Through The Maize

 

KidVenture: Through The Maize by Steve Searfoss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m embarrassed to say the words “this is absolutely a wonderful story for young kids and for their families.” I’m embarrassed because I’m afraid you’ll think I’m just copying myself. This is the 3rd KidVenture book I’ve read by Steve Searfoss, and I said the exact same thing about the others. I’m not copying myself. They are just great.

Chance, our KidVenture entrepreneur, has a new idea for a money-making enterprise this time. Through the Maize is a little more in depth than Chance’s pool cleaning or snow shoveling ventures. He’s learned a lot in his first two endeavors. Couldn’t have done any of them without his sisters and most certainly without his parents. His mentor, Dad, becomes the “Daddy Bank” for this latest idea of a corn maize. Now I know many daddies call themselves the Daddy bank, but this one works just like a bank. This Daddy bank works like any bank you or I have gone to if we needed a loan, a mortgage, no matter the amount of money. This one has terms, interest rates, and collateral. Poor Chance and his sister Addie even have to put their favorite bikes up for collateral.

All this is told in a fun story from a flat farmer’s field to a beautiful money-making venture. I’m not exactly sure how Searfoss makes this so fun and yet so educational at the same time. You can picture Chance and his Board (his sisters of course). Somehow you become a part of the whole venture.

I cannot stress how important this type of adventure is to read with your kids or to at least work through the questions at the end of each chapter with them. I bet both of you learn a lot about one another.

I think this is most useful and enjoyable to what they call the tweenage readers. The understanding of the book really depends not on the reading ability of a kid but on the maturity of the kid and the adult working through it with them. There cannot possibly be an adult that wouldn’t enjoy it. There can’t be anyone who wouldn’t learn from it. You know, a lot of us have been through our days of working for someone or ourselves. We’ve learned the profit and loss terms and so many more. But…there’s never a time we can’t learn, and I bet this sparks an adult mind as well as a younger person. Take the time to discuss it with your kids/teens.


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