Ms. Nisberg has an incredible ability to navigate the reader through the perplexities of the stock market by presenting its components through the eyes of the inquisitive main character, Russ. Russ and his sister, Joy, decide to use the money that their grandmother gave them in order to buy 100 shares of Latitude and Longitude, a brokerage house that they encounter after pressing a magical elevator button that leads them to the company's location, the North Pole. Their hopes are soon dashed when they discover that shortly after their investment deal is made, their shares originally priced at $1.00 are now worth only 2 cents a share - a significant loss of $108.00.
Russ and Joy's initial despair turns into hope as they master a plan to not only get back the money that their grandmother gave them, but to also benefit other college-bound youngsters. Their plan entails marketing Latitude and Longitude's latest book with one twist - those who find the picture of the four-leaf clover in the back of the book would be entitled to 100 shares of Latitude and Longitude. Moreover, the profits would be earmarked to go into a college scholarship fund. Therefore, Russ and Joy set out on their dream endeavor. Their father, initially dubious about the execution of their plan, finally agrees to contact his good friend, Mr. Flound-Ar, the president of the publishing company of Latitude and Longitude. (Their mother also has an active role since she is on the Board of Latitude and Longitude.) After negotiating the advertisement at school and on the web, the responses for the book begin to pour in. As planned, a young person from every continent wins 100 shares of the company, thus providing a source of money for the college scholarships.
As in the real-life situation, Russ and Joy discover that the profit from their plan is not instantaneous, but slow and gradual. However, they learn the true lesson that "the stock market is not an exact science" (p.58)
This book is a useful and fun guide for readers of all ages who wish to learn about the stock market. Enjoy!