The Secret Life of Sam

by Kim Ventrella

Overview

The timelessness of Bridge to Terabithia meets the wonder of Big Fish in this bittersweet, magical story, perfect for fans of Barbara O’Connor, Lisa Graff, and Dan Gemeinhart.

When Sam’s dad dies in a car accident, Sam is shuttled off to the dusty town of Holler, Oklahoma, to live with a long-lost aunt. There he encounters a mysterious mangy cat who leads him to an unassuming tree that turns out to be a portal—a passage through which Sam can revisit his old life for a few minutes at a time.

Sam’s visits to the bayou become stranger and stranger. Pa’s old stories unfold around him in beautiful but sinister detail, and Pa is not quite himself. Still, Sam is desperate to find a way for them to stay together—no matter what it takes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062941190
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x (d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kim Ventrella is the author of the middle grade novels The Secret Life of Sam; Hello, Future Me; Bone Hollow; and Skeleton Tree, and she is a contributor to the anthology Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Her works explore difficult topics with big doses of humor, whimsy, and hope. Kim has held a variety of interesting jobs, including children’s librarian, scare actor, Peace Corps volunteer, and French instructor, but her favorite job title is author. She lives in Oklahoma City with her dog and cowriter, Hera. Find out more at www.kimventrella.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Ventrella brilliantly renders Sam’s gentle nature, defensiveness, and deep sadness; her evocative prose and the small but resonant cast shine, and Sam’s voice effectively relays his path toward the other side of grief."
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The heartrending story and vividly described settings will captivate readers." — Horn Book Magazine

Praise for Kim Ventrella: “Set in the rural South, the syrup-soaked, rich imagery is a sensory delight. Gabe’s voice is distinct, and the evolution of his conflict reinforces the humanity amid the magic. A heck of a good read about the bright side of some durn bad luck.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Skeleton Tree is a powerful and tender story. Kim Ventrella knows when to be playful and when to break your heart.” — Cassie Beasley, New York Times bestselling author of Circus Mirandus

“Ventrella’s comforting storytelling reveals a magical world where a skeleton can grow and where a family’s love for each other can provide healing.” — School Library Journal

“Ventrella fearlessly tackles the sensitive subject of death for a middle grade audience.” — Booklist

“[An] emotional roller coaster tempered by a touch of magic and a resilient, likable protagonist.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Quietly powerful; dark yet whimsical.” — Booklist

"The magic is rooted in evocative descriptions and strong emotions. Magically mesmerizing and moving." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the Publisher

Quietly powerful; dark yet whimsical.

Booklist

"The heartrending story and vividly described settings will captivate readers."

Horn Book Magazine

Ventrella fearlessly tackles the sensitive subject of death for a middle grade audience.

Booklist

★ 10/05/2020

Samuel West just wants to go back to when his Pa was alive and spinning wild tales. But Pa, the only parent Sam ever knew, died recently in a car accident. Now, Sam is dragged from Bayou St. George, La., by his paternal Aunt Jo, who’s “stayed away... the past four Thanksgivings,” to her home in Holler, Okla. Isolating himself, Sam is buried in “thoughts... like spiders that hid away in cracks anytime you tried to swat them.” But when he finds a hollowed-out tree and “a cat with half a face” who leads him inside, he discovers a doorway to an alternate Bayou St. George where he’s reunited with Pa. Ejected back into Holler and only able to visit his father at certain times each day, Sam befriends Edie, a fellow seventh grader with an absent father, and learns more about his Aunt Jo, a veteran and an amputee who organizes Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Soon, Sam must choose between the two worlds before he becomes trapped. Ventrella (Hello, Future Me) brilliantly renders Sam’s gentle nature, defensiveness, and deep sadness; her evocative prose and the small but resonant cast shine, and Sam’s voice effectively relays his path toward the other side of grief. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brianne Johnson, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Skeleton Tree is a powerful and tender story. Kim Ventrella knows when to be playful and when to break your heart.

Cassie Beasley

★ 2020-07-14
A grieving boy is given a way to see his dead father again.

After Pa dies in a car accident, seventh grader Sam is taken away from Bayou St. George, Louisiana, by Aunt Jo—now a virtual stranger whom he hasn’t seen in four years—to middle-of-nowhere Holler, Oklahoma. In Holler, he starts seeing an ugly, scarred gray cat, who leads him through the hollow of an eerie tree that transports him to a dreamy version of Bayou St. George. There, the cat turns into the Boy, a guide of sorts, and Sam’s reunited with his father and the Colonel, an alligator that’s a Bayou St. George legend. Too soon, Sam’s sucked back through the portal—but it will open again, the Boy tells him, same time each day, though not indefinitely. Sam’s pulled between the visits with his father (sometimes witnessing Pa’s memories and trying to bring his father back with him), the budding connections he builds with Aunt Jo as he gains a new understanding for who she is as a person (a veteran amputee and Narcotics Anonymous leader), and the first kid to befriend him, kindred spirit Edie. The magic’s rooted in evocative descriptions and strong emotions, perfectly suited to interplaying themes of truth and stories, just as Sam’s grief-and-letting-go storyline echoes both Jo’s and Edie’s grounded-in-reality subplots. Lacking racial descriptors, characters default to White.

Magically mesmerizing and moving. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews