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Summary
Summary
It was a one-in-a-million chance. A bag crammed with cash comes tumbling out of the air and lands right at Damian's feet. Suddenly the Cunningham brothers are rich. Very rich. They can buy anything they want. There's just one problem -- they have only seventeen days to spend all the money before it becomes worthless. And the crooks who stole the cash in the first place are closing in -- fast. A funny, brilliantly clever and utterly thrilling debut novel that is, quite simply, unforgettable.
Reviews (6)
Publisher's Weekly Review
How would you spend a lot of money fast? That's the irresistible premise of this witty and poignant first novel by a British screenwriter. Damian and Anthony Cunningham have moved to a new neighborhood with their loving but overwhelmed father, following their mother's death. (A mention that their old house is still on the market because of "what happened there" suggests suicide.) Anthony, a precocious fifth-grader plays on people's sympathy: "Tell them your mum's dead and they give you stuff." Damian, the beguiling fourth-grade narrator, is obsessed with saints and saintly behavior. He "mortif[ies] his flesh" by placing holly leaves under his shirt, and constructs his own makeshift "hermitage" near the railroad tracks. He's in this cardboard hideout when a bag containing more than a quarter-million pound notes drops from the sky. Damian believes it's from God. Anthony suspects otherwise but embarks on a spending spree fueled by a deadline the pounds will be worthless in 17 days, when England converts its monetary system to the Euro. Boyce gracefully weaves in many thought-provoking episodes. Anthony learns about inflation when he overpays for favors and toys at school. Damian follows St. Francis of Assisi's example by buying and setting free a pet store's worth of birds. The ending is sure to spark heated debate, as Damian comes to terms with the ubiquity of poverty and the dark side of human nature. The story starts slowly, but readers who stick with it will be racing to the finish to figure out who's conning whom. Brilliant. Ages 8-12. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
As Britain prepares to adopt the Euro, Damian finds over 200,000 pounds sterling, thrown from a train during a robbery. Somewhat eccentric Damian (he has visions of saints) and his brother, still grieving over their mother's recent death, debate what to do with the money and try to evade one of the robbers. This fresh, funny wish-fulfillment story both entertains and satisfies. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. Would a lot of money be an answer to your prayers? Damien, a young expert on patron saints, thinks so after he finds 229,370 pounds sterling in a bag thrown by robbers from a passing train. With only a few short weeks until Euro Day, the day the Great British Pound would be replaced by the euro, Damien and his older, fifth-grade brother begin spending like daft nutters. The schoolyard economics quickly change, and soon adults are looking for the source of the cash--not to stop the flow, but to get in on the action. Naturally, the thwarted robbers are looking for their loot. The characters and their sometimes comical antics are as original, quirky, and compelling as in Hilary McKay's Exiles books, but the mood here is tempered by the recent death of the boys' mother. The point of view is solidly Damien's as he struggles to cope with his grief, be good, and find an ethical use for the money. Visits from saints guide him, and his faith in goodness helps him and his family to heal. An engaging possibility for reading aloud. --Cindy Dobrez Copyright 2004 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-When fourth-grader Damian finds a bag full of cash by the train tracks, he and his brother try to spend it fast. The bills are all pounds, and England is just a few weeks away from converting to the euro, so anything they don't use will, in their minds, soon be worthless. This happy predicament sets up some excellent comic situations, including rampant inflation at the school yard and some suspiciously materialistic Mormons. But a lot more is going on than money-related antics. Damian, obsessed with the lives of the saints and a bit muddled about the real world, narrates with endearing naivet? and unintended deadpan humor. Fifth-grader Anthony has an endless supply of schemes, contrasting with his brother's more charitable sensibilities. Though their mother's recent death is not described until later, the boys' sense of loss permeates the story, and their instant fortune subtly leads them to a point where they can finally face their grief. Damian's encyclopedic knowledge of saints is hilarious at times, but also reveals his touching need for faith and reassurance. Supporting characters, including their dad and a shrewd female fund-raiser, have distinct personalities. The imagined 1998 monetary changeover may be confusing to American kids, who might assume the event really occurred, but readers should grasp the resulting need to act with dispatch. There's plenty of excitement as the deadline approaches and the brothers' secret becomes known, but the humor, the strong family story, and Damian's narrative voice make this satisfying novel succeed on several levels.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Guardian Review
You'll have to read this book quickly because it's scheduled to appear as a movie in our cinemas later this year. This will be directed by Danny Boyle ( Train-spotting, 28 Days Later ), so it's likely to be great, but in order to get the full flavour of the author's achievements, there's no substitute for the novel. Boyce is a screenwriter ( 24 Hour Party People ), and his gift for good dialogue and for setting a cracking pace come into their own in this story of two boys with an unusual problem. With only a few days to go until Britain joins the euro zone and sterling becomes worthless, a bag of money falls at Damian's feet. Damian is the younger of two brothers. Their father is a widower and they have just moved house. The dark thread woven into this ebullient tale is Damian's grief at the loss of his mother, who used to work on the Clinique counter at Kendall's in Manchester. Anthony, the older brother, is a real-estate expert at an early age, and Damian has his own obsession. He's mad about the saints. He knows everything about them, having logged on to a website called totallysaints.com. He uses their stories as a guide to life, and indeed, several saints visit him and are characters in the book. Whenever he meets one, Damian asks if his mother is one of their number. "Have you met a Saint Maureen?" becomes a touching leitmotif in the narrative. Damian has built himself a hermitage down by the railway line. It's made from cardboard boxes and is emphatically not a den. This is where he is when the bag full of money appears. The cash is part of an enormous robbery, and once the fun begins, the story bowls along at high speed. Damian has hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash and only a few days to spend it, and the ticking clock adds urgency. The action takes place on a new housing estate, in local shops and, very importantly, in a school. The movie is going to be a terrific showcase for a lot of young actors. The main joy of the novel, however, is Damian's voice. We see everything through his eyes, and his account of what's going on is funny, direct and very often moving. Because of his admiration for the saints, he occasionally tries to mimic them, with hilarious results. At one point, he mortifies the flesh with holly leaves stuck down his shirt, and for doing this he's taken to see a psychiatrist. It's one wonderful scene in a book that's full of them. Dorothy, who comes to school collecting for Water Aid and who becomes an important part of the boys' lives, is a delightful character and the interaction between the adults and the children is spot-on. Boyce should know about this. He has seven children of his own and his observation is very shrewd. He depicts normal boys behaving sensitively, while avoiding any hint of soppiness. This is a book for boys who think they might not like reading, but it's not just for them. It's hard to imagine the person who wouldn't enjoy it. Adele Geras's latest novel for young adults, Other Echoes , is published by David Fickling. To order Millions for pounds 9.99 with free UK p&p call Guardian book service on 0870 066 7979. Caption: article-millions.1 You'll have to read this book quickly because it's scheduled to appear as a movie in our cinemas later this year. This will be directed by Danny Boyle ( Train-spotting, 28 Days Later ), so it's likely to be great, but in order to get the full flavour of the author's achievements, there's no substitute for the novel. The movie is going to be a terrific showcase for a lot of young actors. The main joy of the novel, however, is Damian's voice. We see everything through his eyes, and his account of what's going on is funny, direct and very often moving. Because of his admiration for the saints, he occasionally tries to mimic them, with hilarious results. At one point, he mortifies the flesh with holly leaves stuck down his shirt, and for doing this he's taken to see a psychiatrist. It's one wonderful scene in a book that's full of them. - Adele Geras.
Kirkus Review
This amusing story of a boy who finds a fortune in cash tackles the moral dilemmas he faces while maintaining a gentle comic narrative. Fifth-grader Damian becomes obsessed with saints after the death of his mother. When a bag of money falls off a train near his house, he thinks it's been sent by God. But it's British pounds sterling, scheduled to be burnt when the UK changes its currency to Euros. Damian and his older brother have only a few weeks to dispose of the loot before it becomes worthless. Damian wants to give it to the poor in imitation of his saints, while the always mercenary Anthony intends to spend it. Clueless, debt-ridden Dad doesn't find out about the money until just before the exchange deadline. The gentle British humor lies under the surface here, making the story a joy for readers of all ages. (Fiction. 11-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Millions Chapter One If Anthony was telling this story, he'd start with the money. It always comes down to money, he says, so you might as well start there. He'd probably put, "Once upon a time there were 229,370 little pounds sterling," and go on till he got to, "and they all lived happily ever after in a high-interest bank account." But he's not telling this story. I am. Personally, I like to start with the patron saint of whatever it is. For instance, when we had to write about moving house for Literacy Hour, I put: Moving House by Damian Cunningham, Fourth Grade We have just moved house to 7 Cromarty Close. The patron saint of moving house is St. Anne (first century). She was the Mother of Our Lady. Our Lady did not die but floated up into Heaven while still fairly young. St. Anne was upset. To cheer her up, four angels picked up her house and took it to the seaside in Italy, where it can be seen to this day. You can pray to St. Anne for help with moving house. She will watch over you, but not do actual removals. Anne is also the patron saint of miners, horse-riding, cabinetmakers andthe city of Norwich. While alive, she performed many wonders. The patron saint of this story is St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), because it all sort of started with a robbery and the first saintish thing he ever did was a robbery. He stole some cloth from his father and gave it to the poor. There is a patron saint of actual robbers -- Dismas (first century) -- but I'm not an actual robber. I was only trying to be good. It was our first day at Great Ditton Primary School. The sign outside says, "Great Ditton Primary -- Creating Excellence for a New Community." "See that?" said Dad as he handed us our lunches and left us at the gates. "Good isn't good enough here. Excellence, that's what they're after. My instruction for the day is, 'Be excellent.' The instructions for supper I'll leave on the fridge door." One thing about me is that I always really try to do whatever Dad tells me. It's not that I think he'll go off and leave us if we're a problem, but why take that risk? So I was excellent first lesson. Mr. Quinn was doing "People We Admire" for Art Hour. A huge boy with a freckly neck nominated Sir Alex Ferguson and listed all the football trophies United had won under his stewardship. A boy called Jake said players were more important than managers and nominated Wayne Rooney for individual flair. Mr. Quinn was looking around the room. To be educational about it, football was not taking him where he wanted to go. I put my hand up. He asked a girl. "Don't know any footballers, sir." "It doesn't have to be a footballer." "Oh. Don't know, then, sir." I used my other hand to hoist my hand up higher. "Damian, who do you admire?" By now, most of the others were into players versus managers. I said, "St. Roch, sir." The others stopped talking. "Who does he play for?" "No one, sir. He's a saint." The others went back to football. "He caught the plague and hid in the woods so he wouldn't infect anyone, and a dog came and fed him every day. Then he started to do miraculous cures and people came to see him -- hundreds of people -- in his hut in the woods. He was so worried about saying the wrong thing to someone that he didn't say a word for the last ten years of his life." "We could do with a few like him in this class. Thank you, Damian." "He's the patron saint of plague, cholera and skin complaints. While alive, he performed many wonders." "Well, you learn something new." He was looking for someone else now, but I was enjoying being excellent. Catherine of Alexandria (4th century) came to mind. "They wanted her to marry a king, but she said she was married to Christ. So they tried to crush her on a big wooden wheel, but it shattered into a thousand splinters -- huge sharp splinters -- which flew into the crowd, killing and blinding many bystanders." "That's a bit harsh. Collateral damage, eh? Well, thank you, Damian." By now everyone had stopped debating players versus managers. They were all listening to me. "After that they chopped her head off. Which did kill her, but instead of blood, milk came spurting out of her neck. That was one of her wonders." "Thank you, Damian." "She's the patron saint of nurses, fireworks, wheel-makers and the town of Dunstable (Bedfordshire). The Catherine wheel is named after her. She's a virgin martyr. There are other great virgin martyrs. For instance, St. Sexburga of Ely (670-700)." Everyone started laughing. Everyone always laughs at that name. They probably laughed at it in 670-700 too. "Sexburga was Queen of Kent. She had four sisters, who all became saints. They were called -- " Before I could say Ethelburga and Withburga, Mr. Quinn said, "Damian, I did say thank you." He actually said thank you three times. If that doesn't make me excellent, I don't know what does. I was also an artistic inspiration, as nearly all the boys painted pictures of the collateral damage at the execution of St. Catherine. There were a lot of fatal flying splinters and milk spurting out of necks. Jake painted Wayne Rooney, but he was the only one. Millions . Copyright © by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
