by by Jean Merrill (Author)

An Award-winning middle-grade book.

Jean Merrill’s THE TOOTHPASTE MILLIONAIRE is a fun, fascinating, and informative kids’ book.  Wow, I learned how to make toothpaste, figure profit/loss margins, do advertising, what are stockholders and a Board of Directors, and how to get loans.  All with a fun story about a sixth-grader named Rufus Mayflower who doesn’t want to pay 79c for a tube of toothpaste, when the ingredients cost only 3c. (This is set a while ago.)

It’s fun that his whole math class gets in on the experiment, both helping him mix, package, and deliver the sold toothpaste, and also solving financial problems and percentages as part of the class. Their teacher loves it and goes along.

Rufus’ good friend Kate MacKinstrey helps a lot, both with encouragement and finding supplies, and even a factory and foreman they can use.  Amazing!!

Of course, all is not roses, and they DO run into some seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  But hey, Rufus is a genius and Kate has chutzpah.  And he DOES make $millions!!!