Bored: Milo finds $105 by Matt Stanton

"Why didn't I stay inside yesterday morning? If  I'd watched TV instead of riding my bike then someone else would have found the money. Then everyone would be hassling them. Actually, they probably wouldn't be. If anyone else had found it, they would have just put the money in their pocket and never said a word to anyone. That's what a normal person would have done."

There are only six houses in Turtle Place. Milo lives in number one, her has new neighbours, then there is Evie Watson's place, Rocco's house, Zak and Luisa live next to Rocco, there is one empty block of land and an elderly couple called Mr and Mrs Katz. 

"A one-hundred-dollar-note is sitting in the middle of the street. I've never seen one beofre. I didn't even know what colour they were. There's a five-dollar-note too. One hundred and five-dollars in the middle of Turtle Place. It's a miracle."

Can Milo keep this money? It is not his. Who could have lost it in his quiet Cul-de-sac? Not to mention the complications that come from all the new relationships he needs to navigate now that Frog has moved in next door. And Milo is desperately missing his brother and what's going on with Frog - there's more to this kids than meets the eye. 

"Suddenly all I can think about is that Frog better not fall in love with Evie Watson. I already have so  many obstacles to overcome. For starters, I'm a year younger than her. Then there's the fact that she's way cooler than me. Also, I'm mostly too shy to actually say anything to her. It's all quite exhausting and I am not ready or mature enough to cope with a love-triangle situation."

You can see I have given this book five stars.  YES it is that good. 

• You will never guess where this money has come from
• In the spirit of a good 'who dunnit' every neighbour is under suspicion
• These kids have distinct personalities
• Milo is able to express his raw emotions in such a genuine way - love and tears
• This is a book boys (and girls) will enjoy which contains a welcome level of emotional intelligence - I loved this aspect of the story
• This book manages to be both funny and poignant
• Milo is a real kid and you will enjoy listening to his honest voice 
• With just over 200 pages of large print and lots of white space young readers will easily race to the end

Bored: Milo finds $105 would make a terrific class read-aloud book for your Grade 4 or 5 class. It is the first book in a planned series. This book will be published in April, 2022.  Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance copy.  You can read the first twelve pages here.  Companion reads:

Mr Chickee's Funny Money

Junk Castle