Million-Dollar Throw [Paperback]

Mike Lupica (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 16, 2010 | Age Range: 10 and up

Everyone calls Nate Brodie ÒBradyÓ because heÕs a New England quarterback, just like his idol, Tom Brady. And now heÕs got a chance to win a million dollars by throwing one pass through a target at halftime in the PatriotsÕ Thanksgiving night game. More than anything, NateÕs family needs the moneyÑhis dadÕs been downsized, his momÕs working two jobs, and theyÕre on the verge of losing their house. The worry is more weight than a 13-year-old can bear, and itÕs affecting his playing for his own football team. Suddenly the boy with the golden arm is having trouble completing a pass . . . but can he make the one that really counts?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—Lupica delivers another smooth, well-paced, character-driven novel. Thirteen-year-old Nate Brodie's life would seem to be the stuff of adolescent boys' dreams: he is the star quarterback of his school football team and has a great relationship with his best friend and soulmate, Abby McCall. However, all is not smooth sailing. The Brodies are in danger of losing their home in the economic downturn, and Abby's eyesight is failing due to a rare congenital disease. Nate thinks he may have the opportunity to solve all of his problems when he wins the chance to make a million dollars by throwing a football through a small target during halftime at a pro football game. Unfortunately, his quarterbacking skills suddenly and mysteriously desert him just as he is preparing for his big moment. With the support of his family and friends, he fights his way back and regains the confidence he needs to face the challenges in his life. While the serious issues raised about the effects of economic uncertainty on families are resolved a tad too easily, youngsters are likely to accept this as just a good, entertaining read.—Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Lupica's football action engages, and his delineation of the athlete's thought process and emotional highs and lows of competition feels visceral and real." --Kirkus

"Lupica delivers another smooth, well-paced, character-driven novel." --School Library Journal

"Sympathetic characters, crisp dialogue and enough dramatic baseball action to satisfy the most diehard fan " --Kirkus --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; Reprint edition (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142415588
• ISBN-13: 978-0142415580
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Sports > Football

More About the Author

Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider's knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, which includes his popular "Shooting from the Lip" column, which appears every Sunday. He began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York Daily News, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN's The Sports Reporters. He also hosted his own program, The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2. In 1987, Lupica launched "The Sporting Life" column in Esquire magazine. He has published articles in other magazines, including Sport, World Tennis, Tennis, Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men's Journal and Parade. He has received numerous honors, including the 2003 Jim Murray Award from the National Football Foundation. Mike Lupica co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, collaborated with noted author and screenwriter, William Goldman on Wait Till Next Year, and wrote The Summer of '98, Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back and Shooting From the Lip, a collection of columns. In addition, he has written a number of novels, including Dead Air, Extra Credits, Limited Partner, Jump, Full Court Press, Red Zone, Too Far and national bestsellers Wild Pitch and Bump and Run. Dead Air was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Mystery and became a CBS television move, "Money, Power, Murder" to which Lupica contributed the teleplay. Over the years he has been a regular on the CBS Morning News, Good Morning America and The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour. On the radio, he has made frequent appearances on Imus in the Morning since the early 1980s. His previous young adult novels, Travel Team, Heat, Miracle on 49th Street, and the summer hit for 2007, Summer Ball, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list. Lupica is also what he describes as a "serial Little League coach," a youth basketball coach, and a soccer coach for his four children, three sons and a daughter. He and his family live in Connecticut.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lupica's best yet! November 10, 2009

By Nicholas A. Ziinojr VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Travel TeamHeatThe Big FieldSummer BallMiracle on 49th Street
Nate Brodie is the star quarterback of his eighth-grade football team,nicknamed
"Brady"because of his golden throwing arm and his being Tom Brady's biggest fan.
One day he goes to buy a special autographed Brady football,and enters a contest where he wins the chance to throw a pass through a target for one million dollars at halftime of the New England Patriots'Thanksgiving night game.But Nate's got big personal problems.His dad's out of a job,his family going to lose their home,and
best pal Abby is going blind.Then his arm deserts him.Can Nate fix things and triumph on his big night?Mike Lupica tells you-brilliantly-in this deeply moving story that is a winner in every way.A strong and solidly-crafted plot,with
beautifully drawn characters.Adults and kids will both really enjoy this.
It is Mike Lupica's masterpiece!

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children November 3, 2009

By Yana V. Rodgers

Format:Hardcover

Not only did thirteen-year-old Nate Brodie have an extraordinary throwing arm, he also had a deep sense of compassion and empathy. So when his best friend Abby started to lose her vision to a retinal disease, Nate struggled desperately to support her in any way he could. When Nate's father lost his job at the large commercial real estate company and both his parents had to take on multiple lower-paying jobs, Nate did his best to accept their new schedules and the difficulties they had making it to his games.

He could even come to terms with the placement of their house on the market because of the pressure his family was under, pressure his dad blamed on "never having enough money and starting to think you're never going to have enough again." When Nate won a raffle giving him a chance to win a million dollars by throwing a football through a target at an upcoming Patriots game, he realized the prize money could solve all his family's financial problems. Everyone around him knew he had the raw talent to make that throw, but Nate started losing confidence when he allowed all the worries and the pressure to get inside his head and in the way of his magic arm.

How would he make that million-dollar throw if he could not even keep his position as starting quarterback on the school team? This riveting sports novel is bound to grab the attention of young readers seeking strong characters and an interesting plot. Thrown into the mix is an important lesson in economics related to the constraints placed by a tighter budget on a family's purchasing power and ability to spend time with each other. The book will undoubtedly meet the high standards that kids now expect from a Mike Lupika novel.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's how you play the game December 1, 2009

By Michael Galardi

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

As with all Mike Lupica books, it's not just the real characters, it's the story they tell. This book is billed as a young adult book, but I suggest that "old" adults will love it, as well. I read it in one day, as did my 2 boys. Life isn't just about winning and losing..it's how you play the game...This story has a young boy coming of age at a difficult time, learning that a good day isn't just a good football game that he starred in and a bad day isn't just about a game gone wrong..it's much more than that..Nate Brody navigates himself through some tough life events and comes out better, more mature and happier. Mike has a gift, he has an ear for people and uses his remarkable voice to share great life stories with us. Talk about an easy Christmas gift!!!