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Dan Gutman

The Readers and Writers Paradise Podcast 008: The Million Dollar Series by Dan Gumtan

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One of my favorite book series for kids is the million dollar series by Dan Gutman. In the series there are five books-covering a variety of sports-that each give a kid the opportunity to win a million bucks.

Dan Gutman writes books kids want to read, and this is no exception. There was one kid I know of who didn’t want to read The Million Dollar Shot but after his mom showed him my review he decided to read it and now he loves it!

So I decided to do my podcast this week about this great book series. I talk all about the five different books and which I’d recommend getting first. Let me know what you think of the podcast in the comments below!

Click here to download the podcast

Get The Million Dollar Shot

Get The Million Dollar Kick

Get The Million Dollar Putt

Get The Million Dollar Strike

Get The Million Dollar Goal

The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman Review

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What kid doesn’t dream of becoming President? The Kid Who Ran for President captures that fantasy in the campaign of a twelve year-old who seriously campaigns for the highest office in the US.

Dan Gutman writes books kids want to read, and this book is no exception. The Kid Who Ran for President is a hilarious tale as young Judson Moon goes from a regular middle school moron to a serious candidate to the Presidency.

Summary

Judson Moon never thought he would be a candidate for the highest office in the United States. He’s just a normal seventh grader. Besides, you have to be 35 years old to get elected, anyways.

Lane Brainard, however, isn’t going to let any of that stop him! He’s Judson’s best friend and a legitimate genius. He’s really into politics, too, and he’s getting sick of the two party system that doesn’t get anything done. He thinks a kid should run for President!

Judson agrees for one reason and one reason only; he thinks it will be fun. A kid running for President! Who would take that seriously? He is surprised to realize, however, that Lane’s strategy is working. Kids like his ideas of abolishing homework and bed-making so much that they force their parents to support him.

Before too long, Judson is rising in the polls. He chooses an old black lady named June Syers as his running mate, and a nice looking girl named Chelsea to be his first lady instead of the girl he really likes.

And the debates are brutal. Although Lane prepares him well, he decides to throw it and uses sarcasm instead. But will his strategy actually backfire and land him at the top of the polls? Will he actually win the Presidency? And if he does, will he take it?

Review

The Kid Who Ran for President is one of my favorite kids books, and probably my favorite by Dan Gutman (which is saying something). The book is written from the first person, and Judson is a very normal kid who we can identify with a lot.

There is humor all throughout the book and the book just whizzes by as we learn about Moon’s bid for the White House. A kid running for President is just such an awesome concept that it’s bound to me a good book.

Although certain parts of the book are unrealistic (of course), it also confronts some moral and emotional issues. These include what Judson should do when a national scandal hits on him, what he should do with his real closest friend who is a girl when he chooses someone else to be his first lady, and whether he is actually fit to be President.

This is a hilarious book that appeals to even the most reluctant readers. Plus there is a sequel called The Kid Who Became President which is just as good. Any boy around fourth to seventh grade will devour this book.

Buy the book!

 

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The Million Dollar Goal by Dan Gutman Review

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Hi guys, thanks again for checking out my site. Today I’m excited to tell you about another book in the Dan Gutman’s million dollar series; The Million Dollar Goal.

Dan Gutman does a really good job writing books that kids want, and the million dollar series is a perfect example of that. In each of the books we have a different kid in a different sport somehow having the opportunity to win a million bucks; by sinking a basket, a soccer ball, or, in this case, a hockey puck.

Summary

At the beginning of the story we meet Dawn and Dusk, two Canadian twins who narrate the story. They live in Canada and absolutely love hockey. Unfortunately, their dad hates hockey, along with their old grandmother. So when he decides to buy them tickets to a Canadian hockey game, they are super excited.

At the game, Dawn and Dusk learn of a contest that gives the winner the opportunity to shoot a goal for the opportunity to win a million bucks. Even though their dad tells them that it’s rigged, they enter anyways. To their surprise, their grandmother Oma wins the contest…asleep in her chair.

The twins dad hopes to get it a secret from Oma that she won the contest because they all know she has no chance of making the shot. Although she acts innocent, before she goes to bed that night she says, “Oh, by the way…. I’m gonna take that shot.”

After that they try to help Oma prepare to make the shot and put provisions in to make it easier for her. She has to hit a regular check to get the money. Dawn and Dusk begin to train her, however it proves to be more challenging than they originally thought. Oma gets hurt and is put in a wheelchair, compounding her difficulty.

Even worse, some people begin to get nervous that Oma might actually make the shot and take their money, so they decide to start sabotaging her, and it’s not good at all. Things don’t turn out well for Oma, and that part of the book is very sad. Eventually the shot comes down to the final inch. Will they make it and win a million? Or will this book have a different ending from the other million dollar books? And will one Elvis Presley end up saving the day for their family?

Review

This is a really good book. Having Dawn and Dusk narrate it together was a really good idea as we got to see the twins banter back and forth. It’s good how Gutman models Oma as a fighter and shows the twins eventually learning to love her.

It’s also good because the ending is different then the other books in the series, and it is definitely not an easy one. Gutman uses the opportunity to process some of the emotions that naturally come with having an ailing grandparent.

Gutman also does a good job creating a family with all its problems, but also all its love and quirks. This is a really funny book and a lot of laughter will definitely be involved in reading it.

Even though this book is held in Canada, Gutman didn’t really do a lot of research about it and you don’t learn much of anything. It is interesting to learn about hockey, though. I’ve never been much into hockey, so it was cool to go into that world a little bit.

For people who have already read other million dollar books, this one is refreshing because it’s very different. For kids around 2nd to 5th or 6th grade with an interest in sports, it’s a really good book to read. One of the twins is a girl, so that’s good too.

If you get it for your son, expect this to be a hilarious book but also one that deals with some mature themes. It’s definitely well worth the read.

Click here to buy the book

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The Million Dollar Kick by Dan Gutman Review

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Dan Gutman writes books that kids want to read. The Million Dollar Kick is no exception, continuing with the million dollar series. In this series Gutman writes about kids having the chance to win a million dollars in a variety of sports.

This series is very well liked (I mean; what kid doesn’t dream about winning a million bucks?), and also very well written. The characters are all different, and each has their own storyline and development.

Summary

The main character in The Million Dollar Kick is a thirteen year-old girl named Whisper Nelson. She is very identifiable as a normal eighth grade girl who doesn’t like sports; in fact she hates them.

Part of the reason for this is because her younger sister, Briana, is a pro at sports. Plus, she is a pro at school. On report card day she gets straight A’s, so their mom has Whisper take her out to get some doughnuts. Whisper is jealous of her sister because she is viewed as the perfect one by their mom.

While getting doughnuts Briana happens to enter them into a contest that gives the winner a chance to win a million by kicking against Carmen Applegate, one of the best professional soccer goalies around. Surprisingly, Whisper wins!

Even though Whisper hates sports, she knows a million dollars would really be nice. She tries to learn how to kick, and Ellie Gonzales (the high school keeper) agrees to help her out.

Whisper soon becomes proficient in her soccer skills, improving her emotional life and her relationship with her mom. On the big day however, Carmen gets hurt and a familiar friend steps in to be the goalie. Will Whisper score? Or will she miss and feel bad forever?

Review

This is a very good book, as we have come to expect from Dan Gutman. Whisper is easy to relate to and I still feel like I know her. Throughout the book Gutman uses breaks in the action to his advantage in order to build Whisper’s character.

Whisper’s journey to become a better soccer player is also inspiring. It’s not easy for her to do, but it helps her with much more than just her soccer playing.

It’s also good that Gutman has the main character of this book be a girl, because all of the other books in the million dollar series are boys. This is a great book for girls from around 2nd to 5th or 6th grade, although many boys may still enjoy it. I sure did.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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Honus and Me by Dan Gutman Review

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I first read Honus and Me when my parents got it for me at Barnes @ Noble years ago. It was not only the first Dan Gutman I had read, but also the first baseball book.

I don’t remember it perfectly because it was so long ago, but I do remember that I was sick and so wasn’t involved in my parents decision to buy the book. At the time I had a low opinion of sports books in general (although I hadn’t read any of them), and so at first criticized my parents for getting me this book.

They said they knew I normally didn’t like those kids of books, but they thought I would like this one. They were right.

Summary

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to the narrator, Joe Stoshack (also known as “Stosh”). Stosh is a young middle schooler who loves baseball and loves to play it. Unfortunately, he is not super good and keeps getting heckled.

Stosh is going through a rough time as his parents recently got divorced and don’t have much money. To help out, he accepts a job cleaning Mrs. Young’s attic. There is a ton of stuff in it, but Stosh agreed to the job and so follows through with it.

Something crazy happens when Stosh is going through Mrs. Young’s attic, however. He finds a Honus Wagner T-206 1909 baseball card; the most valuable in the world! Stosh decides not to tell his mom about it because he knows she’ll probably make him give it back. But this is really amazing; this card sells for millions of dollars!

Something even more amazing happens, however; Honus Wagner shows up in Stosh’s room! How can that happen? Stosh assumes it’s either a dream or a cruel joke, but it is not. He has some special power to travel through time with baseball cards! Stosh talks with Honus and gets help with his game.

Stosh then realizes that he can use the card to travel back in time and they go back to the time of the 1906 World Series. Honus even lets Stosh play for him and make some good plays! After the adventure is over, Stosh is confronted with the conundrum of whether he should sell the card or return it to Mrs. Young. His parents leave the decision up to him, but what actually ends up happening is a surprise to everyone.

Review

This book is not good because of any textbook reasons. It is not funny, does not have a lot of action. The only conventional thing about it is seeing Stosh (an identifiable character) going through some character growth. But really, this shouldn’t be a good book. That’s why it was rejected by seven different publishers.

But it is a good book. Why? For the same reason other books by Dan Gutman are good. He writes about things kids dream about. Being able to travel back in time with baseball cards? That is so awesome!

I didn’t even like baseball or the idea of time traveling when I first read this book, but I absolutely loved the book. Something about the realistic world Gutman creates with Stosh, and the very unrealistic (but very exciting) world of time travel that you just know is going to have some cool adventure.

On Amazon this book has no reviews of less than three stars, and even those are pretty positive. That’s very impressive. Almost all boys will like this book. I’d say it’s best for a fairly young kids; about seven to eleven. Although Stosh may strike out a lot at the beginning, Dan Gutman definitely does not with this book!

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman Review

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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.

Thank you for reading this review and if you’d like to purchase the book you can do so through this link. You can also like my Facebook Page or enter your email below to get more book reviews.

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