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.
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