Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
Sports Fiction; 244 pages
Eighth-grade star quarterback Nate Brodie is frantic to win a million dollars by completing a pass during the halftime of a New England Patriot’s game to help his family and his best friend Abby who is going blind.
Sam’s review:
Nate Brodie, 13, seems to have everything going for him. He’s quarterback of his 8th grade football team and has a great coach and great teammates. He is best friends with the irrepressible Abby McCall and gets along well at school and at home. His parents are struggling financially, though, and have put their beloved house up for sale. As they juggle multiple, unsatisfying jobs, Nate gets knocked off balance. He is really thrown for a loop when Abby tells him that she has a degenerative eye disease that will cause her to go blind. Then, Nate wins the opportunity to attempt a million dollar throw during halftime at the New England Patriots’ Thanksgiving football game. What will Nate do with this opportunity, especially when his football game goes awry? Nate narrates his own story with honesty, bringing the reader along with him to insights and courage. There’s some good humor along the way, and football fans will appreciate the play-by-plays of Nate’s important games. Though some plot developments are predictable, the inevitable climax is still moving and satisfying.