Curtis, Christopher Paul. (2005). Mr. Chickee's Funny Money. New York, New York: Yearling.
Brief Annotation: Steven, the nine year old president of the Future Detectives of Flint (a two member organization), is surprised when Mr. Chickee, an older, blind man, gives him a special gift and then leaves town for a few months. Steven opens the envelope to find a quadrillion dollar bill inside, with James Brown's picture on the front. Steven and his best friends, Russell the huge kindergartener and Zoopy, Russell's bear-sized dog, find themselves chased by federal agents who are determined to get that bill back. Steven and Russell have to deal with know-it-all parents, bumbling federal employees, and a fall off a dam in their efforts to discover if the bill is real and why Mr. Chickee gave it to Steven in the first place.
Genre: mystery
Grade Level: 3-6
Readers who will like this: Readers who like funny books, readers who like mysteries, readers interested in African American musical history
Response/Rating (1-4): 3. The book was funny, but the plot could be hard to follow, and some of the supernatural elements that come into the book don't seem to fit with the rest of the writing. The book is obviously part of an intended series, so those elements will probably be explained later in the series. Steven's parents are very funny, interesting characters that adults may relate to more than children.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What is the largest denomination of currency in the United States?
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