Children’s Book Review: Sam’s Top Secret Journal – Memorial Day By Dr. Sean Adelman

SAM’S TOP SECRET JOURNAL
Memorial Day – Book 3

By: Dr. Sean Adelman

Published: February 5, 2015

Publisher: Raise Expectations

Fiction

Sam is a 9th grader who also has down syndrome. She tries to fit in and be like everyone else but knows that sometimes she is just too different. Sometimes others treat her poorly and she expresses her feelings in her journal, either through her writing or drawing. When her family travels to an old military base for Memorial Day Weekend, she realizes that other people feel differently as well.

Sam’s cousins are also joining them over the weekend. Her cousin Madison is dealing with her feelings of anger and frustration over her dad, Sam’s uncle, who was injured in Afghanistan. He wasn’t able to join them on this weekend trip like they had planned because he is still in the VA hospital receiving therapy. Madison’s anger is causing her to act out and make poor choices. Sam sees her making these choices and resorts to her journal to figure out how to help Madison.

This is an easy read and perfect for those in the middle to upper elementary. Even though the main character is a freshman, the themes are relatable to a younger audience. Readers will problem solve with Sam and learn about kindness, empathy, and handling our emotions.

Since the book is set during Memorial Day weekend, it focuses on our Veteran’s and their great sacrifices for our country. The family visits an old military base and learns from a WWII vet about his service in Japan.

There is a lot you could discuss with your child while reading this novel including children with down syndrome, handling anger, having empathy for others, and how to honor our Veterans.

Dr. Sean Adelman – source

Dr. Sean Adelman is a practicing orthopedic surgeon in Seattle, Washington.  He grew up in a military family and served in the Air Force. Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder close to his heart, as his daughter, Devon, has Down Syndrome. He wrote the book to give hope to parents of kids with “special needs” and create a character that would inspire others. Sean enjoys his free time with his lovely wife, Susan, and their three children. When he’s not busy being a dad, surgeon, and author, he can be found running or playing classic rock and roll on his electric guitar. Dr. Adelman has written two other novels in the SAM’S TOP SECRET JOURNAL series and hopes to teach children acceptance through them for many years to come.  For more information about the author, click HERE. 

To purchase a copy of SAM’S TOP SECRET MEDICAL JOURNAL, click the photo below:

I will be linking up this review with Booking Mama’s regular Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. Her feature offers bloggers a place to share their posts related to children’s and YA books. To see all these posts, click HERE.

A post from today, 5 years ago – Celebrating the Last Week of School and a Recipe
A post from today, 4 years ago – Scenes from Our Week – Week 34
A post from today, 4 years ago – My First Try at Making a Wreath – A Patriotic Wreath
A post from today, 3 years ago – My Thoughts on Philippians Chapter 1
A post from today, 2 years ago – Book Spotlight: The Chronicle of Secret Riven by Ronlyn Domingue

Thanks to the author for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.