Book Review: How I Got Rich Writing 'C' Papers, by Andy Hueller

How I Got Rich Writing 'C' Papers, by Andy Hueller
High school senior Charles Remington Dremmel* wants to graduate with a legacy of two things: 1. winning his senior class's Nerf War and 2. not getting caught writing essays for his classmates (while making enough money to pay his way through college). Now that graduation is swiftly approaching, he decides to share the secrets of his success through this writing guide, which author Andy Hueller has cleverly disguised as a novel.

*Not his real name

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc. (January 8, 2013)

My Review:
It took me a little while to decide to read this book simply because I couldn't decide if it was fiction or non-fiction.  As soon as I started reading, however, I discovered that it was a little bit of both!

In spite of the title, I discovered that this book is not about making money (unless you decide to follow Charles' horrendously unethical business plan idea).  Rather, it is a novel about a boy who has made large donations to his own college fund by charging his classmates to write their essays.  Frequently, Charles interrupts his story about the all important Nerf War going on at school to dissect and give examples of the different grade levels of essays.  

In addition to showing us how to properly write D, C, B, and A letter grade essays, Charles also infuses his story with bits of writing wisdom.  Like the comma splice.  He hates it, and he tells you so repeatedly.  If you don't know what a comma splice is, then I would suggest you read the book. :)

I loved this book.  I loved the silly story about Charles managing his business and the Nerf War and I loved the writing advice.  Andy Hueller gives wonderful advice for anyone interested in writing, but keep in mind that it is intended to be a writing guide for teenagers.  It is not an advanced or professional writer's guide.  

I gave this book four stars.  I didn't give it the final star because there were a couple of instances where the protagonist's "voice" made some of his instruction confusing.  But for the most part, Hueller delivers a nice breakdown of good essay writing technique that is easy to understand and implement.

Amazon |  Goodreads | Author Website

About the Author:

Andy Hueller is the author of Dizzy Fantastic and Her Flying Bicycle (Cedar Fort, 2010), as well as the upcoming Skipping Stones at the Center of the Earth (Cedar Fort, TBD). He writes every day--sometimes the work is a thrilling adventure, and other times it's a slog. He always feels better, however, after he's given it a go. Mr. Hueller teaches at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. He lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife and their dog. Pin It