Book Review:
The Gift by Marcia S. Freeman
By Drew Kushnir
The Gift by Marcia S. Freeman is inspiring for children whose families have moved to America from another country. Sonja, the girl in the story, comes to America with her family and builds a house out on the prairie. Her mother sings all the way. Slowly, her songs silence as winter draws near to the point when she doesn’t sing at all. The girl finds a way to bring back her mother’s singing and returns joy to the house. What I found interesting about the story was that Sonja’s life in her new house went from happiness to sadness to happiness again. Also, by reading this story, you learn how it can be hard and happy in a new place. It teaches you that you don’t always have to be the receiver of a gift to be happy. Sometimes just by being the giver, you feel joy. The illustrations by Patrice Kennedy go in perfect harmony with the words in the story. The vivid colors of the drawings make the book more interesting and easier to imagine what life back then would look like. This book’s combination of easy-to-read and complicated words makes it a good book for readers of all levels. #
Drew Kushnir is 9 years old, in the third grade, and attends the Annie L. Sargent School in North Andover, MA.
