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Lunch Money
Andrew Clements
Children Ages 8-12
Greg Kenton has always had a talent for making money. For most of his life, he has taken on small projects here and there, but things change when he realizes that his school cafeteria is a goldmine of extra quarters. He spends the summer of his sixth-grade year scheming how to turn those quarters into his own profits. His idea seems to work until a rival student threatens his get-rich-quick scheme. Can Greg’s business survive? Will it be squelched by his rival or will the school principal end it first? And is Greg’s love of money really a good thing?
Questions Just for Fun
If you had Greg’s talents for making money, what are some things you would do with the money?
Which of Greg’s money-making schemes did you find most interesting? Why?
Questions to Think Critically and Biblically
This book talks a lot about making money. Read the following verses and then summarize the biblical view of money: Proverbs 3:9-10, Proverbs 13:11, Matthew 6:19-21 and 24, 1 Timothy 6:10 and 17-19, Hebrews 13:5.
Discussion Guide - Discuss how these verses reveal that we should honor God with our money by giving back to Him and being generous toward others. They also reveal that we should not put our hope in money or seek to store it up for ourselves. If we serve money (by making it our master/motivating force) we cannot also serve God.
Did Greg’s view of money throughout most of the book line up with the biblical view of money?
Discussion Guide - Discuss how Greg’s view of money did not initially line up with God’s view. He was serving money, making it his master, by making it the focus of his life. However, toward the end of the book, his view shifted some as he started to think about how he could be generous toward others.
Did Greg’s view of other people throughout the book (Maura, Mr. Z, Principal Davenport, classmates, siblings, etc.) stem from the biblical view of every human bearing God’s image? How do you know?
Discussion Guide - Discuss how Greg viewed others through the lens of how they impacted his goal of making money. We see this through how he criticizes Maura, taunts Mr. Z when he is bleeding, and thinks of his classmates only as potential buyers. This does not align with the biblical view. However, as he works with Maura, he begins to see her as a person he should treat kindly (though he doesn’t understand she bears God’s image).
How did you see Greg grow as a person throughout the book?
Discussion Guide - Discuss how Greg starts to view others as people rather than just potential buyers of his products. He seeks to work with Maura, Mr. Z, and even Principal Davenport rather than figuring out how he can work around them. He starts thinking through how the money he earns can benefit others rather than just thinking of how he can save it for himself.
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