Millions audiobook

Jedna od meni dražih dečjih knjiga (u kojima mogu da uživaju i odrasli), koja je zabavna, duhovita i... ekranizovana... Dosta sam se "borila" s izdavačem da ugleda svetlost dana i toplo je preporučujem... Ovo je pisac na koga treba obratiti pažnju... Šteta što ga je izdavač zanemario...

I was looking for a new Christmas set novel to read and Robison Wells recommended this. I've seen the movie, but didn't know that it was a book. Apparently they were written at the same time, as Frank Boyce was originally a screenwriter.The verdict?What a delight!Damian's voice is so clear and pure that I couldn't stop smiling and reading. I was immediately concerned for him, for his father, for his brother, and wanted them to "win." But how they would win, and what the answer was, I didn't know until the last, very satisfying, page. It's a bit different from the movie, which made it a surprising ending, and I actually liked the book ending better. This is a wonderful read for all ages, and thought not super Christmassy, I am still adding it to my December repertoire.

This is one of those children's books that seems to be operating on two levels. Although I do think it would appeal to the more intelligent readers in the 10-13 age group, a lot of the humour and commentary is probably aimed more at an adult level of understanding. (The real estate and financial commentary of the protagonist's older brother, Anthony, is one example that comes to mind.)There are two major plot points: Damian (the protagonist) and Anthony are trying to cope with the recent death of their mother, whilst simultaneously trying to figure out how to spend a rather large sum of money that has come their way. The money has an expiration date, because it is actually a "retired" currency. (Although the book is set in England, the premise is that the English pound is being switched over to the euro.) The boys quickly learn some lessons in basic economics: for one thing, how difficult it is to spend a large amount of cash (particularly when you have to keep it a secret). There is also an interesting lesson in inflation in the school yard, not to mention several good examples of the corrupting influence of money.As contrast to all of that filthy lucre, Damian is obsessed with the ideas of goodness and excellence. One of the focuses of that obsession has become an interest in saints -- the lives of which populate both his imagination AND several of the key scenes in this book. (It is a mostly realistic book, but there are a few "magically realistic" scenes: for instance, when the "real" Joseph takes Damian's place in the nativity play; when Peter explains how the loaves and the fishes story really took place; when Damian speaks to his dead mother.) Overall, it is a very quirky book -- in terms of voice, style, content, pretty much everything. I loved the poignant humour in it, and I thought that there was an unexpected amount of philosophical depth.

A wonderful, sweet story told by a 5th-grade boy who just happens to see long-dead saints everywhere he looks. Damian and his brother, Anthony, have recently lost their mother, and their father is doing all that he can to raise them well. Damian’s coping mechanism for his mother’s death is to read everything he can about the lives of various saints. Anthony, however, becomes a bit of a financial guru. When a huge bag stuffed with more than 200,000 quid comes flying out of the sky and into Damian’s cardboard “hermitage” (i.e., hideout), the story begins. Anthony searches for ways to make the money grow, and devises some pretty sneaky schemes. Damian, on the other hand, feels the “weight” of the money on his shoulders, and constantly looks for needy people and good causes whom he can help out. Of the added stress that the money ends up bringing into his and his brother’s lives, Damian says, “[The bag of cash] was heavy and we were nervous that something would happen to it. And that’s the thing. We thought the money was going to take care of everything but we ended up taking care of the money. We were always worried about it, tucking it in at night, checking up on it. It was like a big baby.”Because the story is told from the sweetly naive perspective of Damian, it is filled with many silly but poignant observations. It is a quick and delightful read, and is nearly identical to the movie. Not to mention that it’s a great way to catch up on your lack of education about the saints!

Millions is a fun book, full of wild and also touching emotion. The main character, Damian, is fascinated with saints. Boyce does a nice job of balancing the serious elements of grief with bits of humor that add up to a compelling tale of coming-of-age and growing up. The book also raises issues of the best way to help the poor. Throughout the story, Damian is troubled with how to give and where to donate money. He turns to his saintly visions for guidance, and his heart is always in the right place. Boyce expresses how giving money accumulates to good deeds, which signify rungs on the ladder to heaven, just like the saints on their way to canonization. Even with all the fun and twists that transpire as one grand scheme leads to the next, Boyce also conveys the message that, indeed, money can be a burden. This idea is voiced throughout with grace and skill as Boyce shows the problems that money can cause. This is a noteworthy book with a truly deep and emotional side to it that perfectly combines fun, adventure, and humor into the sensitive issues. Boyce’s book will certainly capture the interest of its target audience of upper school-age and middle-school readers. The characterizations are strong, and the plot builds with tension, intrigue, and curiosity. This book will find appeal and bring about discussion on many topics, particularly the correct way to deal with money.

I saw and loved the movie before I read and loved the book. The clerk at Bank Street Bookstore promised that if I didn't mind Damian's constant musing about religion and saintliness I would love the story, but warned me some people are bothered by seeing so much religion in a kid's book. I thought it was fascinating to have saintly visitations happening alongside a heist adventure. Damian's obsession with "being excellent" made him an unusual and memorable main character whose circular, well-intentioned and slightly batty attempts to make sense of adult worry-logic and comfort himself with it would resonate with anxious conscientious young readers. I read some chapters aloud to my younger sister (who is cool as a cucumber by temperament) and she laughed out loud to hear his antic reasoning, proving that for those who don't identify, there is much pleasure to be had from visiting Damian's corner of kook for a while. The writing was very well-paced for a television generation, since the author wrote Millions first as a screenplay it maintains a highly visual and plot-driven style. An edge of my seat read that would be enjoyed by upper elementary and middle school kids, if ever I could get it past the censors.

All I can tell from Frank Cottrell Boyce based on his jacket info is that he looks like Alan Cumming's brother and he has 7 kids. But seriously, who IS this guy? I love his books. I saw the movie of this one years ago and kind of forgot about it. Damian and Anthony are brothers and they've just moved into a new neighborhood. Damian is obsessed with saints and builds himself a little hermitage to live in down by the railroad tracks. Then a big bag of money falls off a train and as he and his brother struggle to spend it wisely and hide it from their Dad the book unfolds. The characters are so sweet and I loved Damian and his obsession with saints and their lives. And the saints that appear to him periodically - that killed me. Only bad thing was their Mom is dead and the boys are obviously sad about that. Normally I won't touch a book with a dead parent and sad kids with a 10 foot pole, but this book was worth it. Awesome, sweet read. I still liked "Framed" better, but this one is pretty dang good.

I don't read children's fiction very often, but this one was recommended to me so I thought I'd give it a whirl. It's a story about 2 brothers who are each dealing with the loss of their mother in different ways, and a father who reminds them to be excellent. The younger brother (and narrator) Damian tries his best to be excellent and to do good work every day. His heart is in the right place, but sadly the execution doesn't come off like he thinks it will. His older brother, Anthony, focuses on the almighty Pound/Euro, and is an excellent liar. Dad is just trying his best to keep a roof over their heads and teach the boys to be excellent. This was a really cute story about growing up, and learning about how great (and burdensome) money can be. Some parts were a little outlandish, but that's often the case with children's books so it didn't bother me. I think most kids would like this book.

I actually listened to the audiobook, which was even more hilarious than the book, due to the great voice of the narrator. (Being American, I wouldn't have been able to imagine the sound of the annoyed protagonist telling his older brother that his cardboard hideout isn't a den, but "an hermitage.")Damian has visions of saints, who all have their own personalities (and are hilarious). When he prays for guidance and a giant bag of money falls out of the sky, he figures God has sent it. His older brother doesn't quite believe that, but he definitely believes in money. And he has plenty of ideas what to do with this money, all of which end up not at all what he intended. Can Saint Joseph save the day? How about Saint Peter? Will inflationary pressures ruin the elementary school economy? And who is the mysterious man with the glass eye? Heartwarming and hilarious, this is a great story.

An interesting read. I enjoyed the innocent, younger tone of the narrator paired with the more, sophisticated topic. The structure of the novel is neat and clear, simplistic vocabulary is used and the variety of characters is pleasing. However, I personally found the sequencing of the invents a little confusing, with more and more problems rising in the plot where least expected. Other than that, though, Millions was a good read, and I recommend it to people looking for a fairly challenging book.

It is a very interesting book with many important lessons that can be learnt from this novel such as how to spend money wisely and so on. Though there were some confusions in the middle of the book but overall the book is excellent. I would recommend this book to all the people who like moral related books.

Well written book. Millions addressed some interesting topics, the main one being what would you really do with that much money? Some bits seemed unclear and aspects could have been more explained, but overall it was an interesting read. Would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an semi-challenging read.

This book is an extravagant journey about a young boy persuing his dream of exellence. He is a wonderful character who is unerstandable. This book teaches people about the complications of moneys and belifes.

All the blurbs about this book focus on these two brothers who happen upon a boatload of cash (a bit under 300,000 pounds, actually - not the millions the title would lead you to think), and how they have to spend it all in 17 days, but ignore what I thought was the most fun part: the main boy's obsession with saints and saintly acts. That and his brother's weirdly extensive knowledge of the financial world make for a unique story that could otherwise have descended into a cliched "what if you had a million bucks" daydream. I was disappointed to learn that "totallysaints.com" doesn't actually exist (anymore, at any rate), but all in all this was a very fun - and funny - book.

I really enjoyed this. I've seen the film many times but had never before read the book. The film does stay close to the book, which is nice, but the book (of course) is better. I tried reading this to my 7 year-old son and he wasn't quite into it, so I'd recommend for kids maybe 10 and up. There are some heavier themes of death and religion, but I found it sweet, honest and humorous. A really unique story! The characters were just so well written and you really love Damian as the protagonist. I'd love to read more from Frank Cottrell Boyce and see where else he takes me.