As was brought up in another post, the best way to learn how the stock market works is to try one of the virtual stock market simulations online. One of the best ones that I have found is completely free and you will start off with up to $500,000 virtual money. They offer penny stocks, day trading, etc, just as you would encounter on the real stock market but without any loss of money. The only difference is the information is delayed by 15-20 minutes so there isn't that real time advantage.
Stock Market Game