Sam's Gift By Ann Edwards Cannon Shadow Mountain, 1997. 97 pages. ISBN: 1-57345-289-0 Audience: Young boys (probably 3-6th grade)
Reviewed by: Jana Bouck Remy

Plot

Sam Evans, a sixth grader, moves from Utah to New York, and the transition is a difficult one. Not only must he leave his family and friends, but his cat dies just before they leave Utah.

Sam adds to his problems by volunteering to play the oboe for the school talent show even though he doesn't know how. He realizes from this experience that not everyone has an outward talent like playing a musical instrument; some people have hidden "gifts."

From pp. 78-79 ( Miss DiMarco, Sam's teacher, is speaking):

     "Before we turn the time over to this room full of stars"-everybody chuckles-"I just want to say something. I love teaching your children, and I especially love the things they teach me. Just this morning, for example, I was reminded by one of them that there are all kinds of talents, not jus the ones we will enjoy this morning. I want to thank that student for teaching me something important that I had forgotten."

Review

I enjoyed reading this story because it is well-paced, interesting and "sweet." Cannon's characters are realistic -- particularly Sam's classmate, Milo. At one point, Sam throws Milo ( a brainiac and a constant tease) into a mud puddle to teach him a lesson. This sounds just like the type of struggles I remember from my own grade-school years.

I do wonder about the intended audience. It seems to me like the type of book that a parent might buy for their son, but that the son wouldn't read. I could be wrong on this though. (Unfortunately I don't have any boys in that age group to test it out on)

This book is not overtly "Mormon," but is values-based. The only specific reference to LDS behavior is a mention of Sam's Primary class. Sam's Gift is printed under Deseret Book's Shadow Mountain label, which is used for marketing books to broader, not-necessarily LDS audiences.

All-in-all, I think that Sam's Gift is of the caliber of Cannon's other novels, but is written for a slightly younger audience than Amazing Gracie or Shadow Brothers.

Jana Remy