A picture-book history describes the evolution of the popular board game through the contributions of the people involved over the years in its creation. In 1903, Elizabeth Magie created a board game called Landlord to show how unjust landlord/tenant relationships often were. She patented her game in 1904 but no toy companies were interested in buying it. People were certainly interested in playing the game, however, making handmade boards to play. Over the years, the rules and the name of the game changed. In 1932, a player named Charles Darrow made his own improvements to the game and was able to sell it to it to Parker Brothers. A patent search, however, revealed that Magie was the original inventor, although she would not end up profiting from her work. These details and more are shaped into a highly engaging story for young readers. Illustrations giving an excellent sense of the historical setting also capture the spirit of the original and current Monopoly graphics and illustrations. Back matter includes a note from the author and bibliography of sources, as well as trivia about the game and a section on Monopoly math. (Ages 8–12)

Boldness, imagination, and ruthless competition combine in Tanya Lee Stone and Steven Salerno's Pass Go and Collect $200, a riveting picture book history of Monopoly, one of the world's most famous games.

In the late 1800s lived Lizzie Magie, a clever and charismatic woman with a strong sense of justice. Waves of urban migration drew Lizzie’s attention to rising financial inequality. One day she had an idea: create a game that shows the unfairness of the landlord-tenant relationship. But game players seemed to have the most fun pretending to be wealthy landowners. Enter Charles Darrow, a marketer and salesman with a vision for transforming Lizzie’s game into an exciting staple of American family entertainment. Features back matter that includes "Monopoly Math" word problems and equations. Excellent STEM connections and resources.

This title has Common Core connections.

Christy Ottaviano Books