A Kirkus Best Book of the Year
An ALSC Notable Book
An NCTE Orbus Pictus Honor Book
An NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
A Texas Bluebonnet List Selection
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
A CCBC Choice Title
An ALSC Notable Title
A Pennsylvania Young Readers Award Nominee
"A real winner."—The Horn Book
"Salerno's soft, dynamic full-bleed illustrations reflect yet move beyond the aesthetics of the game and time period, making every page compelling and fresh . . . Stone delivers a winner."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Readers are treated to a colorful historical account of a well-known board game, and the socioeconomic factors that affected its development. Salerno’s vivid illustrations are kinetic and play upon the most exciting elements of the story. Highly recommended for nonfiction collections ."—School Library Journal, starred review
"A brisk narrative pace propels the story . . . Salerno’s lively, mixed-media illustrations carry the action forward."—Publishers Weekly
"Stone personalizes this story by asking readers to consider instances when they’ve made changes to a game’s original rules. . . Salerno’s bold illustrations heighten the drama surrounding Monopoly’s development and include glimpses of early versions of the game."—Booklist
"Stone is a deft hand at balancing historical absurdities with important social themes, and here her picture book format invites middle-grade readers to benefit from a lesson in entrepreneurship, even as they enjoy amassing trivia surrounding a familiar game. Salerno’s retro illustrations recreate the milieu."—The Bulletin
★ 2018-05-14
The surprisingly complex history of one of America's favorite board games. In the early 1900s, Lizzie Magie created and patented the Landlord's Game in order to demonstrate the frequent injustices of the landlord-tenant relationship—it even had socialist alternative rules. As people began to play the game, it was adapted by players, including a business professor who called the game Monopoly. During the Great Depression, a down-on-his-luck businessman named Charles Darrow decided to handcraft and sell Monopoly boards, adding many of the design features we know today. As the success of Darrow's version of Monopoly grew, Parker Brothers took interest—only to discover that they couldn't patent it, as Lizzie Magie already had! When Parker Brothers finally gained rights to the game in 1935, Magie received relatively little compensation while Darrow made a small fortune. Stone presents the board game's messy history with ease, providing a clear, linear path to today's Monopoly without ever compromising the nuances of its invention. Direct-address narration engages children, leaving room for them to draw their own conclusions: "So who wins in this story? What do you think?" Salerno's soft, dynamic full-bleed illustrations reflect yet move beyond the aesthetics of the game and time period, making every page compelling and fresh. All illustrated people, including named figures and background characters, appear white. Backmatter includes trivia, Monopoly-related math problems, an author's note, and a bibliography.Stone delivers a winner. (Informational picture book. 5-10)
