Steve SearfossRezensionen

There’s No Plan Like No Plan continues the story of Chance and Addie. The kid entrepreneurs found success with their first business, a pool cleaning service, in the first book of this series. Now Chance has come up with another brilliant business idea, a snow shoveling business. Chance creates a business plan based on the model they used for the pool cleaning business.

With business-minded explanations and parents who encourage their children to discover things on their own, this story kept my interest. With entertaining explanations and calculations explained both verbally and in numerical form, children will learn a lot from this book.

From predicting snow to buying the right shovel, to figuring out how to manage labor and costs, the author creates a book that really dives deep into starting and running a business. Some other lessons are learned and taught along the way. The idea that one business model or plan will work for any business gets addressed in a way that makes sense.

I love how the parents in this book allow their children to learn things on their while providing guidance and a safety net when needed. The illustrations in the book really add to the story.

As a homeschooling mother, I wish this book and the first in the series had been around when my children were younger. So if you are looking for a middle grades book that exemplifies the costs and benefits of a young person starting a business, check out this book for yourself. I definitely recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.

There’s No Plan Like No Plan is the second book I’ve read by Steve Searfoss. I love how the he helps motivate and inspire young readers to think outside the box and on the lines of becoming entrepreneurs. The story deals with different issues a small business might encounter.

I enjoyed Chance and Addie from the first book in the series (Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue) and maybe even more so in this Kidventure installment. I like how their new plan, shoveling neighbors’ driveways, isn’t a complicated one, but they still run into challenges to overcome.

Each chapter closes with questions for kids to think over, making it not only an entertaining story and learning experience, but delivers moral decisions as well. I would’ve loved reading books like this as a child.

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% mine.

There’s No Plan Like No Plan is the second book I’ve read by Steve Searfoss. I love how the he helps motivate and inspire young readers to think outside the box and on the lines of becoming entrepreneurs. The story deals with different issues a small business might encounter.

I enjoyed Chance and Addie from the first book in the series (Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue) and maybe even more so in this Kidventure installment. I like how their new plan, shoveling neighbors’ driveways, isn’t a complicated one, but they still run into challenges to overcome.

Each chapter closes with questions for kids to think over, making it not only an entertaining story and learning experience, but delivers moral decisions as well. I would’ve loved reading books like this as a child.

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% mine.

This is a good story for children to learn how to run a small business. I like how the author shows Chance once again wanting to make money even though it is winter. The idea to shovel snow sounds profitable and Chance along with his sisters start their new venture.

Along the way, they learn valuable lessons about making decisions and taking responsibility when things go wrong. At the end of each chapter are questions to answer which will help children understand the ins and outs of business. Each one on the team brought something that helped the business be successful. Chance was always doing charts and broke down how much was made, materials used and salary. This was helpful to see where they needed to improve. One of the biggest lessons Chance learned was to take responsibility when an accident happened at one of their customer’s houses. It was not his fault, but as the leader he did the right thing and showed the other children about integrity and doing what was right.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Determination drives a fun, little tale, while the main goal, teaching basic business, glides along effortlessly and without a smidgen of boredom.

Chance's father pays him $10 a week to clean the pool, which works out great until Chance realizes he might need more money if he wants to buy the things he desires. With guidance from his father, he soon has a small business running and even hires employees of his own.

For any kids curious about earning money...or for adults wanting to teach basic business skills...this is a well-done and easy to understand read. Chance's desire to earn extra cash is very relatable, and the way he starts everything up is so natural that it could happen to anyone. This definitely takes a down-to-earth view on how kids can start up their own businesses, and I'm giving the author kudos for that. The relationship between the father and the kids is also healthy and inspiring. There's an obvious support coming from him and, yet, he leaves enough room for Chance to learn by experience. The book also includes visual calculations as Chance tries to figure out how much he's earning/spending, And there is a question or two at the end of each chapter, which encourages readers to consider what's happening and relate it to their own life and situation.

The book is recommended for ages 10 to 14, which works from the material end of things, since that is the age group where many start gaining serious interest in earning money and have the capability to completely understand the math and theories behind building a small business (but still think very basic). However, the writing didn't quite fit this age group and played to a slightly younger audience. As long as this book is seen as a way to teach kids basic business ideas and not as an entertaining read, this isn't a problem, though. It is a fun way to bring across the information and makes it very relatable for the reader.

This one would also work well for classroom and homeschooling situations. I received a complimentary copy and found this well done on the business front.

I found KidVenture: Twelve Weeks To Midnight Blue by Steve Searfoss to be a great book. It teaches kids some valuable lessons of how to keep a business going and the important lesson of how to manage money. Not only the younger readers could learn from this, but many adults could, as well. I liked following Chance and seeing how his pool cleaning company would prosper and seeing how he would take care of his expenses and profit. I admired his courage and his hard work in getting through all of the challenges he faces all through the story. It was fun and entertaining to read that put a smile on my face.

KidVenture: Twelve Weeks To Midnight Blue includes some fun illustrations throughout the book. The pictures were a vivid and colorful addition to the story. They were a great visual to what the characters were doing in certain scenes.

KidVenture: Twelve Weeks To Midnight Blue is getting a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for young readers who are between the ages of ten and fourteen. I look forward to reading more books like this from Steve Searfoss in the future and hope he will be releasing more KidVenture books soon. This one would be a great addition to a local or school library.

I received a copy of KidVenture: Twelve Weeks To Midnight Blue from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue tells the story of Chase Sterling, a 10-year-old boy who is taught to raise his own money to buy a bike (Midnight Blue) that he wants. This book has a bit of a nostalgic flair to it, I suppose because it brought me back to my childhood when my brother and I sold greeting cards door-to-door to earn summer money. (It was safer to do so back in my day.)

When I’m reading any non-fiction, fiction, adult, or children’s book, I like to learn something new. Whether it’s learning about the world, history, or even myself. This book is a wonderful learning experience for young people like Chase. It teaches about money, math, building character, and what it takes to start and run a business, but it does so in a fun storybook tale.

Pros: An entertaining story and great learning experience

Cons: Some of the descriptions and dialogue include too much description or detail for my taste.

Overall: I enjoyed how the author incorporates the elements of entrepreneurship into the story, showing the benefits of responsibility, teamwork, negotiations, problem-solving, and more. I can see it being an entertaining learning experience for young readers and their parents and will most certainly become a spark of inspiration.

Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.

This was a great way to introduce kids to running a business and the costs associated. It's a fun story, with questions at the end of each chapter to help engage kids further with the story. The math is written out, making it easier for kids to follow along. The writing level is definitely geared for middle grade level readers, and might not be as appealing for more advanced readers. (Although it would be a great book to read and discuss with your middle grader).

When a boy desires a brand new bike, his father assists him in learning the value of a dollar by giving him the opportunity to clean the family pool. With illustrations showing calculations and more, the author creates a worthwhile story that demonstrates how Chance and his sister form a partnership to clean pools that capitalizes on their strengths.

Each chapter concludes with challenge questions designed to make the reader think. I feel this book does an excellent job of explaining entrepreneurship and economics. I also appreciate how the author allows the readers to explore the thoughts of Chance and his sister as well as providing illustrations of those thoughts along with any calculations. The cooperation between Chance and his sister provides an excellent character-building activity for the reader.

I also appreciate how Chance’s father requires him to work for the bike rather than just giving him the money. I also enjoyed getting to know Chance’s clients as well as his friend Amit. It shows how we all make mistakes, but how we handle them makes a huge difference.

As a parent of four children, I wish this book existed when our children were younger. I definitely would have selected this book for them to read. I love the idea of children learning how to start a business because it helps them develop skills they can benefit from in the future. So if you have children or know of a young person who could benefit from this type of book, check it out for yourself.

This is a great book for kids wanting to learn about starting a business. I loved the illustrations in the book and how each one helped you visualize the story better. Chance is a real go getter and wants a new bike. When he decides he will earn the money he starts his own pool cleaning service. I remember when I was younger I would help my brother with his paper route. It was hard work rolling up the papers each day. My brother quickly found out how hard it was to do the job.

Chance is very good at math and I was impressed with the daily tally he did . When he brings his sister into the business, they work very well together.The story is a great tool for kids to learn about starting a job, figuring out to make a profit and getting new customers. Chance and Addie learn that keeping your word is very important when running a business. They do run into a few problems, but work them out and grow from their mistakes. The key to the story is being honest, working hard and relying on your parents for guidance.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Twelve Weeks to Midnight Blue is about a 10-year-old boy, Chase Sterling, who starts a pool cleaning business in order to raise money to buy a bike called Midnight Blue. Using advice from his father, basic math skills, and a determined mindset, Chase learns how to find customers, earn their trust, and invest when necessary. As a result, he, his sister Addie, and his best friend, Amit form their own, legitimate business that they ultimately name Kidventure.

I had some issues with a few plot elements, and the dialogue is not always the most realistic, but ultimately, this is a fun summer story with a tenacious protagonist that I could see inspiring readers to start their own business.

A full review will follow.