Jan Michael

After his mother's death, Sam is sent to live with relatives in a far more rural area of the country than he is used to living in. He is baffled by some of the customs as well as the poverty he sees, trying to negotiate how to live in this new reality while dealing with his grief over his dead parents.

This book was not by an #ownvoices author and you could feel it as you read. There was a detachment to the story as a whole. I never really *felt* Sam's grief or his discomfort with the new living arrangement, and somehow everything came across as looking down on this village. What I got was many boring descriptors of walking one direction on the "track" and walking another way on it. The dust I felt; nothing else. There felt like an important story might have been in here somewhere but I was too bored by overly long descriptors of the scenery to find it. I wanted to like it but simply couldn't due to poor writing and flat characterizations.… (meer)

After Sam's mother dies of AIDS, he has to leave the only life he has known in urban Malawi and return with his aunt to the rural village where his mother grew up. This was a really interesting, thought-provoking story about the struggles and changes Sam goes through as he tries to deal with his grief while being plunged into a completely different world -- one without electricity or computers or video games, to begin with. Sam has a hard time figuring out where he fits in, and his frustration and isolation feel very real.

While the pace is uneven in places, I think this is a book that would appeal to a lot of readers. I'd consider it a "must have" for libraries, and think it would also be a great choice for 5th-6th grade reading or social studies classes.… (meer)

An outstanding look into what is happening on the continent of Africa and the AIDS crisis and the resulting orphaned children. This story takes place in Malawi and shows the contrast of life in this both modern and third world country as a young boy is orphaned and must move from city life and adjust to living in poverty in a mud hut with other orphans and an aunt. This story would be a valuable addition to any study of current events in Africa for middle school students. The story is well written from a literary point of view; Michaels is an excellent writer.… (meer)

Sam lives with his widowed mother in a city in Malawi, happy with his life. They have a nice home, computer, schooling, and are far removed from the traditions and beliefs of the rural portions of their country. All this changes, however, when Sam's mother dies from "the Disease," the AIDS epidemic that ravages Malawi, with an estimated fourteen percent of the population having HIV. Sam is shipped off to live with his aunt and her family in their small rural village where he has no privacy, personal possessions, or family her feels close to. Sam undergoes a personal journey to accept the life change that has come to him and to find his mother's spirit in himself.

This book was well written, but not as engaging as it could have been. I put it down weeks ago and didn't feel particularly inspired to pick it up again and continue to the story, except for eventually feeling that since it was under 200 pages long it would be a waste not to just complete the story and check it off the list. It was nice to read about the huge differences between rural and urban life in Malawi, but the characters were not compelling enough to keep my interest.… (meer)