Book Review: How Ella Grew an Electric Guitar
“How Ella Grew an Electric Guitar: A Girl’s First Adventure in Business” written by Orly Sade and Ellen Neuborne, published by CreateSpace and released on August 2, 2011 is available on paperback and Kindle editions for $7.99 on Amazon.
When New York University professor Orly Sade and award-winning writer Ellen Neuborne were looking for age-appropriate books that would help their kids understand the basics of business, they were dismayed at the dearth of literature in the topic. Not only that, they also realized that books featuring girls as the entrepreneurs were even more impossible to find. To fill the gaping void, the two empowered moms came up with the story of eleven-year-old Ella and her quest to come up with the money to buy an electric guitar and realize her dreams of propelling her band to stardom.
A smart girl who loves math and plays the guitar in the coolest (and the only) rock band in the sixth grade, Ella had long wanted to replace her old guitar with a new Daisy Rock Stardust Elite electric guitar. But with only $25 in her piggy bank, the Daisy costing $229, and being told by her parents that “money doesn’t grow on trees,” she had to find a way to raise the money using her talent and entrepreneurial savvy.
The road towards acquiring Daisy was by no means easy. The heroine encountered failures and frustrations initially. But with her strong resolve, the positivity of her best friend Madison, the help of her band, and the business lessons imparted by her mom and dad, she was able to raise the funds for her electric guitar and play in front of a sold out crowd for the first time.
For a book that teaches concepts as complicated as savings, interest, stocks, bonds, market research, marketing plan, advertising, and loans, it’s a very engaging and easy read. Teens, Tweens, and even the not-so-young who wish to understand how money works will find the adventures of Ella so compelling that they will turn page after page to see just how the heroine will solve the challenges that come her way. Through Ella’s mom and dad, all the essentials of starting a business are enumerated and simplified. And through Ella, Madison, and the rest of the band, examples of how to go about putting the theories into action were given.
What makes How Ella Grew an Electric Guitar even more complete insofar as business books go— with the rich information found in its pages, it can be classified as such—is that it also shows the emotional rollercoaster that everyone wishing to raise money has to experience. From the nightmares that precede a major event, to the stresses that lead to fights within the group, to the teamwork that ultimately leads to success—all these are undergone by Ella and her peers. It prepares readers for the highs and lows that they are bound to encounter when they make the decision to improve their finances.
Parents who want to go beyond telling their children that “money doesn’t grow on trees” will find that this fun story told from the eyes of someone their age will actually do more than educate. It will inspire them to innovate when it comes to creating wealth.
Finally, if we want to have more women in positions of leadership in business, it’s best to start their training or exposure to financial literacy early on and letting them read books like this is one way to do it. Selling lemonade might just be a simple way for them to make extra money in the summer but sensitive teachers and parents will realize that it is a very fertile ground to teach these future female leaders the fundamentals of money, entrepreneurship, and leadership. And when it is their turn, they will be able to “grow their own electric guitars” and set an example for others to do the same.
Category: Family 2.0
[...] a quest to come up with the money to buy an electric guitar and win a chance at fame. According to this Femmeonomics review, that’s the plot of a book written by business professor Orly Sade and [...]