The Million Dollar Race, Matthew Ross Smith
The Million Dollar Race, Matthew Ross Smith
List: $14.99 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.49

The Million Dollar Race

Author: Matthew Ross Smith

Narrator: James Fouhey, Kaleo Griffith, Nancy Wu

Unabridged: 3 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/22/2023


Synopsis

“I dare you to predict the winner of The Million Dollar Race. OK, you dragged it out of me: it’s the READER!” —Jerry Spinelli, Newbery Award–winning author of Maniac Magee

​Perfect for fans of Lizzy Legend and the Baseball Genius series, this quick-paced, heartfelt, and zany novel follows a speedy kid from an unconventional family who will do whatever it takes to win an international track contest.

Grant Falloon isn’t just good at track; he’s close to breaking the world record 100-meter time for his age group. So when the mega-rich Babblemoney sneaker company announces an international competition to find the fastest kid in the world, he’s desperate to sign up.

But not so fast. Nothing’s ever that easy with the eccentric Falloon family. Turns out, his non-conformist parents never got him a legal birth certificate. He can’t race for the United States, so now if he wants to compete, he may just have to invent his own country.

And even if that plan works, winning gold will mean knocking his best friend—and biggest competitor—Jay, out of the competition. As unexpected hurdles arise, Grant will have to ask not only if winning is possible, but what he’s willing to sacrifice for it.

About Matthew Ross Smith

Matthew Ross Smith is an author, musician, and writing professor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more, including animated writing tutorials you can share with your students, visit him at Matthew-Ross-Smith.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Matthew on February 16, 2021

A reluctant reader starts the first page...and that's not bad...so they keep going. They don't know it but the sentences are calibrated to speed them along. The pages are flying by. They're laughing out loud, nodding in recognition, maybe even crying a little. Two hours later they've finished it...a......more

Goodreads review by Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) on February 19, 2021

The Million Dollar Race is a unique middle grade book about male friendships, sports, unconventional families, and identity. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the touch of mystery and activism at the end. Grant and his brother also have an interesting dynamic, and we’re seeing more and more kid vl......more

Goodreads review by Amy on January 23, 2022

This book is a 2022-2023 nominee for the Golden Sowers Chapter book list. I read this book to get a jump start on the Golden Sower list for next year. I always like to have a pretty solid working knowledge of the titles, and sports books are HUGE in my library. This one was good, but not nearly as go......more

Goodreads review by Yapha on January 03, 2021

This was a really fun book that will appeal to both track fans and YouTube enthusiasts! When Grant is disqualified from a life changing race due to a technicality with his birth certificate, his YouTuber brother Franny helps him create his own virtual "country" so that he can still race. While this......more

Goodreads review by Jillian on June 10, 2022

This book has everything I look for in a book… friendships, a real life problem and solution-not just a “they lived happily ever after,” flawed characters that grow and humor. Recommended for fifth grade and up since the main character is in eighth grade. It includes interview chapters that read qui......more