When eleven year-old Sam Webber's father disappears without a trace, he and his mom are forced to move to a tiny apartment, and Sam has to transfer to a rough city school. Everything seems hopeless, until Sam meets Greely, a school janitor. Through afternoons in the park and evenings of greasy food at the local diner, Sam discovers that friendship can rise at even the saddest times.
The Reappearance of Sam Webber
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Eleven-year-old Sam Webber was never very good at making friends his own age. In fact, he felt closest to his mother and father: "I always enjoyed my parents' company more than anyone else's." So Sam is devastated when, without warning, his father abandons the family. Forced to move to a poorer neighborhood of Baltimore, Sam has to adjust to a strange school, a small, squalid apartment, and recurring bouts of nervous nausea and hyperventilation. Retreating to a world of comic books and G.I. Joe figures, Sam sinks into a deep depression. It is only when he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the school janitor, Greely, that Sam begins to creep out of his shell and connect with the world again. Surrounded by Greely, his mom, and his mom's friends (the ever-jolly Junie and her curmudgeonly husband Ditch), Sam learns, in the year after his father's disappearance, how to trust again--and become a stronger Sam Webber.
Jonathon Scott Fuqua's sensitively written first novel displays a true understanding of teen depression while sending the uplifting message that it won't last forever. Nominated for the Alex Award, which was established by the American Library Association to highlight outstanding adult books for teenagers, The Reappearance of Sam Webber is an engaging, thoughtful read for both teens and parents. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
From Publishers Weekly
A white 11-year-old becomes fast friends with a black school janitor and learns about racism, loss, grief, forgiveness and the landscape of Baltimore in this heartfelt but simplistic debut novel, the first work of fiction from Bancroft Press. Narrator Sam Webber was shy and fearful even before his depressed father disappeared; now Sam lives near the poverty line with his mother, who works in a flower shop. At a low point in his life, Sam is taken under the wing of the kindly, wise school janitor. African-American WWII veteran Greely Clemons offers Sam fatherly advice and reels off stories about his own experiences. Sam's friendship with Greely sensitizes the boy to racial bigotry spouted by his mother's drawling boss, Ditch Gordon, and the class bully, fat, ugly Newt Novacek. Sam finds another father-surrogate in his mother's new boyfriend, but his leap toward emotional maturity comes when Greely, in the hospital recovering from a heart attack, confesses that he too walked out on his wife and kids back in Atlanta. Shaken, Sam finally realizes that the father he idolized may never return. Fuqua, who has written children's nonfiction (B&O: America's Railroad), seems to have envisioned this earnest tale as part tract on teenage depression and part coming-of-age novel. He has a sensitive understanding of the shaky emotional terrain of preadolescence, and he displays a good ear for dialogue and an intimate feel for Baltimore's rowhouses, creaky buses and broad sidewalks. Though teenagers may find Sam's story inspiring, adult readers may find it predictable and didactic. Agent, Robbie Hare.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I've ever read,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: The Reappearance of Sam Webber (Paperback)
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
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written, complex, and moving,
By Educator Supreme "jillshackelford" (The Carolinas) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Reappearance of Sam Webber (Paperback)
I have recently been raving about Darby, Jonathon Fuqua's second novel, to all of my colleagues in the teaching profession. It is an amazing work of fiction for elementary and middle school readers. I fell in love with the book's content (it deals with racism in the Old South), its characters, and the storyline. Therefore, I decided I should read The Reappearance of Sam Webber. It is book for slightly older kids than Darby, but it is absolutely spectacular, too. It is realized in the most unique language, which could be difficult for some readers but also holds the attention once it is fully grasped. It is a significantly more emotionally charged story than Darby, and deals with grief, loss, race relations, friendship and hope. I was absolutely startled by the clarity of vision and unflinching style in which the novel dealt with events and issues. It is, in some ways, a day-to-day experience for the reader, as Sam suffers, meets people, and slowly comes to terms with the events of his life and his father's departure. It is a sophisticated elegant book that is not for lovers of fast paced and highly suspenseful fiction, but it is a book that will leave you thinking, feeling, and hoping. You will finish it knowing every single character personally. Most of all, you'll feel as if you've lived a small portion of your life in a neighborhood in Baltimore City. It is a great, highly recommended read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A touching, Outstanding novel, recommended for anyone!!,
By Ally (Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Reappearance of Sam Webber (Paperback)
Last night I completed the reappearence of Sam Webber. I have never been so touched by a novel, with such a twisting and compelling story line. Sam's life will touch even the most coldhearted person, his life is turned upside down when his father, known to people close to him as Big Sam leaves without a trace. He leaves a large, sorrowfull mess behind, and Sam's mother becomes close to the breakdown point. Luckily, close friends of the family Junie and Ditch step in and help to make their new house and life feel like home. Sam is a lonely boy, his father was one of the few friends he had, then at his new school, where he gets bullied terribly he finds a lifeline. The dark skinned janitor, becomes a friend and protector from bullies. Sam begins to see more and more of Greely, their relationship reminds me of a close father and son bond. In my short segment of writing I hope I have encouraged, even enticed you to pick up this deliciously bitter sweet novel. I would recommend it for anyone from the age of 10 to 110, everyone will learn seomthing about racial behaviour, family, love and friendship in only 275 pages. This book is earth changing, and it will change your life, forever!
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