Million-Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica (256 pages)
Thirteen year old Nate Brodie is the star quarterback for his eighth grade football team, the Valley Patriots. Everyone calls him “Brady” because he is Tom Brady’s number one fan and he also has an amazing throwing arm. Nate gets the chance of a lifetime when he goes to buy a limited edition football autographed by Tom Brady that he’s been saving up for. He enters and wins a contest to attempt a million-dollar throw during halftime at a New England Patriots game. To win the million dollars, Nate must hit a twenty inch hole from thirty yards away and he only gets one shot! This is the most important play of Nate’s life because his family is having a hard time financially and could really use the money. His parents have lost their jobs and they are about to lose their home as well. Nate is also worried about his best friend, Abby. She is a talented artist, but has a disease causing her to go blind. Just when Nate needs his golden arm to come through for him the most, it starts to let him down and he is benched on his team. Will Nate be able to make things right before his million-dollar throw? I enjoyed reading this book because it is a suspenseful story about football, but it also shows how important it is to never give up no matter what challenges you face.
Dakotah B.’s Rating: ****
