The Million Dollar Shot
| Industry | Food manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founder | Eddie Ball, Rebecca Ball, Bobby Stokely family |
| Products | Air Ball Crunchy snack |
The Million Dollar Shot is a children's book authored by Dan Gutman, catalogued in more than 1100 libraries across the United States and Canada according to WorldCat. To support the release of Gutman's 2006 novel The Million Dollar Putt, Hyperion Books for Children reissued the initial four titles in the Million Dollar series, featuring refreshed cover illustrations by Michael Koelsch.
Plot
Finkle Foods, a snack manufacturer, organizes a competition offering a trip to New York City along with an opportunity to attempt a million-dollar free throw during an NBA Finals event.
Eddie Ball, a young boy residing in a Louisiana trailer park with his widowed mother Rebecca—who was recently dismissed from her job at Finkle Foods—enters the contest with the intent to confront George Finkle, the company's founder. Eddie submits a rap poem, but his friend Annie "Oakley" Stokely revises it into a winning verse:
- 'How could the pilgrims e'er be contented,
- 'When savory Finkle's had not been invented?'
Claiming credit for Annie's poem, Eddie commits to intense practice sessions aided by Annie’s father, Bobby Stokely. George Finkle attempts to bribe Eddie into missing the shot by offering to reinstate his mother’s employment and provide unlimited snacks, but Eddie declines, mindful of Finkle’s monitoring during his training.
During the game held in New York, Eddie successfully sinks the free throw under immense pressure, securing the million-dollar reward. The following day, the FDA closes down Finkle Foods due to its products being linked to cancer. Utilizing his prize money, Eddie purchases the company and collaborates with his mother and the Stokely family to establish Air Ball Company. Their primary product is Air Ball Crunchy—a snack created by Rebecca but previously rejected by Finkle Foods. The business adopts a slogan inspired by Annie's poem:
- 'How could the pilgrims e'er be contented,
- 'When Air Ball Crunchies had not been invented?'
See also
- The Million Dollar Kick, centered on soccer.
- The Million Dollar Goal, focused on ice hockey.
- The Million Dollar Putt, related to golf.