Sharing an unspoken and forbidden love, Sarah and Abel, two young members of a Shaker community, begin to question their way of life and that of "The World."
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More About the Author
Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Used Bookseller's Quality Well Represented,
By
This review is from: The Gift of Sarah Barker (Hardcover)
Kudos to the independent bookseller Karen Weber at Amazon. Thank you for being a caring custodian of the out-of-print book The Gift of Sarah Barker. The story is such a wonderful way of sharing some insight into the Shaker culture with today's teens. The representation of quality was very fair and the service excellent.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gifts outside the box.,
By Telestai "bookfreak" (Atascadero CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Gift of Sarah Barker (Paperback)
Jane Yolen excels at getting to the heart of youthful quandaries. When her mother, guilt-ridden and nearly psychopathic, flees with Sarah to a Shaker commune, Sarah does her best to embrace the Shaker ethos. . . but deep in her heart, she yearns for something more than the absolute separation of males and females, something more than the required platonic relationships demanded by the Shaker traditions. Plagued by guilt for wanting more than mere friendship, knowing that she can never love a male and remain a Shaker, she faces a decision that will change her entire life, that could doom her to perdition, that will shatter her world. Yolen demonstrates the agony of such a choice and of its consequences without "prettifying." Short but powerful, and uplifting even through Sarah's pain.
--Telestai
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Gift of Sarah Barker,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Gift of Sarah Barker (Hardcover)
I found this book very exciting and entertaining, allthough a bit heavy at times. It is appropriate for (and can be understood best at)ages 13-14, I would say. Also,it would be best to research the Shaker religion (which the book is about) before reading it. It makes more sense that way.
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