Sam I Am

Sam I Am follows twelve-year-old Sam Goodman as he faces a challenging holiday season. With a Jewish father and a Christian mother, the annual Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations have always been a delicate balance, but a knocked-over tree brings long-held resentments to the surface. As his parents struggle, Sam feels caught in the middle, trying to understand his own religious identity and place within his family. He observes his best friend preparing for a Bar Mitzvah and his crush confidently asserting her identity, making his own search for belonging even more poignant. This chapter book explores themes of family, identity, and navigating cultural differences with warmth and insight.

Twelve-year-old Sam Goodman knows the holidays are going to be difficult when his dog knocks over the Hanukkah bush/Christmas tree. His Jewish father and Christian mother have never quite figured out how to celebrate both holidays, and when the tree goes down, their resentments, simmering for so long, boil over. His older sister and younger brother don't seem to have any solutions for the family's predicament; his best friend Avi seems to know who he is as he prepares for his Bar Mitzvah; his secret crush, Heather, knows who she is and who she wants to associate with.