The Short Seller by Elissa Brent Weissman (review)

Lindy is forced to stay home from school for weeks due to a bout of mononucleosis, so her father comes up with a unique way for her to pass the time: she can have $100 to invest in the stock market however she chooses, using her father’s online trading account. When she’s able to return to school, Lindy is still obsessed with being a twelve-year-old broker, much to the annoyance of her friends Howe and Steph, who have grown significantly closer during her absence. After her continued itch for the market leads her to invest her parents’ capital in what turns out to be a $25,000 loss, she’s desperate to make the money back and turns to her sister, who has a tip on a failed blow-dryer prototype. Lindy is able to short sell the blow-dryer company’s stock in order to recoup her losses, but she attracts the attention of the Securities Exchange Commission in the process, becoming the youngest person to be tried by the SEC. The plot is conscious of the absurdity of the trial, but this is a highly original story effectively told, and it’s surprisingly full of useful information on the ins and outs of trading. Lindy’s troubles with her friends, as she processes her jealousy at their relationship, provide a touching counterpoint to the high-stakes escapades of her trading world with a credible exploration of the vagaries of middle school relationships. A readable and interesting thought experiment for young tycoons, this would provide a unique opportunity to pair literature with a classroom study of the stock market. TA