The Secret Life of Sam

By Kim Ventrella

A portal tree lets Sam revisit his past, but something sinister lurks.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 124 ratings

272 pages

$16.99Save 7%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

After his father's tragic death, Sam is sent to live with his aunt in Holler, Oklahoma. There, a mysterious cat guides him to a tree that serves as a portal to his past. As Sam revisits his old life, he encounters his father in a world where stories come alive in eerie ways. But the more Sam visits, the stranger things become, and his father seems different. Desperate to stay connected, Sam must navigate this magical yet unsettling realm, facing the question: how far will he go to keep his father close?

From the publisher

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.

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