The Secret Life of Sam by Kim Ventrella – Book Review

Title: The Secret Life of Sam Author: Kim Ventrella Publisher: HarperCollins Release Date: September 29, 2020

After Sam’s pa dies in a tragic car accident, Sam must leave his beloved life in Bayou St. George, Louisiana behind. Sam moves to Holler, Oklahoma, where he is forced to live with his Aunt Jo, who he hasn’t seen or heard from in years. Once there, he begrudgingly begins life anew until a mysterious cat leads him to a magical tree, a portal back to the Louisiana swamp, back to his old life, back to Pa and his stories. Only able to visit Pa for a few precious minutes at a time, Sam is desperate for more time, more Pa, but the magical swamp also reveals hard truths behind Pa’s tall tales and untold stories. Sam’s pa is not the same and the swamp is not what it seems. Still, Sam is desperate to be with his pa and willing to risk it all for that time together so that he never has to say goodbye again.

Kim Ventrella’s The Secret Life of Sam paints a moving portrait of a grieving young person with care and compassion. In addition to Sam’s grief, Ventrella also tackles other challenging but relevant topics, such as the effects of and recovery from addiction. The author does so with sensitivity and understanding, creating a realistic portrayal of life’s myriad complications. Ventrella’s characters, all who assume the White Default, are engaging and layered. In fact, readers may be left wanting to know more about characters like Aunt Jo and Edie by the book’s end. In addition, The Secret Life of Sam’s dual settings are a powerful avenue for Sam to cope with and overcome his grief. While one setting is magical in nature, Ventrella pulls readers in and out of this setting with ease and the time constraints of Sam’s visits build tangible suspense. By the end, Sam’s final visit, though emotional and heartbreaking, may leave readers unfulfilled due to the priceless but scant few minutes allotted to tie up all the loose ends. Certainly, readers will want more, but in this case its limited telling reflects the realities of real life, where desired endings rarely materialize. Just as Sam’s ache slowly dulls over time so must a reader’s desire for a lengthy and neat closure.

The Secret Life of Sam presents a meaningful opportunity to engage young people that are experiencing a loss. The novel is descriptive, engaging, real yet magically spooky, and filled with heart. The Secret Life of Sam would be a great addition to upper elementary and middle grade literature circles, exploring themes of loss, grief, or friendship.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publisher, HarperCollins, for an eARC of this book.

Classroom Applications

• Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading books that blend fantasy and realism.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Grieving Process
• Louisiana Folktales and Legends

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with The Secret Life of Sam. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise  by Dan Gemeinhart (Character Connections, Themes)
• The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Character Connections, Themes, Novel Structure)
• The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling (Character Connections, Themes)
• The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (Character Connections, Themes)
• The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish (Character Connections, Themes)

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