Cashing In
Susan Colebank
Release Date: November 12, 2009
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 208

Rating: 3.5 stars

There are some problems even winning the lottery can’t fix
With as many hours as Reggie Shaw puts in at the Cashmart, it’s no wonder that her grades and her friendships are slipping. Worst of all, Reggie’s mother’s inability to keep a job means that Reggie is pulling the weight of two people. Then, Reggie’s mom wins big in the lottery. Suddenly the money—and the popularity—comes pouring in. But when Reggie finds out that her mother has been borrowing more money than she actually won, she must face up to the fact that happiness can’t be bought—it only comes with hard work.

Cashing In was a book with a promising premise, but left me unsure exactly how I felt. Some parts had me totally hooked and I couldn’t put it down, but others I was left bored.

My favorite part of the book was hands down Gabe. I loved him as a character. He was so sweet and caring. I didn’t see a lot in Gabe and Reggie’s relationship – you saw a few little things happen – a look here, or a nudge there – to build their relationship, and then they were together. I just didn’t see it really build to anything that seemed real.

Reggie started out as a really great character, but toward the middle my opinion began to shift a bit. She refused to stand up for herself in the least. You would’ve thought after awhile she would say enough is enough! During the last pages, my opinion of Reggie shifted back to me liking her a lot more. Reggie had a great sense of humor, and did grow a lot as a character from page 1 until the end.

Reggie’s family on the other hand drove me insane! You had Bridget, Reggie’s cousin, who drove me up a wall! I could not stand her. I wanted to scream and Reggie to just get rid of her! Then Aunt Barb who was just kind of annoying. And the mother who has not an ounce of common sense and just spends more and more money.

I absolutely loved Reggie’s 2 best friends, Sarah and Pete. Every page with them was a joy to read! They were totally fun! I would’ve liked to see much more of these two, as well as more Gabe.

The plot was cute, and while a few parts left me wondering, the ending stuck it out and ended strong!

Overall, I enjoyed Cashing In. It was a cute book with a pretty cover. I think some people will love Cashing In, while others might not enjoy it as much.