The Million Dollar Shot facts for kids

The first edition of the book.

The Million Dollar Shot is an exciting children's book written by Dan Gutman. It's a story about a boy who gets a chance to win a huge prize. Many libraries in the United States and Canada have this book. Later, the book was re-released with new cover art by Michael Koelsch. This happened when another book in the series, The Million Dollar Putt, came out.

The Story of Eddie Ball

The Big Contest

A snack company called Finkle Foods held a special contest. The main prize was a trip to New York City. The winner would get to take a free throw shot during an NBA Finals game. If they made the shot, they would win a million dollars!

A boy named Eddie Ball really needed this money. He lived in a trailer park in Louisiana with his mom, Rebecca Ball. His mom had recently lost her job at Finkle Foods. Eddie wanted to make George Finkle, the company's founder, pay for what he did.

How Eddie Entered

Eddie decided to enter the contest. He wrote a rap poem, but his friend Annie "Oakley" Stokely didn't like it. So, Annie wrote a different poem for him. It went like this:

'How could the pilgrims e'er be contented,

'When savory Finkle's had not been invented?'

Annie's poem won the contest! Even though Annie wrote it, Eddie took the credit. With help from Annie's dad, Bobby Stokely, Eddie practiced a lot. He worked hard to get ready for the big shot in June.

Facing Challenges

Not everyone wanted Eddie to win. George Finkle, the company owner, even tried to trick Eddie. He offered Eddie his mom's job back and lots of Finkle snacks. But Eddie said no. He knew Finkle had been watching him practice. Finkle knew how good Eddie was at shooting hoops.

The Million Dollar Shot

Eddie traveled to New York for the game. There was a lot of pressure on him. But he stepped up and made the free throw! He won the million-dollar prize.

It turned out that Finkle Foods' products were causing health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shut down the company the very next day.

A New Beginning

Eddie used his prize money to buy the company. With help from his mom and the Stokely family, he started a new company. They called it the Air Ball Company. Their main product was the Air Ball Crunchy. This was a snack his mom had invented, but Finkle Foods had rejected it.

The Air Ball Company's motto was:

'How could the pilgrims e'er be contented,'

'When Air Ball Crunchies had not been invented?'

More Books in the Series

• The Million Dollar Kick: This book is about soccer.
• The Million Dollar Goal: This book is about ice hockey.
• The Million Dollar Putt: This book is about golf.