After Sam’s mother dies of AIDS, Sam’s grief is compounded by culture shock when he goes to live with his aunt’s family in the small Malawi village where his mother grew up. He and his mother had lived in the city, where he attended private school and lacked nothing, from the latest computer game to fancy running shoes. Those shoes, and the few books he brought with him, become a symbol of his difficulty adapting to village life. Sam’s cousins and the other boy who lives with his aunt are fascinated by Sam’s things. Sam does not want to share, but in his aunt’s spare home sharing is a way of life. His aunt is loving, firm, and clear on her expectations for Sam as his painful struggle to fit in is complicated by his sense of loss and sadness. Sam’s changing living situation and the details surrounding it, from the AIDS crisis to the contrast between urban and rural living, are made accessible and understandable for readers in this affecting story. (Ages 10–13)

Sam vows he won’t wear his new running shoes until his mother’s cough improves. Instead, eight months later, he is staring at her casket in a gaping hole at his feet. Before the earth settles on his mother’s grave, Sam is whisked off to his Aunt Mercy’s village, far from his comfortable home, school, and friends. He must even sacrifice his computer; there is no electricity in the country. This is a thought-provoking portrait of a country and a disease that most American children know nothing about. However, the overarching themes are universal: selfishness, loneliness, fear, and bravery. 2010 USBBY Outstanding International Books List. lmp

Originally published by Andersen Press Great Britain, in 2008.