Matt’s Million

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Winner of the UKRA Book Award 1995

‘Matt’s Million should be required reading for everyone buying a lottery ticket’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Fun!’ Mr Kawamura waved a dismissive hand. ‘You have too much fun. What you want is work!’ He was tapping Matt’s knee again.
‘Believe me. Right work, best fun of all.’

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“I’ve always been interested in money – I’m amazed they don’t teach more about it in school – and this was my attempt to put what little I’d learnt in a story. I gave this book once to a boy who said he wasn’t going to read it if Matt just lost all his money at the end. Quite right too. And it’s all right, he doesn’t.

When Matt Collins gets a cheque in the post for £1,227,309.87p, he’s not sure if it’s really his or whether he’ll ever be allowed to spend it. But it is his, he can spend it on whatever he wants, and that’s exactly what he does. But being an eleven year old millionaire is complicated, and it’s a while before he sorts out what he really wants, and whether money can buy it.” Andrew Norriss

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The Teaching Library – Excellent KS2 Teaching Resources. Examples below…

Activity Sheets

Accelerated Reader Quiz

Class video presentation for Matt’s Million

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Examples of Teaching Resources to be found at The Teaching Library

Literacy
Write a diary entry for Matt at different points in the story… when he first receives the cheque… when he falls out with Claire… when he goes shopping etc.

Maths
Matt gives Claire a cheque for 0.25% of £1,227,309.27 as a thank you for helping him with the game. How much is this?

Geography
Matt lives in Chesterfield. Can you find this on a map? Where is it in relation to where you live? How would you travel there if you had to go?

There are many more ideas like these for all aspects of the curriculum at The Teaching Library

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Matt’s Million

1. THE CHEQUE

This is the story of a boy who became a millionaire overnight. Well, not exactly overnight, more over breakfast, really, but it happened very suddenly, and if you have ever wondered what it would be like to have a million pounds or so to spend on whatever you wanted, then you might like to know what happened to him.

His name was Matthew Collins, though most people called him Matt. He was eleven years old, and he lived with his mother at Number 27 Calmore Road, in Chesterfield, which is a town roughly halfway between Sheffield and Nottingham.

The money arrived in the post on the last Monday of the Easter holidays. Matthew had just finished breakfast, when his mother shouted, ‘One for you, Matt!’ and threw an envelope at him across the kitchen table before disappearing back into the hall to answer the telephone.

Matthew opened the envelope, and inside he found a letter. Stapled to the top of it was a cheque for one million, two hundred and twenty-seven thousand, three hundred and nine pounds and eighty-seven pence.

The letter was from a firm of solicitors called Wattis, Weaver & Wattis, and it said:

Dear Matthew,

I have great pleasure in enclosing a cheque, made out to your name, for the sum of £1,227,309.87.

I realize that the receipt of so large an amount may come as something of a surprise (though I hope a pleasant one) and you will be wondering what has happened and why. However, the matter is somewhat complicated, and perhaps the best thing would be if you and your mother would be kind enough to call in to my office at your earliest convenience, so that I can explain.

Yours sincerely,

J. Wattis

‘Christine’s ill again.’ Matt’s mother had come in from the hall, and was putting on a coat. ‘I’ll have to get down and let everyone in.’

Mrs Collins worked as the assistant manager of a pram shop and, when the manger was ill, she was the only other person with the keys to open the doors and the cash tills.

‘You’ll see yourself round to Claire’s, won’t you?’

‘Mum…’ Matt held up his letter to show her.

‘Not now, love.’ Mrs Collins was gathering up her keys and a handbag. ‘Not unless it’s a matter of life and death. I’m going to be late.’

‘Well, it’s not exactly life and death,’ said Matt, ‘but I think you ought to…’

‘Tell me this evening, eh?’ His mother blew him a kiss, and headed for the front door. ‘Don’t forget to lock up.’

The front door banged, and she was gone. Matthew, alone in the house, read his letter again.

Then he decided to go and see Claire.

To read the rest of this you’ll have to buy the eBook!

Reviews

These reviews from Amazon mean it was worth my while spending hours typing out the text as Andrew no longer had the original files.  I enjoyed rereading as I went too. Wonderful story.

“5.0 out of 5 stars My 9, nearly 10 year old son loved it! 10 Jan 2014 By Katya

My 9, nearly 10-year-old son, who has taken quite a while to come round to reading as a pastime of choice, absolutely loved it. He laughed, he read it from cover-to-cover, and he chose this book to review for his class. A real hit!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Matt million 20 Feb 2014 By Stupot

Money! I love Money but I know it isn’t that important ,so I like this book because the story has great imagination and ful of fun . If I had enough money I would by a furby and a I pod. And a xbox and a Wii u and a ps4 and every game in the world but it least we have all got family and friends with us 🙂

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5.0 out of 5 stars A really amazing book 24 Jan 2014 By Windmill

The great thing about this book is that you want to carry on reading and that is what made me enjoy this book so much as I sat down and read the book in one sitting. It was as if I had gotten sucked in by the book.”