraryThing member juliac83
Summary:
This is about a boy who gets a dollar from his grandparents and spends it all in a week. He is determined to save his money but keeps finding more important things. He buys toys, loses money, loses bets and has to pay for bad behavior. It ends with Alexander learning it is important to
Personal Reaction:
I really enjoy this book because we are teaching our daughter the value of money. It was a lot of fun to see how she already knew some of his decisions were bad ones, and how she would have done them differently.
Classroom Extension Ideas:
This could easily be used to start a lesson on money management. The amounts of money in the book are broken into pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. This would help with counting and money value. It also would be a great introduction to a cause and effect lesson. It shows his choices and the outcomes to every decision he makes.
This is about a boy who gets a dollar from his grandparents and spends it all in a week. He is determined to save his money but keeps finding more important things. He buys toys, loses money, loses bets and has to pay for bad behavior. It ends with Alexander learning it is important to
Show More
spend wisely and of course wish for his grandparents to come back to visit.Personal Reaction:
I really enjoy this book because we are teaching our daughter the value of money. It was a lot of fun to see how she already knew some of his decisions were bad ones, and how she would have done them differently.
Classroom Extension Ideas:
This could easily be used to start a lesson on money management. The amounts of money in the book are broken into pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. This would help with counting and money value. It also would be a great introduction to a cause and effect lesson. It shows his choices and the outcomes to every decision he makes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member iceangel456
This story follows alexander as he tries to earn but money but when he does he spends it all.
LibraryThing member ccanizales
Alexander is a boy who likes money. When his grandmother gives him a dollar, his mom tells him to start saving so that he can buy the walkie talkie he has always wanted. He spends his dollar on candy, on a bet and he also pays his friend to borrow a pet snake. At the end he realizes he should have
Show More
saved his money, but it's too late. I would like to use this in a math class when teaching about money. Students can do the math as Alexander spends his money. For grades K-3 Show Less
LibraryThing member dlow
I use this book for a math lesson. I have my students take 6 dimes, 10 pennies, and 6 nickels. Then when Alexander gets a dollar I than make the student listen to the story and give me the money when Alexander spends it. It is great for money identification and the students actually have to listen
Show More
to the story. I wrote the coin amounts in the back so that I can have the students already have the correct change. For more advanced students I would make students get change back from the dollar. Overall this is a classic story that even though a dollar doesn't go as far as it used to, it is easily spent and the meaning is still there. Show Less
LibraryThing member caseyannc76
Alexander works hard to understand the concepts of spending and saving his money.
Source: Pierce College Library
Ages: 5 and up
Source: Pierce College Library
Ages: 5 and up
Subjects
Awards
Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades K-3 — 1982)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — 1985)
California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 1984)
Call number
J2Q.025