The Toothpaste Millionaire
Title: The Toothpaste Millionaire
Author: Jean Merrill
Genre: Multicultural Fiction
Pages: 119
Lexile level: 820L
Grade level: 6th grade
Interest level: 3rd - 5th grade
Genre: Multicultural Fiction
Pages: 119
Lexile level: 820L
Grade level: 6th grade
Interest level: 3rd - 5th grade
When Kate's family moved from Connecticut to Cleveland, OH, she had trouble making new friends. But, to be honest, she had never even seen a black person before, so she wasn't sure if other kids didn't want to be friends with her because she was white or if it was for some other reason. Then there was Rufus. Rufus was a genius - one that didn't mind that Kate was white nor that she was a girl. A lot of people seemed surprised that they were such good friends being that she was white and he was black, but that's just how it was in the 1960's.
When Rufus realized that the cost of toothpaste had gone up to $.79, he was flabbergasted. There were only a few simple ingredients needed to make toothpaste, so why were the toothpaste companies charging so much? So he decided to make his own toothpaste. Then he decided to sell the extra. Then he realized how much money he could save after one year if he only made a $.01 profit off of each sale...
But this story wasn't about making money, it's about solving the problem - though the money is just a bonus.
This book is perfect for a math class. In fact, there is a math class in the book helping Rufus & Kate with solving their business problems. Your class can work out the same problems that they do in the book as you read along, or you can go as far as to make it a class project to start a business. You can include a study of the economics of the time.
Then of course there are the social studies of the book. What does it mean to discriminate? Who discriminates in the book? These questions can be explored through literary circles, journal entries, or socratic seminars.
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