Dan Gutman writes books that kids want to read. That’s why he did his “million dollar” series, where he puts kids into situations in which they have the opportunity to win a million dollars. Gutman says he believes that’s the kind of stuff kids dream about, and the success of his books prove that he’s right.
What makes the books so good is that he creates believable characters that you can really identify with. The Million Dollar Shot is no different, in which young Eddie Ball unexpectedly has the opportunity has the opportunity to shoot one basket worth a million dollars.
Summary
Eddie’s family is poor, and his mom works for a company called Finkle Foods, a snack company that employees most of the people in the area (Eddie’s dad passed away sometime in the past). Eddie loves playing basketball and befriends a girl named Anne who is able to beat him in horse.
Unfortunately, Eddie and Anne come home from school one day to find out that both of their parents have been fired. Finkle Foods isn’t doing as well as it used to, and so they’re having to make a few cuts. They already lived in trailers, but now they’re going to be a dire financial situation.
Earlier in the story, however, Eddie had run across a poetry competition that will give the winner the opportunity to win a million dollars by sinking a shot during halftime of the NBA Finals. Originally Eddie couldn’t enter because his mom worked for Finkle Foods, but now that his mom was fired he can enter the contest.
Unfortunately, however, all Eddie can come up with is a silly rap song. Anne laughs when he reads it and she writes her own poem for Eddie to send in. Eddie doesn’t think much of it (it’s a little old-fashioned), but it ends up winning him the contest!
After that, Anne’s dad starts coaching Eddie. He was a great college player and almost made it to the NBA, but he slacked off and instead ended up having to live in a trailer. He tells Eddie the secret to shooting a free throw and has him shoot 1000 free throws a day.
Eddie is shooting over 90%, so things look good for him to win the prize. Finkle, however, really doesn’t want Eddie to win. Now that his company is doing poorly he can’t afford to pay out a million dollars. He starts paying people to say nasty things to him and try and throw off Eddie’s shot. It works, and Eddie has to work hard to not let it get to him.
I think we all know the ending already, but I won’t spoil it anyway. Eddie’s mom and Anne’s dad also start dating, much to Eddie’s chagrin, but he learns to handle it.
Review
This is a very good book. Sure, there isn’t that much suspense as to what’s going to happen, but Dan Gutman doesn’t really write his books to be suspenseful. Eddie is a down-to-earth, identifiable character and you really feel for him and his family.
The stuff about basketball was interesting, too. I love basketball, and it was fun to read about Eddie’s preparation to become a free-throwing champ.
It’s not good for older kids, though; probably it would be best for age eleven and under. It’s only 128 pages, and those go fast, even for kids who don’t normally like reading.
There are criticisms I could give for the book, but there aren’t really things missing; there are things Gutman intentionally didn’t put in. This is a book about a poor kid who lost his dad taking his opportunity to make it to the top and his journey to get there. The character tensions and development make The Million Dollar Shot well worth the read.
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I have read this book when I was young, and it is SO good! I really really recommend this book, for everyone. Also, this site has helped me with a lot. Thank you so much!