The Reappearance of Sam Webber

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: When my mom first got me The Reappearance of Sam Webber, I have to say that I wasn't all that excited. I didn't feel like reading it. I guess I'm used to books with a whole lot of adventure, but what I found out was that a book can be incredible without magic or someone firing a single gun. The main character, Sam, is my age and reminds me of how I am. He's a little bit of an outcast, and what he shows is that sometimes the outcasts are the coolest people of all. I loved the way he saw things and the people who are his best friends. Nothing is fake, and everybody is working to be who they are and figure out how to find happiness. For the most part they do, and that's the adventure. And it really is an adventure. It held my attention the entire time. The story begins with Sam's father disappearing without any idea how. They don't know if he was killed or kidnapped. After that, Sam and his mother are forced into a rundown neighborhood and into a tough life in inner city Baltimore. The thing is, that tough area helps him learn about different people, different places, and how to forgive. Along the way, he makes a best friend in a strong, smart older black man, cuts his mother's new boy friend's foot, defends himself from a bully, gets mugged and fingers the guy in a police lineup, and teaches the adults in his life how to be more accepting of others. He's kind of wise and stupid at the same time, and that's what made him so perfect. He's real. Like I said, I didn't want to read the book at first. I don't like things written for teenagers generally. They usually aren't smart enough. But The Reappearance of Sam Webber is different. It's better than Harry Potter and better than anything I ever read at school. It's like The Catcher in the Rye, but it's more like a story and has more feeling. I loved the book, and I highly recommend it to anyone, not just teenagers. You'll think about it for weeks when you're done, and you'll end up reading it again, like me. I hope they turn it into a movie. If they don't, you'd better read it and find out what a really good story is all about. Mike from Kentucky