Pay It Forward

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The internationally bestselling book that inspired the Pay It Forward movement is now available in a middle grade edition.

Pay It Forward is a moving, uplifting novel about Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old boy in a small California town who accepts his teacher’s challenge to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world. Trevor’s idea is simple: do a good deed for three people, and instead of asking them to return the favor, ask them to “pay it forward” to three others who need help. He envisions a vast movement of kindness and goodwill spreading across the world, and in this “quiet, steady masterpiece with an incandescent ending” (Kirkus Reviews), Trevor’s actions change his community forever.



This middle grade edition of Pay It Forward is extensively revised, making it an appropriate and invaluable complement to lesson plans and an ideal pick for book clubs, classroom use, and summer reading. Includes an author's note and curriculum guide.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, School, Family

288 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2014

About the author

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than 50 published and forthcoming books.

She is co-author, with publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of How to be a Writer in the E-Age: a Self-Help Guide.

Her bestselling 1999 novel Pay It Forward was made into a major Warner Brothers motion picture. It was chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in over 30 countries. Simon & Schuster released a special 15th anniversary edition in December of ’14.

Pay It Forward: Young Readers Edition, an age-appropriate edited edition of the original novel, was released by Simon & Schuster in August of ‘14. It is suitable for children as young as eight.

You can learn much more about Catherine at www.catherineryanhyde.com

Reviews

[Jonathan K (Max Outlier) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical prose coupled with interesting characters and plot, its a story that uplifts the spirit. An introverted black teacher suffering from burn wounds befriends one of his students who much to his surprise, fulfills a class assignment. With themes of redemption, joy and humanity woven.into subplots, a memorable story unfolds.

[Jill Bonham · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I were judging this book on the idea of it, the concept of paying it forward, I would give it 5 stars. But I'm not, I am reviewing the book. Although it is a wonderful idea it is with the backdrop of a not so good book. I read this at the recommendation of my 12 year old daughter. I started reading the "grown up version" and after 30 or so pages, I was thinking, ok I'm not really enjoying this. So I thought I'd read the kids version my daughter read instead. Here's the thing, I get that the reason it is so dark (lots of violence and the portrayal of a really crappy environment, such as a dead beat dad, gang violence, people being in jail, violence against gays, people just being downright rude and mean to others) is to contrast against the idea of how being good to each other might change the world. But it just didn't work for me. Too much darkness, writing that wasn't really that good (in either version) way to much content not really appropriate for kids. Half of the book was about the child's mom's awkward on and off relationship with his teacher?!? I thought the reporter part was kind if cheesy and confusing at first, and I didn't really get what the author was trying to say with a lot of the book in general. It just didn't come full circle for me in a believable way. I thought the ending was terrible. I think the nicey nice picture on the cover and the well loved concept of paying it forward are very misleading of this book's content. There are a lot better books out there that are more appropriate and better literature for kids, that also teach a lesson.

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I could give this book and 100 stars if I could. It's a miracle, something absolutely inviting, but also at once and something that could be true.
Trevor's judgment is absolutely astonishing, Even an extremely rich imagination, I might say
It's clearly one of the books that many years from now I'm going to take off a top shelf of a library and I'm going to remember the wonderful moments when I read it

[Tiffany Jenks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the movie of this book years ago when I was a kid and it was really moving. When I saw the book on a recommended reading list I wanted to revisit it. It’s amazing how one idea can impact so many who live vastly different lives. It shows the power of one. And how unbiased kindness and service really matters. Good read. But I should add that some of the people who come into contact with “the movement” talk about some adult themes: suicide, homelessness, job loss, spousal abandonment, etc. Would recommend this book for mature tweens and up.

[Maria and April Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this book! I read the young readers edition to my 10 year old daughter and 11 year old niece over the Christmas break. I ordered the book through Scholastic, so I'm not sure where else this version is available.

I read a few chapters every morning. The girls would wake up, pile into my bed where I'd read for about 45 minutes to an hour. We'd discuss some sections just to make sure what I read wasn't too far above their heads. The writing was beautiful, but may be little above your average 10-11 year olds. High readers may do ok.

We never saw the movie and so had nothing to compare to. The story is fascinating. We all had a hard time putting it aside to get on with our winter vacation. We enjoyed it tremendously.

As a parent, I loved how a child was the impetus for world change. This has inspired my daughter to look for ways she can pay it forward and do good in the world. I am getting copies for some of her friends and other cousins. It's a message I think will inspire some of them in ways they will carry with them to adulthood.

[Karen Casale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pay it forward. A simple idea that middle school student Trevor McKinney comes up as a solution to a statement his teacher writes on the blackboard for extra credit.

Think of an idea for world change and put it into action.

Trevor’s idea is to help three people who in turn help three people who help three people and so on and so forth. The number would become endless.
The help doesn’t have to be big, just something they need. Instead of paying back the helper, the person helps out three other people in some way. Trevor starts by transforming a beloved garden for an elderly neighbor who isn’t able to care for it anymore.

In this story, the movement becomes sensational and worldwide. Interesting characters, true spirit, and an uplifting message made this story a winner.

How can I help someone I don’t even know? I’ve done random acts in the past, but my hope is to do more. Maybe if we all do small acts of kindness we can truly change the world for the better.

[Hannah L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde, is about a young boy named Trevor who decides to change the world based off of his one idea, paying it forward. The novel is written showing all of the main characters points of views, allowing everyones thoughts and ideas to be read.
Paying the kindness forward; that's all Trevor wanted. Trevor, and young boy, was given an extra credit assignment to create an idea that could change the world. He went above and beyond to actually perform this act of kindness, and inspired many others to do so too. Trevor's idea eventually changed the world as we know it, and became the movement known as paying it forward.
Overall, I thought that this book was pretty inspiring. It opened up my mind; giving me new ideas and thoughts. I thought that it was really interesting how a young boy who was my age could change the world! I also really enjoyed the different points and view, and would rate this 4 out of 5 stars.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm. This was OK... I read the adult version years ago when it first came out, and this is the same story, just edited and shortened for kids. Trevor's plan for his social studies extra credit assignment to change the world is simple: Do a good deed for three people and ask each of them to "pay it forward". But it turns out to be harder than it sounds, at least as first. Trevor gets an A for effort, but doesn't feel like his plan really did much good. But little does he know that behind the scenes, kindnesses ARE being paid forward, until eventually it all snowballs into one glorious movement.

I wanted to use this for my junior book club, but I'm hesitant b/c there is still a lot of adult speak and thinking in the story. Not sure kids will stay with all of it, even tho I like the paying it forward concept. May have to reconsider...

[Kayla Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

For the story alone, I would give this one a solid four stars. However, I am having trouble reconciling with the ending to this Young Readers version so I had to drop it down a bit. I am all for editing to make something more appropriate/approachable for young readers but altering the ending bothers me personally. Still a beautiful story about how our actions create a ripple in the world that extends much further than we can ever know.

[Marylei · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's about Trevor who gets a new social studies teacher. His first assignment is to come up with a plan to change the world. His assignment is extra credit. Trevor tries to help someone who is being attack by a gang and get stabbed by them. This is a great book and i would recommend this book to the people who like emotion and love inspiration.

[Stine Braüner · Rating 5 out of 5]

En virkelig sød og inspirerende historie om en uselvisk dreng, der ønsker at ændre verdenen med en tjeneste for 3 forskellige personer.
Tankevækkende hvor lidt der skal til for at elske mennesker og sprede det som ringe i vandet.

[Sairey Pickering · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will be teaching this Young Readers edition of Pay It Forward with my 7th graders soon, and it’s very sweet! Just the kind of book I needed to read right now.

[matt p1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good..

[Anita Deodat Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concept ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book itself: ⭐⭐⭐
Don't think this book aged well.
I also don't like all the stereotyping.

[Jenna Lundgard · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good definitely recommend

[Raquel Pilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trevor is a 12-year-old boy who lives with his mother Arlene.
When Mr. St. Clair assigns his class a very special project on changing the world, Trevor creates a way to do it in a very meaningful way, although many people feel like it is not possible.
I watched the film years ago and I was happy to see that it was based on book, I just noticed I read the younger reader's version after some time hahaha! It was delightful anyway, even though the ending is slightly different!

[Trini · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Language Arts class. We never had the time in the rest of the school year to actually finish it, and that's why I've marked it as DNF. Now, you may be wondering, But why don't you just pick up the book and finish it by yourself? Marking it as DNF because you had no time to finish it because it was for school is cheating! But it's not cheating, because if I were able to read the book by myself, I would've DNF'ed it by myself a long time ago.

Now, meaning no offense to my Language Arts teacher, I'm honestly puzzling over why this book was chosen for us to read. Why did we have to read this book about altruism and goodness? Why couldn't we read something else that was ACTUALLY ABOUT kindness for more than half of the book? Something better? Something more exciting and less cliche?

This book was incredibly boring, to say the least. It was not exciting. It was not inspiring. It didn't teach much of a lesson at all. The characters were incredibly dumb. The plot was incredibly repetitive, and there were so many cliches. In fact, half of the book is a dumb romance between the main character's mother and his social studies teacher. Like, what the hell? Way to get cheated out of a book that told of a lot of paying forward.

What is this even supposed to teach? Have a brilliant idea that sounds great on paper but is actually impossible to achieve, tell everybody and try to put it into action, but once you think it's failed, give up and you'll find out that it actually didn't fail, without you doing anything about it, and win a lot of recognition for it, and then suffer? What kind of an idea is that? What are you planting into people's heads? This tells nothing about kindness. It is literally a cause and effect chart, translated into prose, that nobody needs to hear about, because everyone knows how it'll turn out. A better world! A better place! If only it were achievable.

The "pay it forward" idea Trevor, the main character, has in this book is absolute madness. Sure, it's brilliant on paper when you first hear about it, but eventually when you think about it more, you think, Oh, wait, that actually can't happen. People are too bad in this world to do such a thing. See, that's the sensible approach!

Catherine Ryan Hyde is clearly not an experienced author. She tosses cliches at us like they're no big deal and keeps flinging them at the reader like we ordered twelve courses of cliche and boredom. Her writing is... just a little strange. I mean no offense to Hyde, but it's just that the writing was so...what's the word? Inexperienced?

Also, there was so much potential in this book that was just lost. A book about paying it forward? Great! Bring it on! That sounds amazing! Then you read it, and halfway through, you realize that it's not actually a book about paying it forward, and instead a lousy romance book. Brilliant! A book with LGBT+ characters in it? Wow! This was published in the 90's! I can't wait to see accurate representation--

--never mind. Forget what I said.

Okay, so I've mentioned the romance, the characters, and how the plot has almost nothing to do with the blurb. Maybe we should actually dig into those topics?

The characters are so frustrating. Trevor is such a Gary Stu. So perfect. So innocent. He seems like the most precious cinnamon roll on this planet, right? Not. I wanted to continuously stab him throughout the entire book. (In fact, when I heard the ending of the book, this was what I was like: Huh. Okay. Great job, random guy!!!!!!!!! Thank you! Thank you for fulfilling my wish!)

I liked Arlene at first, but she quickly deteriorated into a character I also wanted to throw into a burning fire. Reuben was nice, at first, but he, too, with his awkwardness that wasn't even cute, made me want to kill him even more painfully. I considered strangling him and maybe getting rid of his remaining eye.

And the boring plot. It was possibly the most boring thing in the world. The beginning was nice, and actually, the beginning was the only nice thing in the book. I soon realized that the nice part was past, and that the middle was here, and that the middle completely sucked. It had no depth. It was just... boring.

Finally, the romance between Arlene and Reuben. So awkward. So cringe-worthy. I seriously wanted to die whenever I got to one of their POV's in the middle, because I knew it would be a "should I talk to him or should I not" or "I don't want to talk to her but I don't think she wants to talk to me either so" moment. They were like little middle schoolers. Like, asking the other to marry them on, like, the second date? Are you kidding me?

There was so much potential in this book, and then all of it was simply thrown away, scattered by the wind. If I had the ability to rewrite this book, I would immediately kill off all of the main characters at the start of the story so we wouldn't have to go through everything. But that's not possible, I suppose.

Do not read this. Do not see the movie. Anything would be better than this book that's leading you to a false sense of a good book about kindness. What a deceitful little thing.

[Wt Prater · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't words to describe a book like this. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up.

If I was just rating on the concept itself this book would easily be 5 stars. I love that the book centers on a young, middle school student who came up with the idea and pours his heart into making it happen. Jelly and I had some great talks about the importance of kindness, and how paying it forward doesn’t have to be in big, grand gestures or tied in to money. Big change can start from small people.

Unfortunately the writing is what holds the book back. There we so many fragments and incoherent sentences that it made it challenging to read aloud with Jelly. Also, the romance between the mom and the teacher was awkward (and inappropriate) and I felt that in so many instances they did not behave like actual adults.

We’ll be curious to compare it to the movie!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isn't that the point, why we are all here on earth?

[Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my 8th grade class and I absolutely loved that it provoked great discussions on the impact one can have on the world. This is a must read for all!

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was written in such a way as to make me think this was a true story. But it's fiction. It's a lovely story.

[Matthew Largo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pay It Forward was a good book, although it was too easy, it didn't have a lot of detail. I like how Catherine spread the idea that anyone can change the world. Pay It Forward was about a boy named Trevor who gets a new social studies teacher and his first assignment is for extra credit, 'Think of an idea for world change and put into action.' Trevor then thinks of paying it forward where a person does something for three people and when they ask how they can pay it back, the person says to pay it forward to three other people. Honestly, I think the whole story after this point is mostly about Trevor's mom, Arlene, and the social studies teacher, Rueben's, relationship. During the end, Trevor tries to help someone who is being attacked by a gang and gets stabbed by them. Arlene holds a candle march for him where about twenty-four thousand people from around the world are there and tells them all to pay it forward, we never hear if Trevor makes it or not. I would recommend this book to people who like emotion and love inspiration

[Juliette Simpson]

Pay it Forward by, Catherine Ryan Hyde, is a moving book about a boy named Trevor and an assignment his teacher gave him.

Mr. St. Clair was a new teacher, but he was different. He was black and was missing an eye. The students stared at him and asked him questions. But one day he gave out an assignment to the class to think of a way to change the world and put it in action. One boy, Trevor McKinney, decided to help 3 people and then they each "pay it forward". Trevor's project works so well with him thinking it completely flunked. Mrs. McKinney, one day, meets Mr.St.Clair and they fall in love. Trevor's project brings him to Washington D.C, and really enlightens the world around him.


This book is Amazing it only took me one day to read and I definitely recommend it to anybody.
This book really inspires you and really shows you a way to help.

[Madison Truesdale]

This book is about a a boy named Trevor that has an idea to pay it forward. The idea of paying it forward means that you would do one life changing favor for someone and instead of them giving you something back you would ask them to pay it forward to three people. At first when Trevor started this idea he thought that it wasn't working and no one was paying it forward. He later discovered that his idea got to other states. In the end he got credit for his idea.
I would 100% recommend this book to anyone with the love for reading. This book is very inspirational and has inspired many people in the world. Definitely a good book to read. I honestly loved it.

[Mr. Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring story about the power of one person to make a positive difference in the world. A middle school Social Studies teacher challenges his class to come up with an idea that will make a positive impact in the world. His challenges prompts a young boy to come up with the idea to Pay it Forward in the lives of three people.

You learn a lot in this story about the power of kindness and how we all need each other to make it from day to day in this life. After reading this book, you will be challenged to change the world in your own community!

[Angela Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my fourth grader and had to give it the praise it deservers. It was well modified for young readers. I just love the concept of paying things forward and try hard to live by these standards. If it is through a nice word, a shared understanding, volunteering my time or providing a helping hand when I see others struggling. Thank you for providing the medium to teach my child the concept that is so dear to my heart.... Enjoy this read!

[Janet Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read on the recommendation of one of the Grade 4 girls. I liked the concept and the story, but found myself wanting to skip to the end to find the important things out. Like - what happened to Trevor's idea? What happened to the pay it forward people he selected? And why did my student say it was sad? (I didn't find it so - but I'm not a grade 4 girl). Nevertheless, I like that she recommended it to me - because I have been the giver in our relationship.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started reading this to Nicole, but she got bored and didn't want to keep reading. I went ahead and finished it. It was ok. Not too happy with the ending because I feel like it might discourage people from doing good. But maybe it's good that it ends that way as a cautionary tale- don't try to be a superhero because you will get hurt.

[Karena Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for young readers. I may wait until my daughter is a bit older (maybe 9 or 10) so she can understand some of the references and advanced concepts. But all in all I think this is a heart-warming and inspiring story. I'm trying to figure out the difference between the "Young Readers Edition" and the original version. Good Reads treats both books as the same book.