Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst

Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday Reviews

• 
  Karina

  Alexander is a little money hungry brat. (Didn't kids get spanked in the 70's? He really, definitely needed a good spanking.) But my kids laughed at his attempts to be $1.00 rich (not richer) after he spends and loses it. Who can buy a pc of gum for a nickel nowadays? Aaah, inflation adjustment... Lol...
  
  My kids, "Mom, I spent my $5 at Target."
  Me, "Yeah, that's good if that's what you really wanted."
  Them, "But aren't you going to give it back to me for spending it?"
  
  Uuumm, reimbursement...? 🤔
• 
  Kathryn

  Although this book is definitely dated (the 1979 illustrations of the family made me really nostalgic for childhoods watching "Family Ties" -- and I can't imagine any kids who would be able to make $1.00 buy anything, let alone several things, these days) the concept is one that is timeless and especially relevant in today's difficult economy. Alexander is given $1.00 from his grandparents--he WANTS to save it up to put toward a new radio, but somehow he just keeps on finding other things he wants to buy and pretty soon he is out of money. Of course, this is also just a really great concept story for kids learning about the various things they can do with their money, some wise choices some not so wise! Told with Viorst's great humor and insight into the child's mind.
• 
  David

  The best lesson I've ever read, to teach kids about:
  * limited financial resources
  * the benefits of controlling impulse
  * the value of money
  
  Beautiful in that it doesn't preach or tell, it demonstrates by example.
  
  My son enjoys the story, and secretly picks up on the lessons...
• 
  Shari

  Read this hilarious book to discuss what it means to be frugal and use your money wisely. Alexander definitely does NOT use his money wisely and he suffers for it. Something just about every kid can relate to when they get a dollar!
• 
  Gülşen Nur

  Çocuğun 1 dolara alabildiği şeyler tarafından bıçaklandım. Abv enflasyon
• 
  John Kirk

  I like the idea of this book: it's intended to teach children the importance of saving rather than spending. Unfortunately, there are some problems with the execution. That's not really a criticism of the writer, but you need to be aware of the target audience.
  
  Firstly, this is an American book, so all the references to cents/dollars/etc. will probably confuse a child in other countries (e.g. the UK). Similarly, there were some words that I didn't recognise ("lox") and other terms that aren't used in this country ("stoop").
  
  Secondly, this book was written over 30 years ago (in 1978), and inflation has taken its toll. By modern standards, I think that he got amazingly good value for his dollar, so I would say that he actually spent it wisely rather than frittering it away. Meanwhile, electronics have generally got cheaper, so I'd guess that a walky-talky is more affordable now than it was back then. This means that the book is actually sending the wrong message!
  
  Also, the page where Alexander ponders how long it will take him to save up has several years listed (e.g. 1981), but that will confuse a modern child. If you have to keep stopping the story to say "Ignore that" or "Pretend it says this" then that's going to disrupt the narrative flow.
  
  Still, there are some funny ideas in here which kids will probably still relate to, and the illustrations are good (although they're in black and white). Ideally, I'd like to see a revised international edition.
• 
  Stephanie

  This is another classic book that I read as a child. It's funny and has some good lessons for kids about spending and saving. It's all in black and white so it may not be the most attention grabbing, but the illustrations are still well done and I love the facial expressions.
  
  "Last Sunday, when I used to be rich, Cathy around the corner had a garage sale. I positively only went to look. I looked at a half-melted candle. I needed that candle. I looked at a bear with one eye. I needed that bear."
• 
  Nicola

  We love Alexander's 'Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day'. We liked 'used to be rich last Sunday' (probably me more so than Miss 4, but it was useful for talking about saving vs spending). 'I'm not moving' didn't appeal (probably more helpful if you have an upcoming move).
  
  Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
• 
  Dolly

  Shows how quickly a windfall can disappear. It's on a micro-scale in this story, but the lesson holds true universally. Good story to introduce fiscal responsibility to kids. We really enjoyed reading this book together and I will be sure to look for more books by
  Judith Viorst at our local library.
• 
  Tracy Mercier

  This book really helped us understand how adding and subtracting well helps us spend our money smartly.
• 
  Virginia

  The follow-up to the classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day. In this story, Alexander can't seem to save his money... no matter how badly he wishes to!
• 
  Kim

  Funny, but nothing beats the original.
• 
  Amelia

  Alexander's grandparents gave him a dollar, but he was told to save it. He told himself over and over again that he would save his dollar to buy a walkie- talkie, but he bought gum at the drug store for 15 cents, then he bet he could hold his breath until 3 o'clock, he lost. Then he bet his mom she couldn't guess what hand he put the purple marble in, he lost 15 cents. After that, he rented a snake for an hour and lost 12 cents. Next, Alexander said some bad words to his brothers and was fined 5 cents each. He lost 10 cents. Then he flushed 3 cents down the toilet and lost 5 in a crack. After that, he ate his brothers chocolate bar and lost some of his money. His other brother tricked him into giving up 4 cents. All in all, Alexander was not very responsible with the money he was given. In the end, Alexander has spent all of his money and is left with bus tokens.
  I enjoyed this book. I thought it was really cute. I like all the ways Alexander spends his money. How he flushes it down the toilet, I will never understand. I also like how his brothers tricked him into giving up his money. As a younger sibling, this is very relatable. I'm pretty sure my brother did something similar at least once. I also enjoy seeing the pictures. Alexander makes the best faces they're so relatable. It's very easy to see how he is feeling.
  I can use this book to introduce a math lesson on money. I can read through the book one time, then ask the students where they think all the money went. Hopefully, they will tell me the events in the story. I can ask the students how much money Alexander had to begin with. Then I can ask them how much they think he lost. As a class, we can work together to do the subtraction. Before this, I can tell them to find how much he lost we have to do subtraction. Then we can read through the story again and find out how much he lost on each page and subtract the amount he lost. Then I can give my students some coins and place them in groups. In those groups, they will have to work together to make a dollar out of all the coins they have. I can give some groups quarters, some dimes, some pennies, some nickels, and some a dollar bill. Then once they've made a dollar out of their coins, they will have switch tables and make a dollar out of the new coins they have. Hopefully, they learn that each table has the value. This will also give them practice counting money.
• 
  Jessica Emly

  Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst, tells the story of a little boy named Alexander, who ended up spending the whole dollar that his grandparents gave him last Sunday. Despite absolutely positively wanting to save his money for a walkie talkie, between his bouts of uncontrollable spending, two meddlesome brothers, and paying his parents for various misbehaviors relating back to said brothers, Alexander ends up with absolutely no money. I selected this book for my read aloud because Viorst incorporates such a strong sense of voice in the writing, which makes it a great book to read aloud to others! Not only is the text humorous, but anyone reading or listening in our modern day world can't help but empathize with Alexander's money problems -- whether children or adults. The black and white illustrations add a note of simplicity to the book while still mantaining the comedic tone. The kid-friendly story is perfect for children from Kindergarten all the way up to 3rd grade, and can easily be incorporated into a math lesson -- since the whole plot of the book centers around money. Not only is the book mathematical, it also offers an important lesson to students about the value of practicing self-control.
• 
  Kelly Santamaria

  This is a story about a boy named Alexander. As the title suggests, he used to be rich last Sunday. Alexander narrates the story and takes the reader through his adventure of being rich.
  
  Defining Children's and Adolescent Literature can be somewhat of a debatable topic. However, for this particular book, I prefer the definition given by Peter Hunt, children's literary critic and scholar. Peter Hunt defines children's books as books intended for children. Given that definition, this book is a children's book, as its intended audience is clearly children. The author uses simple words and repetitive sentences for a child to understand. Along with the easy to read language, the book is filled with pictures.
  
  Inside this book, the reader will find black and white illustrations from Ray Cruz. Although the illustrations are not filled with color, the amount of expression drawn onto each of the characters faces and body language adds a much more in depth understanding of the words coming from the narrator, Alexander.
  
  If you enjoy this book, try another one with Alexander, such as, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."
• 
  Gina

  This book is wonderful for today's students, even though it was written in 1978. It follows Alexander, who gets a dollar from his grandparents. He wants to buy a walkie talkie with it, and intends to save it. However, along the way, he sees so many things on which to spend his money. He finally ends up empty handed and tries to sell bottles, rent toys, and find money to replace his lost dollar.
  
  I loved this book. The illustrations were bland, but that was appropriate for this book because it added to the seriousness of Alexander's predicament. It was funny, yet it was serious. It teaches a lesson we don't hear very much of today - frugality and saving.
  
  This book would great to use in math because of the monetary value of the items in the book. It would be good for grades 2-4, I think. It would also be good to have a discussion about savings and self-control.
• 
  Steve Holden

  This is an anchor text in our second grade reading curriculum, and I must say, I love reading it with my students each year! I grew up loving the Alexander books. Ray Cruz gives such detailed illustrations, and Viorst comes through so well in her Alexander narration. We use this text to teach point of view, and how a writer can tell a story through a character's eyes. We also use it for making inferences with illustrations connecting to the text.
  
  My kiddos love the humor in the telling. As we work with this one for a few days, we also use it to help promote reading fluency and reading with expression. Alexander is one of the most expressive characters I can think of in the picture book world!
• 
  SaraKat

  This was on my school's pillars of character reading list under 'fairness'. I guess it was supposed to show that Alexander was treated fairly by the grandparents who gave all three boys the same amount of money, but it seems to fit more under responsibility since he wasted the money and bemoaned his state off financial health afterward. It is an amusing story and I liked the way it was implied that Alexander said naughty words and acted on his violent impulses, but didn't show it. Clever. I didn't really care for the illustrations. And kids today might not understand that a few cents actually used to be worth saving!
• 
  Sohyun seo

  Most illustrations are on every page in this book. I think it is very good for children to understand the story of this book because illustrations can show how the story flows. In addition, illustrations are expressed Alexander's emotions very well. This book includes a course that Alexander spended his money. When children get their allowance from their parents, they have a lot of plan how they use it. At first, they are rich so they spend money fast. It makes them poor. This situations is expressed very well by Alexander. And this book includes a unit of money so children can learn the unit of money.