Million Dollar Shot, The (Paperback)

by Dan Gutman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6. Another page-turner from the author of The Kid Who Ran for President (Scholastic, 1996). Eddie Ball, 11, lives with his mother in a cramped trailer in rural Louisiana. Although he dreams of moving to a "regular house," Mrs. Ball's salary at the Finkle Foods Factory is low, and her bills are many. Eddie's best friend is his African-American next-door neighbor and classmate, the poetry-loving, basketball-playing Annie Stokely, who lives with her father. When both adults are laid off from the factory, Eddie enters one of Annie's poems in a poetry contest sponsored by Finkle Foods; the winner gets a chance to sink a foul shot during halftime at the first game of the NBA finals for a million-dollar prize. Early in the book, Eddie wins the poetry contest?but can he make the basket? Shooting lessons from Mr. Stokely improve Eddie's free-throw success rate, but someone seems to be sabotaging the practice sessions. Things become more complicated when Mr. Finkle visits Eddie, admits that his company is having financial troubles, and offers him a bribe to throw an air ball. Gutman expertly builds up suspense to the moment of the shot, milking the throw itself for several delightfully agonizing pages. The story, with occasional basketball tips well woven into the narrative, will appeal to both sports readers and general audiences. Gutman's subtle humor, exciting sports action, and excruciating suspense make this title an outstanding choice for reluctant readers.?Denise E. Agosto, Midland County Public Library, TX
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Eleven-year-old Eddie gets a chance to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National Basketball Association finals.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (September 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786812206
• ISBN-13: 978-0786812202
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,528,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Million Dollar Shot, March 24, 2001

By	David Jiang "yilopieron" (USA) - See all my reviews

The Million Dollar Shot is about a boy named Eddie. He lives with his mom in a poor trailer park, but one day Eddie sends a poem into a contest hoping to win. One day he gets selected to shoot for 1 million dollars in New York City. He did shoot it and he got 1 million dollars! The ending is very good, but I won't tell you what it was... you'll have to find out yourself. This book is quite funny and entertaining. This book would've gotten 5 stars but it wasn't very long, if it was longer it would've been a spectacular book! No matter what, this book has got to be read!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mother in a family of readers, September 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Million Dollar Shot (Library Binding)

My 8 year old son read this book and loved it. He then asked me to read it out loud to him and his 5 year old sister, and they both loved it. I enjoyed it, too. The story is interesting and the characters are realistic. Dan Gutman does a great job of building the suspense to the climactic moment when the 11 year old narrator takes the million dollar shot during halftime of the NBA finals. (My son was amazed that Mr. Gutman was able to write two whole chapters -- albeit short ones -- focusing on the period of time while the ball was in the air. And we eagerly devoured them. I took the opportunity to point out that this was GOOD WRITING). Along the way Mr. Gutman throws in a few lessons about friendship, loyalty, and the value of hard work. These lessons are easy to take, because the story flows so smoothly. All three of us recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book for anybody-especialy basketball fans!, July 18, 2001

By	A 12-year old reader (USA) - See all my reviews

Eddie Ball's mom works for the "dessert company" that most everybody works at. One day, Eddie finds out about a contest to win a free-throw shot at half-time in a basketball game. If he makes it, he wins $1,000,000! But then he finds out that they can't have a reletave that works for the company. He can't enter! But soon the company starts laying off workers and his mom gets laid off. He's sad, but he can enter the contest now! He has a friend named Annie who writes a poem, but doesn't want to enter it herself, so Eddie does. And he wins the shot! He has a lot of enemies, though, and they make it very rough for him. Will he make the shot? This book has a very cool ending! I would reccomend this book to anyone, even non-basketball fans!